Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se

3. Urban Transformative Capacities components: best practices and lessons learned

This section presents an overview of the key components that are essential for developing Urban Transformative Capacities (UTC). The following 10 subchapters will provide a comprehensive analysis of the best practices and lessons learned from the various Urban Living Labs (ULLs) participating in the TANGO-W project.

Overall effective governance and institutional frameworks are crucial for developing UTC. This area will be a key focus point across the analysis. The goal is to understand the importance of governance structures, institutional arrangements, and policy frameworks in supporting urban transformations.

Also stakeholder engagement and participation are vital components of UTC. Hence we will explore the significance of involving diverse stakeholders, including citizens, businesses, and local organizations, in the urban transformation process. Analyzing stakeholder engagement and participation strategies will provide valuable insights into best practices and lessons learned that can enhance UTC.

Sustainable business models and financing strategies are essential for developing UTC. Thus, investigating this area is of importance in relation to understanding how to develop innovative business models and securing adequate financing for urban transformation initiatives.

Technology and infrastructure play a critical role in supporting UTC and we will examine the significance of leveraging technology and infrastructure to enhance urban transformations.

Last but not least, the TANGO-W project has revealed the importance of effective monitoring and evaluation as crucial for assessing the impact and effectiveness of UTC initiatives, especially since this part was not always prioritized and thus caused delays and problems in meeting the goals of the project.

Nonetheless we will seek to explore the importance of establishing robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to support the development of UTC, may be even as a learning from not being able to deliver as envisioned in the project proposal.

3.1 Inclusive and multi-form governance

Inclusive governance in ULLs is characterized by its collaborative frameworks that facilitate stakeholder engagement and empower communities of practice. The TANGO-W results emphasize the importance of developing a robust social architecture with consultant researchers. This involves defining roles and responsibilities that promote cooperation and mutual learning. Such frameworks are crucial for ensuring broad stakeholder involvement, which is achieved through both formal and informal interaction methods. Examples include workshops and community forums that foster dialogue among urban actors. The Stockholm meeting highlighted the need for governance models that are adaptable and responsive to local contexts. This involves using temporal architecture to allow ULLs to respond effectively to changing circumstances over time. The flexibility inherent in such models is essential for maintaining stakeholder engagement and ensuring governance processes remain relevant. However, implementing inclusive governance is not without its challenges. One significant issue is managing diverse perspectives within ULLs, as noted in the Stockholm face to face meeting in May 2024. This diversity can complicate decision-making processes, necessitating careful facilitation to ensure all voices are heard. Additionally, resource constraints often hinder the implementation of inclusive governance models. Feedback from Weiz points out that limited budgets and administrative constraints can impact participation processes, requiring lean and flexible approaches.

To overcome these challenges, best practices have been identified.

Empowering communities of practice is one effective strategy. By encouraging the formation and autonomy of these communities, ULLs can enhance governance by fostering environments where stakeholders collaboratively develop solutions to urban challenges. Participatory visioning exercises also play a crucial role in aligning stakeholder interests with urban transformation objectives. These exercises facilitate the co-creation of shared visions and goals, as demonstrated in various ULL projects.

Systemic counselling approaches have been highlighted as another best practice. This involves creating "transformation rooms" where stakeholders engage in joint learning processes. Such methods support the development of comprehensive strategies that address complex urban dynamics.

In conclusion, inclusive and multi-form governance requires continuous adaptation and collaboration among diverse urban actors. By leveraging collaborative frameworks, engaging stakeholders effectively, and addressing challenges proactively, ULLs can enhance their capacity to drive sustainable urban transformation. The insights gathered from the TANGO-W results, Weiz feedback, and Stockholm discussions provide valuable guidance for implementing these governance models effectively.

3.2 Transformative leadership

Transformative leadership is defined by its ability to inspire and mobilize diverse stakeholders towards a shared vision of urban transformation. It involves identifying and nurturing leaders who can effectively navigate complex urban challenges and facilitate collaboration across various sectors.

According to the TANGO-W results, transformative leaders are those who can develop a shared vision and direction for ULLs, working closely with consultant researchers to align goals and strategies. A central aspect of transformative leadership is the development of communication formats that support joint governance. This involves creating platforms for dialogue and knowledge exchange among stakeholders, which are essential for building consensus and fostering collective action.

The Stockholm Communities of Practice (CoPs) meeting highlighted the importance of engaging stakeholders at multiple levels, from individual to organizational, to ensure broad-based support for urban initiatives. The nurturing of transformative leaders requires a strategic approach that includes identifying potential leaders within ULLs and providing them with opportunities for growth and development. The TANGO-W results emphasize the role of CoPs in this process, where leaders can engage in mutual learning and exchange best practices.

