Urban sustainability and knowledge: Theoretical heterogeneity and the need of a transdisciplinary framework. A tale of four towns

The academic debate on «sustainable city» is like a large arena, where heterogeneous approaches and contributions, coming from different disciplines, flow into without converging on a common vision. The growing awareness that an increasing percentage of the world's population now lives in urban areas makes the organization of this space a crucial issue for global sustainable development. In order to acquire this challenge, urban studies need to overcome conceptual oppositions, seeking new integrated responses to implement the principle of sustainability at urban scale. This effort requires a new managerial approach of science and policy, which can be based on a transdisciplinary vision to knowledge production. The paper is divided into four different sections. The first and second sections review the theoretical literature on urban sustainability and explore the conceptual relations between knowledge and knowledge production in urban governance processes. The third section presents a comparative empirical analysis based on a survey of 2213 questionnaires carried out in four different urban contexts. The fourth and last section outlines the conclusion, suggesting a new approach to manage knowledge in urban governance, in a trans-disciplinary perspective.

► We propose a classification of urban sustainability literature, showing the existence of a theoretical heterogeneity which hampers a full, shared conception of sustainability. ► We reframe the epistemological dimension of urban sustainability, arguing the need of a transdisciplinary vision to put it suitably in practice. ► We provide a comparative analysis of four urban sustainability programs. ► We show a overall lack of knowledge integration in the practice of urban governance. ► We suggest the use of knowledge management to fill this lack.