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Dr. Gregory Trencher
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

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Original article
Published: 16 July 2021 in Sustainability Science
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Smart cities continue to be conceived and implemented around the world as literature documenting these trends grows at a similar pace. Practices focused on narrow techno-economic objectives have met with sharp criticism as scholars have called for human-centred smart cities that explicitly address social issues and the needs of residents. Yet, literature has made few attempts to systematically compare a representative sample of smart city practices and discussions using objective methods that combine quantitative and qualitative approaches. This study thus focuses on Sweden and Japan as two nations particularly active in the implementation and discussion of smart cities. To compare the state of discussions and practices in each country, we examine a sample of almost 2,000 academic studies published since 2010. Using co-occurrence network analysis (a type of content analysis), we objectively identify the thematic foci of discourse and practices in each country. We then explore the themes characterising each country’s network with qualitative descriptions from the sampled literature. Our analysis reveals unique trends in both countries related to the conceptual framing of smart cities, participation of local government and citizens, and differing interpretations of vulnerability to hazards. Overall, combined findings from both countries reveal that technology-focused discussions are dominating over social topics, such as human capital, stakeholder participation, governance, social equity and so forth. The absence of socially oriented research is more pronounced, however, in Japan. These findings provide important cues for future smart city research, policy and practice.

ACS Style

Natsumi Sakuma; Gregory Trencher; Masaru Yarime; Motoharu Onuki. A comparison of smart city research and practice in Sweden and Japan: trends and opportunities identified from a literature review and co-occurrence network analysis. Sustainability Science 2021, 1 -20.

AMA Style

Natsumi Sakuma, Gregory Trencher, Masaru Yarime, Motoharu Onuki. A comparison of smart city research and practice in Sweden and Japan: trends and opportunities identified from a literature review and co-occurrence network analysis. Sustainability Science. 2021; ():1-20.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Natsumi Sakuma; Gregory Trencher; Masaru Yarime; Motoharu Onuki. 2021. "A comparison of smart city research and practice in Sweden and Japan: trends and opportunities identified from a literature review and co-occurrence network analysis." Sustainability Science , no. : 1-20.

Journal article
Published: 16 July 2021 in Energy Research & Social Science
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In explaining how socio-technical transitions occur, prevailing theories focus on bottom-up processes driven by new entrants, diverse actors and open-ended exploration in small, protected niches. Incumbent firms are frequently portrayed as hampering change, while managerial strategies using traditional public policy instruments remain understudied. Addressing this bias, we examine strategies used by networks of incumbent state and industry actors in China, Japan and California to accelerate the production and diffusion of battery-electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles. We build a comprehensive framework that systematically marries mechanisms of industrial transformation described in developmental-state literature with theories of socio-technical change from transitions scholarship. We then use a vast dataset of secondary documents and interviews to examine the principal strategies employed in each country, identifying variations over two phases of technological diffusion. Findings reveal that the incumbent actor networks in each country have collectively employed multiple but similar strategies. Yet closer inspection of specific policy instruments, such as regulations and performance-based incentives, along with ambitions to phase out vehicles with internal combustion engines, reveals differences across cases. We explain these by considering different motivations for each country’s transition and influencing socio-political conditions. Our study contributes to the enrichment of future transitions research in at least two ways. Theoretically, by integrating literature on transitions and developmental states, we deepen understanding of how incumbent state and market actors can attempt to drive socio-technical change. Empirically, our analysis provides important evidence for understanding the strategies driving top-down transitions outside northern Europe, and the conditions affecting instrument choice.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Nhi Truong; Pinar Temocin; Mert Duygan. Top-down sustainability transitions in action: How do incumbent actors drive electric mobility diffusion in China, Japan, and California? Energy Research & Social Science 2021, 79, 102184 .

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Nhi Truong, Pinar Temocin, Mert Duygan. Top-down sustainability transitions in action: How do incumbent actors drive electric mobility diffusion in China, Japan, and California? Energy Research & Social Science. 2021; 79 ():102184.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Nhi Truong; Pinar Temocin; Mert Duygan. 2021. "Top-down sustainability transitions in action: How do incumbent actors drive electric mobility diffusion in China, Japan, and California?" Energy Research & Social Science 79, no. : 102184.