CoPs serve as incubators for leadership development, offering a supportive environment where emerging leaders can refine their skills and expand their networks. Challenges in cultivating transformative leadership often stem from resource constraints and diverse stakeholder interests.

The feedback also underscores the need for flexibility and adaptability in leadership strategies, particularly in small municipalities where resources are limited. Leaders must be able to navigate these constraints while maintaining focus on long-term goals.

Best practices for supporting transformative leadership include fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are heard and valued. This involves creating spaces for dialogue and reflection, as demonstrated in the Stockholm CoP meeting, where stakeholders engaged in peer counselling sessions to share insights and address challenges collaboratively.

It should be noted that transformative leadership is a dynamic process that requires continuous engagement with stakeholders and adaptability to changing urban contexts. By developing strong communication channels, nurturing emerging leaders through CoPs, and addressing resource constraints strategically, ULLs can enhance their capacity to drive sustainable urban transformation.

3.3 Empowered communities of practice

Empowerment, at its core, involves gaining greater influence and control over important matters in one's life and environment. It is a process that enables individuals and communities to increase their assets, build capacities, and gain access to resources and networks, ultimately allowing them to take control of their circumstances.

In the context of Urban Living Labs (ULLs), empowered Communities of Practice (CoPs) are crucial for fostering urban transformative capacity (UTC) by facilitating collaboration, mutual learning, and innovation among diverse stakeholders. Empowered CoPs are integral to the success of ULLs as they provide a platform for stakeholders to come together, share knowledge, and develop solutions to urban challenges.

The TANGO-W UTC results underscore the importance of CoPs in supporting the development of new ideas and approaches within ULLs. These communities serve as incubators for innovation, where participants can engage in collective reflection and social participation to address complex urban issues.

The empowerment of CoPs involves several key elements. Firstly, it requires creating an environment that encourages active participation and engagement from all community members. This is achieved by fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among participants, as highlighted in the Stockholm meeting discussions. Empowered CoPs are characterized by their ability to facilitate open dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders, enabling them to work towards shared goals. Moreover, CoPs play a vital role in building social cohesion within ULLs. By bringing together individuals with diverse perspectives and expertise, CoPs promote a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect. This collaborative approach not only enhances the capacity for problem-solving but also strengthens the social fabric of the community.

Challenges in empowering CoPs often arise from resource constraints and diverse stakeholder interests. The feedback emphasizes the need for flexibility and adaptability in CoP strategies, particularly in small municipalities where resources are limited. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to provide CoPs with access to valuable resources such as information, support, and opportunities for skill development.

Measuring empowerment involves assessing both the processes that enable empowerment and the outcomes that result from it. Measuring empowerment in community settings can be approached through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and be assessed by examining the existence, use, and achievement of choice within a community. Key indicators include community activation, competence development, program management skills, and the creation of supportive environments. These indicators are often context-specific and require careful adaptation to the local setting.

The TANGO-W UTC results highlight several methodologies used to support the development of new ideas and mutual learning processes within ULLs. These include participatory approaches such as focus groups, surveys, and interviews, which are designed to capture the views and perceptions of community members. Such methods not only provide valuable data for measuring empowerment but also contribute to the empowerment process itself by engaging participants in dialogue and decision-making.

Empowered CoPs play a crucial role in building social cohesion within ULLs by bringing together individuals with diverse perspectives and expertise. This collaborative approach enhances problem-solving capacity and strengthens the social fabric of the community. The Stockholm meeting emphasized the importance of creating an environment that encourages active participation and engagement from all community members.

Unusual methods such as structural constellations and role-playing were used to support self-reflection in face2Face CoPs with very good results, showing how the tool is adaptable to the situation. The learning from the Tango-W project is as such, that to deliver good results it is indispensable to have a pro-active and flexible project manager capable of making the tools into effective by accommodating them to the specific conditions on site.

Best practices for empowering CoPs include fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are heard and valued. This involves creating spaces for dialogue and reflection, as demonstrated in various ULL projects discussed in the TANGO-W results. Additionally, providing CoPs with access to resources and opportunities for capacity building enhances their ability to contribute effectively to urban transformation.

Empowered Communities of Practice are fundamental to the success of Urban Living Labs. By fostering collaboration, mutual learning, and innovation among stakeholders, CoPs enhance the capacity for sustainable urban transformation.

