Sustainable Spatial Development: Discourse Yes, Implementation Maybe

This paper presents progress achieved within the context of SUSTAINLUX (a research project funded by the Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg) and collaborative studies with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.The research has aimed at critically examining the approach of sustainable development, in the context of Luxembourg’s urban and regional governance structures (Carr, Hesse, and Schulz 2010), that have transformed and rescaled (Brenner 1999) against tertiarization of the economy, and Europeanization of the political arena (Schulz 2009; Becker forthcoming) – processes that have had significant impact on the affordability of housing and infrastructure for mobility. To date, the research methods have included mapping the literature and actors relevant to the sustainable integrated development discourse in Luxembourg, performing interviews with practitioners in the field and exploring the role and limitations of this normative discourse in Luxembourg’s social spatial transformation (Carr 2011). Particular attention was paid to structures of decision-making and its relationship to the prevailing real estate market. In addition, comparative research was performed in collaboration with Prof. Krueger. This presentation will talk about the results and conceptualize them within the framework of policy mobility, as has been discussed in recent literature such as Ward (2006), Temenos and McCann (forthcoming), and González (2010). In this way, clear barriers to implementation to sustainable development goals can be identified.

References

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