Journal article
Published: 05 February 2021 in Energies
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As policymakers and automotive stakeholders around the world seek to accelerate the electrification of road transport with hydrogen, this study focuses on the experiences of Germany, a world leader in fuel cell technology. Specifically, it identifies and compares the drivers and barriers influencing the production and market penetration of privately-owned fuel cell electric passenger vehicles (FCEVs) and fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) in public transit fleets. Using original data collected via a survey and 17 interviews, we elicited the opinions of experts to examine opportunities and obstacles in Germany from four perspectives: (i) the supply of vehicles (ii) refuelling infrastructure, (iii) demand for vehicles, and (iv) cross-cutting institutional issues. Findings indicate that despite multiple drivers, there are significant challenges hampering the growth of the hydrogen mobility market. Several are more pronounced in the passenger FCEV market. These include the supply and cost of production, the lack of German automakers producing FCEVs, the profitability and availability of refuelling stations, and low demand for vehicles. In light of these findings, we extract implications for international policymakers and future studies. This study provides a timely update on efforts to spur the deployment of hydrogen mobility in Germany and addresses the underrepresentation of studies examining both buses and passenger vehicles in tandem.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Achmed Edianto. Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of Fuel Cell Passenger Vehicles and Buses in Germany. Energies 2021, 14, 833 .

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Achmed Edianto. Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of Fuel Cell Passenger Vehicles and Buses in Germany. Energies. 2021; 14 (4):833.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Achmed Edianto. 2021. "Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of Fuel Cell Passenger Vehicles and Buses in Germany." Energies 14, no. 4: 833.

Journal article
Published: 22 September 2020 in Energy Reports
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Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) can play a key role in accelerating the electrification of road transport. Specifically, they offer longer driving ranges and shorter refuelling times relative to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) while reducing needs for space-intensive public charging infrastructure. Although the maturity and market penetration of hydrogen is currently trailing batteries, transport planners in several countries are looking to both technologies to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution. Home to the world’s largest on-road fleet of FCEVs, California is one such jurisdiction. Experiences in California provide an ideal opportunity to address a gap in literature whereby barriers to FCEV diffusion are well understood, but knowledge on actual strategies to overcome these has lacked. This study thus examines governance strategies in California to accelerate the production and diffusion of FCEVs, key outcomes, lessons learned and unresolved challenges. Evidence is sourced from 19 expert interviews and an examination of diverse documents. Strategies are examined from four perspectives: (i) supply-side (i.e. stimulation of vehicle production), (ii) infrastructure (i.e. construction of refuelling stations and hydrogen production), (iii) demand-side (i.e. stimulation of vehicle adoption) and (iv) institutional (i.e. cross-cutting measures to facilitate collaboration, innovation and cost-reduction). Findings reveal a comprehensive mix of stringent regulation, market and consumer incentives, and public–private collaboration. However, significant challenges remain for spurring the development of fuel cell transport in line with initial ambitions. Highlighting these provides important cues for public policy to accelerate the deployment of FCEVs and hydrogen in California and elsewhere.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher. Strategies to accelerate the production and diffusion of fuel cell electric vehicles: Experiences from California. Energy Reports 2020, 6, 2503 -2519.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher. Strategies to accelerate the production and diffusion of fuel cell electric vehicles: Experiences from California. Energy Reports. 2020; 6 ():2503-2519.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher. 2020. "Strategies to accelerate the production and diffusion of fuel cell electric vehicles: Experiences from California." Energy Reports 6, no. : 2503-2519.

Journal article
Published: 16 July 2020 in Energies
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To meet the Paris Agreement’s climate mitigation objectives, there is an urgent global need to reduce coal combustion. Yet coal usage, particularly in the power sector, is rising in many developing countries. Indonesia is a notable example. While government policy is widely considered as the principle driver of Indonesia’s increasing coal consumption, studies have largely overlooked the influence of socioeconomic forces. To understand these effects, we utilize a decomposition analysis to capture the individual effect of five drivers of coal consumption in Indonesia over 1965 to 2017: (1) the energy mix, (2) energy intensity of GDP, (3) population, (4) urbanization, and (5) urban incomes. Results show the energy mix has exerted the largest effect on coal consumption. In addition, by accounting for other socio-economic influences, we found that other less appreciated factors have contributed to rising coal consumption. In order of contribution these were the urban economic effect, the growing relative share of urban population, and the population increase itself in absolute terms. We thus demonstrate that the drivers of growing coal consumption are multi-faced, complex and intertwined. Our findings show that developing nations such as Indonesia share a need to decouple urban population growth and increasing per capita wealth from fossil fuel (and coal) emissions.