3.4 System analysis

In the context of the TANGO-W project, system analysis refers to the comprehensive examination and understanding of urban change dynamics, path dependencies, and the interactions among various components within an Urban Living Lab (ULL). This involves assessing how different elements such as actors, institutions, and physical environments interact and influence urban transformative capacity (UTC).

The goal is to identify leverage points for intervention and to develop strategies that can effectively address complex urban challenges. The TANGO-W UTC results emphasize the importance of using system analysis to understand urban change dynamics and path dependencies. This involves employing methods that capture the intricacies of urban systems, such as participatory visioning exercises and scenario planning. These methods help stakeholders visualize potential futures and develop strategies that are both adaptive and resilient.

The CoP Stockholm meeting further highlighted the need for adaptable governance models that consider local contexts and complexities, underscoring the role of system analysis in guiding urban transformations. Comparing these findings with the original TANGO-W proposal reveals several key alignments and divergences.

The answers to the questionnaire emphasizes a holistic approach to system analysis, advocating for a transdisciplinary framework that integrates diverse perspectives and expertise. This aligns with the TANGO-W project's emphasis on collaborative practices and stakeholder engagement as essential components of system analysis. However, there are also differences in emphasis between the TANGO-W findings and the proposal. The TANGO-W results highlight specific methodological alternatives used to support mutual learning processes within ULLs, such as Communities of Practice (CoPs) and online platforms. These tools facilitate knowledge exchange and foster innovation by connecting stakeholders across different levels. In contrast, the proposal places greater emphasis on integrating academic research into ULL activities as a means of enhancing system understanding.

The feedback from the ULLs also provides additional insights into the practical challenges of conducting system analysis in small municipalities. It underscores the need for flexibility and adaptability in methodologies, particularly when resources are limited. This feedback aligns with the proposal's recommendation to maintain lean processes that focus on essential activities while remaining open to iterative learning and adaptation.

System analysis within the TANGO-W project is a dynamic process that involves understanding complex urban systems through collaborative practices and stakeholder engagement. By comparing these findings with the proposal, it is evident that both emphasize the importance of adaptability, transdisciplinary approaches, and stakeholder involvement in driving sustainable urban transformation.

3.5 Sustainability foresight

Sustainability foresight represents a systematic and participatory approach to envisioning and planning sustainable futures through collaborative processes that engage diverse stakeholders in developing shared visions and pathways for urban transformation. This strategic component of Urban Transformative Capacity (UTC) enables cities to create actionable roadmaps that bridge current realities with desired sustainable futures while considering long-term impacts and aligning actions with broader sustainability goals.

The implementation of sustainability foresight practices across TANGO-W Urban Living Labs (ULLs) has revealed several effective methodological approaches. Cities have successfully employed visioning forums and structured workshops to facilitate stakeholder engagement and develop shared understanding. For instance, Alytus demonstrated success by organizing visioning forums that brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss energy, food, water, and governance perspectives, ultimately contributing to their 2024-2026 Strategic Action Plan.

Best Practices in Stakeholder Engagement Experience across ULLs has highlighted the importance of tailored communication strategies for different stakeholder groups. The most successful approaches involved deconstructing complex system insights and presenting them in ways that aligned with stakeholders' levels of understanding.

Stockholm's ULL exemplified this by developing simplified communication approaches while maintaining strategic alignment through regular dialogue between research consultants and city partners.

A key success factor has been the integration of sustainability foresight with existing city strategies and planning documents. This approach has proven particularly effective in ensuring institutional buy-in and long-term implementation. Cities like Stockholm have demonstrated how sustainability foresight can be embedded within broader urban development frameworks, leading to more robust and adaptable transformation strategies.

3.5.1 Overcoming implementation challenges

The ULLs encountered various challenges in implementing sustainability foresight practices, particularly in maintaining stakeholder engagement and translating complex systemic insights into accessible language. Success in overcoming these challenges often came through persistent stakeholder dialogue and the development of clear, actionable roadmaps. For example, Halden's experience highlighted the importance of designing and executing projects based on users' needs and perspectives, which proved crucial for ensuring acceptance and relevance of solutions.

The implementation of sustainability foresight practices has contributed significantly to enhanced understanding of urban change dynamics and path dependencies. Cities have developed structured approaches to measuring impact, including the use of tailored key performance indicators (KPIs) established in collaboration with research partners. These metrics have helped track progress in areas such as stakeholder engagement, implementation of solutions, and sustainability outcomes.

3.5.2 Learnings for replication

The implementation of sustainability foresight practices in Urban Living Labs (ULLs) has revealed several critical insights that can serve as valuable learning experiences for future replication efforts.

