From sustainable development to carbon control: urban transformation in Hong Kong and London

This paper explores the prevailing urban transformations of Hong Kong and London in the light of a policy shift from sustainable development preoccupation to carbon control management. The paper utilises Blühdorn's politics of unsustainability thesis to assess the magnitude of the two cities' urban transformations employing the theorised concepts of ‘known unsustainability,’ ‘commitment to blessed way of life,’ and ‘the discourse of opportunity’ as key analytical guides. Although it is accepted that both economies have re-orientated their prevailing urban planning trajectories in a sustainable development and, increasingly, carbon control direction the key question remains whether the proposed measures for mitigation are radical enough to avert the predicted crisis. Employing a rich empirical analysis of official documents and statistics the paper offers a broad overview which lends qualified support to the central tenets of Blühdorn's thesis across a compelling timeframe of investigation.