ACS Style

Robi Kurniawan; Gregory P. Trencher; Achmed S. Edianto; Imam E. Setiawan; Kazuyo Matsubae. Understanding the Multi-Faceted Drivers of Increasing Coal Consumption in Indonesia. Energies 2020, 13, 3660 .

AMA Style

Robi Kurniawan, Gregory P. Trencher, Achmed S. Edianto, Imam E. Setiawan, Kazuyo Matsubae. Understanding the Multi-Faceted Drivers of Increasing Coal Consumption in Indonesia. Energies. 2020; 13 (14):3660.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Robi Kurniawan; Gregory P. Trencher; Achmed S. Edianto; Imam E. Setiawan; Kazuyo Matsubae. 2020. "Understanding the Multi-Faceted Drivers of Increasing Coal Consumption in Indonesia." Energies 13, no. 14: 3660.

Journal article
Published: 04 May 2020 in Energy Policy
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To accelerate the electrification of road transport, numerous countries are promoting the diffusion of both Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Fuel-Cell Vehicles (FCVs). Both technologies hold unique advantages and disadvantages while also facing common barriers with regard to production and diffusion. Barriers may be classified into four categories: 1) supply-side (i.e. vehicle production), 2) infrastructure preparation (i.e. charging and fuelling), 3) demand-side (i.e. spurring societal demand) and 4) institutional design (i.e. stimulating investments and the availability of technology). Relative to BEV literature, studies on FCV diffusion efforts are fewer. Also, while many studies highlight numerous diffusion barriers, knowledge on actual governance strategies to overcome these is lacking. Filling this gap, we examine governance measures used by government and industry in Japan to accelerate the development and diffusion of FCVs. The above framework is applied to examine coping strategies employed, unresolved challenges and potential ways to overcome these. Data are sourced from expert interviews and document analysis. Findings reveal robust measures to tackle supply-side and infrastructure challenges. Conversely, demand-side measures rely on public subsidies and lack regulatory instruments to stimulate vehicle demand. Also, institutional strategies to increase the pool of FCV makers are lacking visible outcomes. We thus lay out several policy suggestions to overcome these unresolved challenges.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Araz Taeihagh; Masaru Yarime. Overcoming barriers to developing and diffusing fuel-cell vehicles: Governance strategies and experiences in Japan. Energy Policy 2020, 142, 111533 .

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Araz Taeihagh, Masaru Yarime. Overcoming barriers to developing and diffusing fuel-cell vehicles: Governance strategies and experiences in Japan. Energy Policy. 2020; 142 ():111533.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Araz Taeihagh; Masaru Yarime. 2020. "Overcoming barriers to developing and diffusing fuel-cell vehicles: Governance strategies and experiences in Japan." Energy Policy 142, no. : 111533.

Journal article
Published: 27 February 2020 in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
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Continued investments in coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) and coal mining are incompatible with the Paris Agreement. As a major investor of both upstream coal mining and downstream CFPP construction, Japanese firms play a large role in sustaining the international coal market. Yet since mid-2018 numerous Japanese companies have announced a range of coal divestment policies. This situation, however, has not been unexamined by scholarship. Additionally, divestment literature outside Japan has focused overwhelmingly on financial institutions rather than the roles of other industry players driving the coal market. To address this gap, this paper examines four industries comprising Japan's international coal market (trading companies, electric utilities, plant equipment manufacturers and financial institutions) to empirically assess the extent of divestment behaviour and identify drivers and barriers. The empirical data reveal a slowdown, but not a cessation, of new and existing coal-related investments. Results also show that the extent of divestment trends can be largely explained by commercial factors, although institutional and structural factors are also at play. These findings have important policy implications.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Christian Downie; Koichi Hasegawa; Jusen Asuka. Divestment trends in Japan's international coal businesses. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2020, 124, 109779 .