The TANGO-W project demonstrated that successful sustainability foresight requires a structured yet flexible approach. Vision workshops proved particularly effective when combined with regular internal meetings, creating a balanced methodology that supports both formal and informal learning processes

However, it's crucial to note that overly scientific approaches may not be suitable for smaller municipalities, as evidenced by experiences in cities like Weiz.

Another key learning from the project implementation is the importance of user-centred approaches in developing transformative capacity. The experience in Halden demonstrated that resistance from stakeholders can be effectively overcome by directly involving them in the process and adjusting projects to align with their needs and perspectives. This approach helped build trust and ensure practical, well-received solutions.

One critical challenge identified through the project was the impact of leadership turnover on sustainability initiatives. The experience in Marker municipality highlighted how high personnel turnover can significantly hinder progress in implementing transformative solutions. Hence, future implementations should prioritize establishing robust institutional structures that can maintain continuity despite individual personnel changes.

The project revealed that successful implementation requires realistic timeframes. A notable insight from the implementation process suggests that approximately one year should be allocated for the anchoring process alone. This temporal consideration is crucial for future replications to ensure adequate time for stakeholder engagement and institutional embedding.

The Communities of Practice (CoPs) approach demonstrated both strengths and limitations. While CoPs provided valuable platforms for knowledge exchange and collaborative learning, their effectiveness varied across different contexts. Some participants found them particularly useful for sharing practical solutions, while others noted that the discussions could become too theoretical and disconnected from practical implementation needs.

A crucial learning for replication is the importance of establishing clear, context-appropriate monitoring frameworks. The project demonstrated success in developing tailored Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that track progress in stakeholder engagement, solution implementation, and sustainability outcomes. However, these frameworks must be flexible enough to adapt to local conditions while maintaining comparability across different implementations.

These learnings from TANGO-W provide valuable insights for future urban transformation initiatives, emphasizing the need for balanced approaches that combine structured methodologies with flexible, context-sensitive implementation strategies.

3.6 Practical experimentation

Practical experimentation represents a critical component in transformative urban projects, serving as the bridge between theoretical frameworks and real-world implementation. The TANGO-W project's experiences across multiple Urban Living Labs (ULLs) have provided valuable insights into the dynamics of experimental approaches in urban settings.

The project demonstrated that successful practical experimentation requires a delicate balance between structured methodological approaches and flexibility to adapt to local contexts. In Halden, for instance, the implementation process revealed that resistance from stakeholders could be effectively overcome by directly involving them in the experimental design process and adjusting projects to align with their needs and perspectives.

Another key learning from the project implementation was the importance of establishing robust institutional structures that can maintain continuity despite personnel changes. The experience in Marker municipality highlighted how high personnel turnover can significantly impair the progress of experimental initiatives, emphasizing the need for stronger organizational support mechanisms.

The project revealed crucial insights about temporal requirements for effective experimentation. Experience suggests that approximately one year should be allocated for the anchoring process alone, allowing sufficient time for stakeholder engagement and institutional embedding. This timeline consideration is particularly important for future replications to ensure adequate depth in experimental processes.

3.6.1 Recommendations for future implementations

For future projects implementing practical experimentation, several key considerations emerge:

Institutional Stability: Establish robust organizational frameworks that can withstand personnel changes and maintain project continuity.
Stakeholder Integration: Design experiments that directly involve end-users from the earliest stages, ensuring solutions are both practical and well-received.
Temporal Planning: Allow sufficient time for both implementation and evaluation, recognizing that transformative experiments often require longer timeframes than initially anticipated.
Adaptive Management: Maintain flexibility in experimental design while ensuring alignment with broader strategic objectives.

The effectiveness of practical experimentation requires systematic monitoring through tailored Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that track progress in stakeholder engagement, solution implementation, and sustainability outcomes. This monitoring should combine quantitative metrics with qualitative assessments to provide a comprehensive understanding of experimental impacts.

Future urban transformation projects should consider incorporating longer implementation timeframes, more robust institutional support mechanisms, and more flexible funding structures to accommodate the inherent uncertainties of practical experimentation. Additionally, establishing clear pathways for scaling successful experiments beyond their initial context should be prioritized from the outset.

3.7 Innovation embedding

The challenge of embedding innovations into established municipal structures represents one of the most complex aspects of urban transformation processes. At its core, this process reflects the fundamental tension between change and continuity in organizational systems, where change encourages creativity while continuity maintains necessary control mechanisms.

Theoretical Foundations Traditional approaches to organizational change often emphasize rational, top-down implementation strategies led by strong leadership. However, this perspective has been increasingly challenged as organizations have proven to be far less controllable than such models suggest as described in the “TANGO-W D2.2 Good Practice Playbook”.

The experience from TANGO-W's Urban Living Labs (ULLs) confirms this observation, particularly in cases where high personnel turnover has significantly impaired the progress of experimental initiatives.

The institutional philosophy of change management suggests that success and survival depend on responses to external environmental pressures (Smith, 2020). This perspective is particularly relevant for municipal organizations, where conformity to accepted institutional norms often competes with the need for innovative approaches.TANGO-W's implementation experience demonstrates that successful innovation embedding requires a delicate balance between maintaining institutional stability and fostering transformative change.

A study in Copenhagen (Madsen, H. M., 2018) provides valuable insights into successful innovation embedding, showing how systemic changes toward new technological trajectories are strongly influenced by external catalysts, but require existing foundational work to capitalize on opportunities. Similarly, TANGO-W's ULLs have demonstrated that successful embedding of innovations depends on good governance structures. The establishment of such structures has proven crucial for maintaining innovation momentum and they must bridge the gap between formal institutional requirements and the need for flexible, adaptive responses to emerging challenges. In this respect the experience from Halden demonstrates how user-centred approaches can effectively overcome initial resistance and lead to sustained implementation of innovative practices.

Successful innovation embedding also requires effective knowledge transfer mechanisms that can survive personnel changes and institutional restructuring. The Communities of Practice (CoPs) approach has proven valuable in this context, providing platforms for knowledge exchange and collaborative learning that extend beyond individual project timeframes.

3.7.1 Future considerations on embedding innovations

For municipalities seeking to embed innovations successfully, the focus must extend beyond immediate project implementation to consider long-term institutional capacity building. This includes developing robust organizational frameworks that can withstand personnel changes while maintaining sufficient flexibility to adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities3

The experience from TANGO-W suggests that successful innovation embedding requires a more nuanced approach than traditional change management models might suggest, one that acknowledges both the rational and emergent properties of organizational change while building capacity for sustained transformation.

Most importantly for embedding innovations is the ability of transformative leadership. It emerges through the deliberate cultivation of skills and mindsets within a systematic framework that combines formal structures with informal development opportunities. The most successful municipalities have demonstrated that effective leadership development occurs when individuals are empowered to engage directly with complex sustainability challenges while receiving appropriate institutional support.

The development of transformative leadership capabilities fundamentally depends on creating environments where leaders can effectively align organizational goals with broader sustainability objectives. This alignment process requires careful attention to both institutional structures and individual agency. Experience from TANGO-W demonstrates that successful leaders emerge when they are given the authority to make meaningful decisions while remaining accountable to stakeholder needs and organizational objectives.

The fostering of transformative leadership requires robust institutional frameworks that can withstand personnel changes while providing consistent support for leadership development initiatives. These frameworks must enable cross-departmental collaboration and learning while ensuring adequate resources for leadership development programs. The experience from several TANGO-W municipalities indicates that successful leadership development programs require long-term institutional commitment rather than short-term interventions.

Communities of Practice (CoPs) have emerged as particularly valuable platforms for leadership development, facilitating collaborative learning across different contexts and enabling the sharing of practical experiences. These networks provide essential peer support mechanisms and create opportunities for leaders to learn from diverse perspectives and experiences. The value of these networks lies in their ability to combine formal knowledge transfer with informal learning opportunities, creating rich environments for leadership development.

Successful approaches to fostering transformative leadership combine structured training programs with practical implementation experience. This combination allows emerging leaders to develop theoretical understanding while gaining practical experience in managing complex urban transformation projects. Regular reflection and feedback mechanisms ensure continuous learning and adaptation, while institutional support structures provide the necessary resources and authority for effective leadership development. The experience from TANGO-W suggests that transformative leadership development requires a long-term perspective, combining formal development programs with practical experience opportunities. Success depends on creating supportive institutional environments that enable leaders to exercise their capabilities while providing appropriate frameworks for learning and development. This approach recognizes that transformative leadership emerges through a combination of structured development and practical experience, supported by robust institutional frameworks and adequate resources.

3.8 Reflexivity and social learning

This section delves into the processes of reflection and mutual learning within ULLs. This analysis is informed by historical expectations outlined in the "D2.2 Good Practice Playbook" and juxtaposed with actual insights gained from the TANGO-W project.