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Christian Downie, Koichi Hasegawa, Jusen Asuka. Divestment trends in Japan's international coal businesses. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2020; 124 ():109779.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Christian Downie; Koichi Hasegawa; Jusen Asuka. 2020. "Divestment trends in Japan's international coal businesses." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 124, no. : 109779.

Journal article
Published: 25 June 2019 in Energy Policy
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Achieving temperature targets under the Paris Agreement requires urgent measures to curb construction of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) and expediate the retirement of existing assets. As the world's fourth largest coal consumer, Japan's efforts to reduce coal usage are critical for international climate mitigation. Policies introduced after the Fukushima nuclear disaster have led to a rapid increase in solar. However deregulation of the electricity market has also prompted a rush of new CFPP constructions by new market entrants and incumbent utilities. In parallel, Japanese state agencies and industry are actively exporting CFPP technologies to developing countries. Although these domestic and international actions harbour serious consequences for global climate mitigation efforts, greater understanding of the factors driving Japan's coal dependency is needed to limit further lock-in of future carbon emissions. Filling this gap, this study critically examines narratives employed by actors in government and industry to sustain Japan's domestic and international coal industry. Our analysis shows how Japan's fossil fuel regime is employing recurring narratives to promote continuation of the current coal-based energy system and to mobilise further investments in high-efficiency coal power technologies. We conclude by recommending various policy pathways and institutional reform measures aimed at encouraging wider diffusion of renewable electricity sources while reducing coal dependency.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Noel Healy; Koichi Hasegawa; Jusen Asuka. Discursive resistance to phasing out coal-fired electricity: Narratives in Japan's coal regime. Energy Policy 2019, 132, 782 -796.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Noel Healy, Koichi Hasegawa, Jusen Asuka. Discursive resistance to phasing out coal-fired electricity: Narratives in Japan's coal regime. Energy Policy. 2019; 132 ():782-796.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Noel Healy; Koichi Hasegawa; Jusen Asuka. 2019. "Discursive resistance to phasing out coal-fired electricity: Narratives in Japan's coal regime." Energy Policy 132, no. : 782-796.

Research article
Published: 20 June 2019 in Environmental Communication
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This study examined the intent, preparatory processes and challenges of nature photographers mainly shooting plants and animals in northern Japan. Findings revealed efforts to actively absorb scientific knowledge related to subjects during the preparatory process. Thus, a core intention is to capture nature in a scientifically credible manner, thereby demonstrating intimate understanding of subjects acquired from both scientific knowledge and first-hand field observations. In constructing their self-identity and attributing purpose to their work, photographers are grappling with internal tensions and contradictions when deciding the optimal distance to place between their field and related professions such as stock photography and artistic expression. We also observed cases where the original intentions of scientifically credible images from nature photographers might be lost as images are freely diffused via digital stock photo libraries. This harbors implications for the ability of the public to knowingly view photographs with a sort of “quality assurance” based on natural science.

ACS Style

Naoyuki Ohara; Yasuhiro Yamanaka; Gregory Trencher. Understanding Nature through Photography: An Empirical Analysis of the Intents of Nature Photographers and the Preparatory Process. Environmental Communication 2019, 13, 1053 -1068.

AMA Style

Naoyuki Ohara, Yasuhiro Yamanaka, Gregory Trencher. Understanding Nature through Photography: An Empirical Analysis of the Intents of Nature Photographers and the Preparatory Process. Environmental Communication. 2019; 13 (8):1053-1068.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Naoyuki Ohara; Yasuhiro Yamanaka; Gregory Trencher. 2019. "Understanding Nature through Photography: An Empirical Analysis of the Intents of Nature Photographers and the Preparatory Process." Environmental Communication 13, no. 8: 1053-1068.