Historically, the "D2.2 Good Practice Playbook" emphasized the need for systemic transformation processes that involve a shift from mechanistic to systemic worldviews. This shift necessitates understanding urban systems as complex, interconnected entities where learning is continuous and iterative. The playbook underscored several key principles, including the adoption of a systemic worldview that focuses on interactions and feedback loops within urban systems. It also advocated for the creation of transformation spaces that foster transformative leadership and collaborative learning among stakeholders. Furthermore, it highlighted the importance of double-loop learning, which encourages reflection not only on actions but also on underlying assumptions and values, thus facilitating deeper learning and adaptation.

In the deliverable “D2.1 Needs and challenges of ULLs for building urban transformative capacity” it is stated that “most of the ULLs do not have iterative approaches that welcome self-reflection or review processes that allow for revisions during a development process”. In this respect, the actual learnings from the TANGO-W ULLs provided practical insights into implementing these principles. One of the primary challenges identified was promoting reflexivity. While there are opportunities for discussions and shared insights, there is a need for more structured methods to actively encourage reflexivity and social learning among stakeholders. The role of Communities of Practice (CoPs) was significant in this context; the TANGO-W online CoPs served as valuable platforms for exchanging ideas, discussing challenges, and sharing best practices across ULLs.

Participatory visioning exercises emerged as crucial in fostering shared understanding and collaboration among stakeholders. By engaging participants in envisioning future solutions, ULLs were able to align their actions with long-term objectives. In practice, reflexivity and social learning were promoted through structured workshops and meetings, which provided frameworks for stakeholder engagement, allowing diverse perspectives to be incorporated into decision-making processes. For instance, workshops in Halden focused on co-developing solutions for reducing food waste.

Regular feedback mechanisms facilitated ongoing reflection on project goals and outcomes, enabling adaptive management of ULL activities. Additionally, collaborative platforms such as online CoPs offered spaces for municipalities to reflect on ongoing issues collaboratively, although there was room for improvement in addressing specific local challenges.

Overall, the experiences from the TANGO-W project highlight both successes and challenges in implementing reflexivity and social learning within ULLs. While historical expectations provided a robust framework for transformation, actual implementation revealed areas needing further development, particularly in creating more tailored and structured approaches to stakeholder engagement and mutual learning. These insights are crucial for refining practices in future ULL initiatives to ensure they effectively contribute to urban transformation goals.

3.9 Working across human agency levels

The concept of "Working across human agency levels" refers to the capacity to engage and integrate various forms of human agency within complex systems, particularly in urban transformation contexts. Human agency, as defined in social science, is the capacity of individuals to act independently and make choices that shape their lives and environments.

The concept is crucial in understanding how different stakeholders, ranging from individual actors to collective entities, can influence urban development processes. In the context of the TANGO-W project, working across human agency levels involves recognizing and harnessing the diverse capacities of individuals, organizations, and communities to drive transformative change. The original proposal of the TANGO-W project emphasized the importance of multi-level stakeholder engagement, which aligns with the broader understanding of human agency as a multidimensional construct encompassing individual, proxy, and collective forms.

Thus, this approach is essential for fostering inclusive urban governance and ensuring that all relevant actors can contribute meaningfully to decision-making processes. The significance of working across human agency levels lies in its potential to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of urban transformation initiatives. By acknowledging and integrating different forms of agency, projects can better address the complex and interdependent challenges faced by urban areas. This approach also facilitates the co-creation of solutions that are more responsive to local needs and contexts, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful replication in diverse settings. The TANGO-W project has demonstrated the importance of this approach through its emphasis on participatory governance arrangements within Urban Living Labs (ULLs). These labs serve as experimental spaces where stakeholders can collaboratively explore and implement innovative solutions to systemic challenges. The project's use of Communities of Practice (CoPs) further exemplifies how working across human agency levels can foster mutual learning and capacity building among diverse actors.

The following recommendations, informed by the TANGO-W project's experiences, provide a framework for effectively working across human agency levels in urban transformation initiatives.

Firstly, fostering inclusive participation is essential. This involves actively involving all relevant stakeholders, including marginalized groups, in decision-making processes. Ensuring accessibility to engagement platforms is crucial for this inclusivity. For instance, in the TANGO-W project, regular workshops and meetings were organized to facilitate stakeholder engagement. These sessions allowed for diverse perspectives to be incorporated into decision-making processes, thereby ensuring that solutions were responsive to local needs and contexts.

Secondly, promoting collaborative learning is vital for building capacity among stakeholders at different levels. Establishing mechanisms for continuous learning and knowledge exchange can enhance mutual understanding and foster innovation. The TANGO-W project utilized Communities of Practice (CoPs) as platforms for sharing ideas and best practices across Urban Living Labs (ULLs). These CoPs facilitated mutual learning by enabling stakeholders to discuss challenges and explore solutions collaboratively.

Enhancing capacity building is another critical recommendation. Investing in the development of skills and capacities among individuals and organizations can empower them to engage effectively in urban transformation processes. The TANGO-W project emphasized building transformative leadership skills through training workshops and collaborative forums. These efforts helped stakeholders develop the competencies needed to drive change within their communities.

Encouraging reflexivity is also important for fostering adaptive management practices. Cultivating a culture of reflexivity involves regularly reflecting on roles, assumptions, and actions to identify areas for improvement. In the TANGO-W project, feedback mechanisms were established to facilitate ongoing reflection on project goals and outcomes. This helped stakeholders adapt their strategies to better align with evolving needs and contexts.

Lastly, leveraging technology can enhance communication, coordination, and collaboration among stakeholders across different levels. Digital tools and platforms can facilitate transparency and accountability in governance processes. In the TANGO-W project, online CoPs provided spaces for municipalities to reflect on ongoing issues collaboratively, allowing for more effective interaction across local, regional, and national governance levels.

3.9.1 On engagement and the creation of trust

Reflecting on the social scientific learnings from the TANGO-W project, particularly in relation to social engagement and the creation of trust, reveals several key insights. Trust is a fundamental component in collaborative efforts, especially in projects that require diverse stakeholders to work together across different levels of human agency. The social science literature underscores that trust significantly impacts team performance and collaboration effectiveness. Trust facilitates cohesive team dynamics, enhances motivation, and promotes cooperative behaviour among team members (Bennett LM, Gadlin H., 2012).

In the TANGO-W project, building trust among stakeholders was crucial for fostering effective collaboration within Urban Living Labs (ULLs). The project highlighted the importance of creating environments where stakeholders feel valued and heard. This involves establishing clear communication channels and ensuring transparency in decision-making processes. Trust is not only about interpersonal relationships but also about institutional credibility. For instance, the use of Communities of Practice (CoPs) as platforms for dialogue and mutual learning helped build trust by providing stakeholders with opportunities to share their experiences and insights openly. However, the project could have benefited from a more profound stakeholder mapping and analysis early on. A comprehensive stakeholder analysis would have enabled the project team to identify key actors, understand their interests and influence, and tailor engagement strategies accordingly. This approach is supported by research indicating that multilevel stakeholder engagement enhances the relevance and impact of collaborative efforts (Boyer AP, 2018).

By identifying barriers to stakeholder involvement and developing strategies to address them, projects can ensure more meaningful participation and integration of diverse perspectives. Incorporating a detailed stakeholder mapping process at the outset would have allowed the TANGO-W project to better align its activities with stakeholder needs and expectations. It would have facilitated a more strategic allocation of resources and efforts, ensuring that all relevant voices were included from the beginning. Additionally, understanding stakeholder dynamics could have helped mitigate potential conflicts and power imbalances, thereby enhancing trust and cooperation. To enhance future projects' ability to work across human agency levels effectively, several recommendations can be drawn from these insights.

Firstly, projects should prioritize early and comprehensive stakeholder mapping to understand the landscape of interests, power dynamics, and potential contributions. This involves identifying not only direct stakeholders but also those indirectly affected or influential.

Secondly, fostering an environment of open communication and transparency is essential for building trust. Projects should establish clear protocols for information sharing and decision-making processes to ensure stakeholders feel included and respected.

Furthermore, continuous engagement through structured mechanisms such as CoPs can facilitate ongoing dialogue and learning among stakeholders. These platforms should be designed to encourage both bonding within homogeneous groups and bridging between disparate groups.

Lastly, projects should remain flexible and adaptable, ready to adjust strategies based on stakeholder feedback and changing contexts. By implementing these strategies, urban transformation initiatives can create more inclusive and trusting environments that harness the full potential of human agency across different levels. Such an approach not only enhances project outcomes but also ensures that solutions are sustainable and responsive to the complexities of urban systems.

3.10 Working across political-administrative levels and geographical scales

The implementation of urban transformation projects, such as TANGO-W, inherently involves navigating complex political-administrative landscapes and diverse geographical contexts. This section examines the challenges and opportunities encountered in working across these various levels and scales, drawing insights from the project's experiences and relevant literature.