Journal article
Published: 28 March 2019 in Energy Research & Social Science
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Cities are crucial sites for achieving socio-technical transitions in technology and infrastructure systems. Raising building energy efficiency (BEE) through new construction or retrofitting holds particular relevance to sustainability transitions since this requires diffusion of new technologies and energy management practices. In pursuit of this, city policymakers around the world are increasingly utilising mixes of multiple policy instruments. While achieving desirable interactions across instruments is a critical determinant of the potential success of policy mixes, so is the ability to design beneficial relationships across individual instruments to complement the overall functioning or outcomes of the entire mix. These dual aspects of instrument interaction and complementary relationships can be conceived as ‘complementarities’. Empirical knowledge, however, on particular strategies that policymakers may employ to achieve complementarities in mixes is limited. Addressing this gap, we use an adaptive theory approach to identify strategies for achieving complementarities in policy mixes from literature and then examine how these are exploited in real-world policy mixes designed to promoted BEE and retrofitting in New York, Sydney and Tokyo. We anticipate that our suite of complementarity advancing measures might serve as a toolkit for policymakers seeking to drive socio-technical transitions in other areas beyond energy efficiency challenges in buildings.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Jeroen van der Heijden. Instrument interactions and relationships in policy mixes: Achieving complementarity in building energy efficiency policies in New York, Sydney and Tokyo. Energy Research & Social Science 2019, 54, 34 -45.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Jeroen van der Heijden. Instrument interactions and relationships in policy mixes: Achieving complementarity in building energy efficiency policies in New York, Sydney and Tokyo. Energy Research & Social Science. 2019; 54 ():34-45.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Jeroen van der Heijden. 2019. "Instrument interactions and relationships in policy mixes: Achieving complementarity in building energy efficiency policies in New York, Sydney and Tokyo." Energy Research & Social Science 54, no. : 34-45.

Journal article
Published: 29 November 2018 in Energy Research & Social Science
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Scholarship is devoting increasing attention to the important role that socio-technical imaginaries play in materialising desirable energy futures by inspiring and propelling technological innovation strategies, mobilising stakeholders and resources, and justifying necessary policy introductions and transformations of socio-economic systems. This article contributes to this emerging scholarship by exploring two relevant cases and their interactions: Japan’s national imaginary around a transition to a hydrogen society and Fukushima Prefecture’s local imaginary around a post-nuclear disaster transition to a society powered 100% by both renewables and hydrogen. As we demonstrate, while the process of interaction and appropriation of the national-level hydrogen imaginary to the Fukushima context triggered contestations, friction and contradictions, we also identify positive outcomes. That is, the process of convergence encountered concurrence in stakeholder communities and complemented existing efforts to achieve a renewable energy future that is unique to this particular geography. By also exploring positive outcomes, this study moves beyond existent scholarship—which has focused on negative consequences such as tensions and contestations—to propose a nuanced appreciation of the mixed outcomes that might ensure the convergence of diverging imaginaries from differing geographical scales.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Jeroen van der Heijden. Contradictory but also complementary: National and local imaginaries in Japan and Fukushima around transitions to hydrogen and renewables. Energy Research & Social Science 2018, 49, 209 -218.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Jeroen van der Heijden. Contradictory but also complementary: National and local imaginaries in Japan and Fukushima around transitions to hydrogen and renewables. Energy Research & Social Science. 2018; 49 ():209-218.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Jeroen van der Heijden. 2018. "Contradictory but also complementary: National and local imaginaries in Japan and Fukushima around transitions to hydrogen and renewables." Energy Research & Social Science 49, no. : 209-218.

Urban transformative capacity
Published: 11 September 2018 in Ambio
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There is a consensus about the strategic importance of cities and urban areas for achieving a global transformation towards sustainability. While there is mounting interest in the types of qualities that increase the capacity of urban systems to attain deep transformations, empirical evidence about the extent to which existing institutional and material systems exhibit transformative capacity is lacking. This paper thereby seeks to determine the extent to which sustainability initiatives led by local governments and their partners reflect the various components that the literature claims can influence the emergence of transformative capacity as a systemic property of urban settings. Using an evaluative framework consisting of ten components of transformative capacity and associated indicators, the specific objective is to identify patterns in these initiatives regarding the presence of individual components of transformative capacity and their interrelations with other components. The analysis of 400 sustainability initiatives reveals thin evidence of transformative capacity. When detected, evidence of transformative capacity tended to emerge in relation to wider processes of institutional- and social-learning and initiatives that linked outcomes to a city-wide vision of planning and development. However, instances of such initiatives were rare. This widespread lack of evidence for transformative capacity raises concerns that this set of attributes normalised in the literature is in fact rarely found in sustainability action on the ground.