One of the most significant challenges in implementing long-term urban transformation projects is maintaining continuity and momentum in the face of political changes. The experience in Weiz, where a sudden change in mayoral leadership occurred, exemplifies this challenge. Such political shifts can potentially disrupt project implementation, alter priorities, and necessitate re-establishing relationships and commitments. The literature on urban governance emphasizes the importance of institutional structures that can withstand political changes. As noted in “Ecosystem Services in Urban Landscapes” (Haase, D., 2014) the integration of urban ecosystem services (UES) into concrete decision-making contexts requires clarity about the relationships between various actors involved in implementation. This suggests that projects like TANGO-W need to develop robust institutional frameworks that can transcend individual political cycles and maintain project continuity. To address this challenge, it is crucial to establish working routines and governance structures that are resilient to political changes. This may involve:

Developing strong cross-departmental collaborations within municipal structures to ensure project knowledge and commitment are distributed across the organization.
Creating formal agreements or memoranda of understanding that outline long-term commitments to project goals, transcending individual political terms.
Engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, including civil society organizations and academic institutions, to create a broader base of support for project objectives.

As a concrete example from Tango-W is worth mentioning Klagenfurt, which have an interdepartmental Smart City Board in the municipality and where the implementation of the Climate Lab is a structural novelty. On the one hand, the Climate Lab builds a bridge between all stakeholders and citizens of Klagenfurt and the municipal administration, and on the other hand, it serves as a think tank to support municipal departments in developing sustainability projects, since municipal departments in small towns are usually overwhelmed by the development of EU projects. Some clever governance structures have been created here; the somewhat older Smart City Board has been able to mitigate the effects of several climate change-denying, conservative city governments.

3.10.1 Geographical Diversity and Scale Challenges

The TANGO-W project faced the additional challenge of implementing a common Urban Transformative Capacity (UTC) concept across diverse geographical locations with varying sizes and capacities. This diversity presents both opportunities for rich comparative analysis and challenges in terms of standardization and knowledge transfer. The literature on urban ecosystem services highlights the importance of considering scale in governance approaches. In this respect both (Ernstson, H. 2010) and (McPhearson, T., 2014) emphasize the need for creating functional networks of green spaces both within city-level governance and at larger scales. This multi-scalar approach is equally relevant to UTC implementation, where local actions must be contextualized within broader regional and national frameworks. To address the challenges of working across different geographical scales, future projects should consider:

Developing flexible frameworks that can be adapted to local contexts while maintaining core principles and comparability across sites.

Establishing robust knowledge transfer mechanisms, such as Communities of Practice (CoPs), that allow for sharing of experiences and best practices across diverse contexts.
Incorporating multi-scalar analysis into project design, explicitly considering how local actions interact with regional and national policies and trends.

3.10.2 Best practice recommendations

Future urban transformation projects require a comprehensive and integrated approach to implementation across political-administrative levels and geographical scales. Several key considerations emerge from both the TANGO-W experience and broader urban governance literature that warrant careful attention in future implementations.

The establishment of institutional resilience represents a fundamental prerequisite for successful cross-scale governance. This requires developing robust governance structures capable of withstanding political changes while maintaining project continuity. Such structures should incorporate formal agreements, cross-departmental collaborations, and broad stakeholder engagement mechanisms that transcend individual political cycles.

Adaptive frameworks emerge as another crucial element, particularly when working across diverse geographical contexts. These frameworks must maintain sufficient flexibility to accommodate local conditions while preserving core principles and comparability across different implementation sites. This balance between adaptability and standardization enables meaningful knowledge transfer while respecting local contexts.

The implementation of a multi-scalar approach represents a critical consideration for future projects. This approach must explicitly address the interactions between local, regional, and national scales in both project design and implementation. Such consideration helps ensure that local actions are effectively contextualized within broader policy frameworks and governance structures.

Also, knowledge transfer mechanisms require particular attention in future implementations. The establishment of robust platforms for sharing experiences and best practices across diverse contexts, such as Communities of Practice, has proven invaluable for building capacity and maintaining project momentum across different scales and administrative levels.

Stakeholder engagement strategies must be carefully crafted to address political actors while emphasizing long-term benefits and alignment with broader urban development goals. This requires developing sophisticated communication approaches that can effectively bridge different administrative levels and geographical scales while maintaining project coherence.

Finally, capacity building emerges as a crucial element for future implementation success. This involves systematic investment in developing local capabilities to ensure project sustainability beyond initial implementation phases. This consideration becomes particularly critical in smaller municipalities with limited resources, where external support and knowledge transfer mechanisms play vital roles in building and maintaining transformative capacity.