ACS Style

Vanesa Castán Broto; Gregory Trencher; Ewa Iwaszuk; Linda Westman. Transformative capacity and local action for urban sustainability. Ambio 2018, 48, 449 -462.

AMA Style

Vanesa Castán Broto, Gregory Trencher, Ewa Iwaszuk, Linda Westman. Transformative capacity and local action for urban sustainability. Ambio. 2018; 48 (5):449-462.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vanesa Castán Broto; Gregory Trencher; Ewa Iwaszuk; Linda Westman. 2018. "Transformative capacity and local action for urban sustainability." Ambio 48, no. 5: 449-462.

Journal article
Published: 22 July 2018 in Technological Forecasting and Social Change
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While scholars critique the first-generation of the corporate smart city for failing to tackle people-oriented agendas and authentically respond to the needs of residents, many point to a potential to move beyond narrow environmental and economic objectives and tackle social issues. But concrete empirical evidence of this potential is visibly lacking. In parallel, researchers have brought attention to the emergence of the so-called ‘smart city 2.0’. This is framed as a decentralised, people-centric approach where smart technologies are employed as tools to tackle social problems, address resident needs and foster collaborative participation. This contrasts to the techno-economic and centralised approach of the dominating ‘smart city 1.0’ or first-generation paradigm, which is primarily focused on diffusing smart technologies for corporate and economic interests. Utilising this dichotomy as an analytical framework, this paper examines Aizuwakamatsu Smart City in Fukushima, Japan to demonstrate how a smart city can be framed and implemented as a tool for tackling endogenous social challenges. Findings unearth a myriad of novel approaches to utilising data and ICT to respond to resident needs, improve livelihoods and widely share smart city benefits. Yet they also point to a need to transcend polarised discourses around alternative models of smart cities and appreciate the messy reality of hybrid, on-the-ground smart urbanisation and the co-existence of contrasting yet complementary visions and approaches.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher. Towards the smart city 2.0: Empirical evidence of using smartness as a tool for tackling social challenges. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 2018, 142, 117 -128.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher. Towards the smart city 2.0: Empirical evidence of using smartness as a tool for tackling social challenges. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 2018; 142 ():117-128.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher. 2018. "Towards the smart city 2.0: Empirical evidence of using smartness as a tool for tackling social challenges." Technological Forecasting and Social Change 142, no. : 117-128.

Journal article
Published: 01 April 2018 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Shirley Vincent; Kyle Bahr; Shogo Kudo; Katherine Markham; Yasuhiro Yamanaka. Evaluating core competencies development in sustainability and environmental master's programs: An empirical analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 181, 829 -841.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Shirley Vincent, Kyle Bahr, Shogo Kudo, Katherine Markham, Yasuhiro Yamanaka. Evaluating core competencies development in sustainability and environmental master's programs: An empirical analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 181 ():829-841.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Shirley Vincent; Kyle Bahr; Shogo Kudo; Katherine Markham; Yasuhiro Yamanaka. 2018. "Evaluating core competencies development in sustainability and environmental master's programs: An empirical analysis." Journal of Cleaner Production 181, no. : 829-841.

Journal article
Published: 02 January 2018 in International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
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Purpose There is a widely held belief that sustainable development (SD) policies are essential for universities to successfully engage in matters related to sustainability, and are an indicator of the extent to which they are active in this field. This paper aims to examine the evidence which currently exists to support this assumption. It surveys a sample of universities in Brazil, Germany, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and the UK and the USA to ascertain the extent to which universities that are active in the field of sustainable development have formal policies on sustainable development, and whether such policies are a pre-condition for successful sustainability efforts. Design/methodology/approach The study involved 35 universities in seven countries (five universities respectively). A mixed-methods approach has been used, ranging from document analysis, website analysis, questionnaires and interviewing. Findings Although only 60 per cent of the sampled universities had a policy that specifically addressed SD, this cannot be regarded as an indicator that the remaining 40 per cent are not engaged with substantial actions that address SD. Indeed, all of the universities in the sample, regardless of the existence of a SD formal policy, demonstrated engagement with environmental sustainability policies or procedures in some form or another. This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Despite this, it is one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed. Research limitations/implications This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Practical implications The findings provide some valuable insights into the connections between SD policies on the one hand and the practice of sustainable development in higher education institutions on the other. Social implications Universities with SD policies can contribute to models of economic growth consistent with sustainable development. Originality/value The study is the one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.

ACS Style

Walter Leal Filho; Luciana Brandli; Deisi Becker; Constantina Skanavis; Aristea Kounani; Chrysoula Sardi; Dimitra Papaioannidou; Arminda Paço; Ulisses Azeiteiro; Luiza de Sousa; Schalk Raath; Rudi Pretorius; Christine Shiel; Valeria Vargas; Gregory Trencher; Robert W. Marans. Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 2018, 19, 85 -113.

AMA Style

Walter Leal Filho, Luciana Brandli, Deisi Becker, Constantina Skanavis, Aristea Kounani, Chrysoula Sardi, Dimitra Papaioannidou, Arminda Paço, Ulisses Azeiteiro, Luiza de Sousa, Schalk Raath, Rudi Pretorius, Christine Shiel, Valeria Vargas, Gregory Trencher, Robert W. Marans. Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 2018; 19 (1):85-113.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Walter Leal Filho; Luciana Brandli; Deisi Becker; Constantina Skanavis; Aristea Kounani; Chrysoula Sardi; Dimitra Papaioannidou; Arminda Paço; Ulisses Azeiteiro; Luiza de Sousa; Schalk Raath; Rudi Pretorius; Christine Shiel; Valeria Vargas; Gregory Trencher; Robert W. Marans. 2018. "Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities." International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 19, no. 1: 85-113.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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ACS Style

Christopher Luederitz; Niko Schäpke; Arnim Wiek; Daniel J. Lang; Matthias Bergmann; Joannette Bos; Sarah Burch; Anna Davies; James Evans; Ariane König; Megan Farrelly; Nigel Forrest; Niki Frantzeskaki; Robert B. Gibson; Braden Kay; Derk Loorbach; Kes McCormick; Oliver Parodi; Felix Rauschmayer; Uwe Schneidewind; Michael Stauffacher; Franziska Stelzer; Gregory Trencher; Johannes Venjakob; Philip J. Vergragt; Henrik von Wehrden; Frances R. Westley. Learning through evaluation – A tentative evaluative scheme for sustainability transition experiments. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 169, 61 -76.

AMA Style

Christopher Luederitz, Niko Schäpke, Arnim Wiek, Daniel J. Lang, Matthias Bergmann, Joannette Bos, Sarah Burch, Anna Davies, James Evans, Ariane König, Megan Farrelly, Nigel Forrest, Niki Frantzeskaki, Robert B. Gibson, Braden Kay, Derk Loorbach, Kes McCormick, Oliver Parodi, Felix Rauschmayer, Uwe Schneidewind, Michael Stauffacher, Franziska Stelzer, Gregory Trencher, Johannes Venjakob, Philip J. Vergragt, Henrik von Wehrden, Frances R. Westley. Learning through evaluation – A tentative evaluative scheme for sustainability transition experiments. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 169 ():61-76.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christopher Luederitz; Niko Schäpke; Arnim Wiek; Daniel J. Lang; Matthias Bergmann; Joannette Bos; Sarah Burch; Anna Davies; James Evans; Ariane König; Megan Farrelly; Nigel Forrest; Niki Frantzeskaki; Robert B. Gibson; Braden Kay; Derk Loorbach; Kes McCormick; Oliver Parodi; Felix Rauschmayer; Uwe Schneidewind; Michael Stauffacher; Franziska Stelzer; Gregory Trencher; Johannes Venjakob; Philip J. Vergragt; Henrik von Wehrden; Frances R. Westley. 2017. "Learning through evaluation – A tentative evaluative scheme for sustainability transition experiments." Journal of Cleaner Production 169, no. : 61-76.

Original articles
Published: 02 August 2017 in Local Environment
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Contemporary smart cities have largely mirrored the sustainable development agenda by embracing an ecological modernisation approach to urban development. There is a strong focus on stimulating economic activity and environmental protection with little emphasis on social equity and the human experience. The health and well-being agenda has potential to shift the focus of smart cities to centre on social aims. Through the systematic and widespread application of technologies such as wearable health monitors, the creation of open data platforms for health parameters, and the development of virtual communication between patients and health professionals, the smart city can serve as a means to improve the lives of urban residents. In this article, we present a case study of smart health in Kashiwanoha Smart City in Japan. We explore how the pursuit of greater health and well-being has stretched smart city activities beyond technological innovation to directly impact resident lifestyles and become more socially relevant. Smart health strategies examined include a combination of experiments in monitoring and visualisation, education through information provision, and enticement for behavioural change. Findings suggest that smart cities have great potential to be designed and executed to tackle social problems and realise more sustainable, equitable and liveable cities.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Andrew Karvonen. Stretching “smart”: advancing health and well-being through the smart city agenda. Local Environment 2017, 24, 610 -627.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Andrew Karvonen. Stretching “smart”: advancing health and well-being through the smart city agenda. Local Environment. 2017; 24 (7):610-627.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Andrew Karvonen. 2017. "Stretching “smart”: advancing health and well-being through the smart city agenda." Local Environment 24, no. 7: 610-627.

Journal article
Published: 12 April 2017 in Sustainability
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Universities are under mounting pressure to partner with societal stakeholders and organizations to collaboratively create and implement sustainability-advancing knowledge, tools, and societal transformations. Simultaneously, an increasing number of societal organizations are reaching out to partner with universities to achieve organizational objectives and increase the effectiveness of strategies to further societal sustainability. Using a conceptual framework of “sustainability co-creation”, this study empirically examines the historical and ongoing experiences of five organizations in Japan that actively partner with universities to enhance sustainability activities and strategies to transform society. We examine motivations for partnering with universities, innovative models of practice, factors hampering the co-creative potential of the university, and desired changes to overcome these. Our empirical study leads to the proposal of a typology that might assist in categorizing and understanding key attributes of differing types of sustainability co-creation. We build our typology from two perspectives: First, in terms of the primary objective of the co-creation (ranging from knowledge production to the transformation of society), and second, in terms of the approach taken (ranging from either socially or technologically-centered). We then reflect on the organizations’ experiences to offer several strategies that could increase the effectiveness of the university when partnering with stakeholders in sustainability co-creation. We also highlight several factors effecting the university’s capacity to move beyond knowledge production towards implementation measures to transform society with external stakeholders.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Masafumi Nagao; Chiahsin Chen; Kentaro Ichiki; Tobai Sadayoshi; Mariko Kinai; Mio Kamitani; Shojiro Nakamura; Aiko Yamauchi; Masaru Yarime. Implementing Sustainability Co-Creation between Universities and Society: A Typology-Based Understanding. Sustainability 2017, 9, 594 .

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Masafumi Nagao, Chiahsin Chen, Kentaro Ichiki, Tobai Sadayoshi, Mariko Kinai, Mio Kamitani, Shojiro Nakamura, Aiko Yamauchi, Masaru Yarime. Implementing Sustainability Co-Creation between Universities and Society: A Typology-Based Understanding. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (4):594.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Masafumi Nagao; Chiahsin Chen; Kentaro Ichiki; Tobai Sadayoshi; Mariko Kinai; Mio Kamitani; Shojiro Nakamura; Aiko Yamauchi; Masaru Yarime. 2017. "Implementing Sustainability Co-Creation between Universities and Society: A Typology-Based Understanding." Sustainability 9, no. 4: 594.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2016 in Environmental Science & Policy
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ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Vanesa Castán Broto; Tomoko Takagi; Zoe Sprigings; Yuko Nishida; Masaru Yarime. Innovative policy practices to advance building energy efficiency and retrofitting: Approaches, impacts and challenges in ten C40 cities. Environmental Science & Policy 2016, 66, 353 -365.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Vanesa Castán Broto, Tomoko Takagi, Zoe Sprigings, Yuko Nishida, Masaru Yarime. Innovative policy practices to advance building energy efficiency and retrofitting: Approaches, impacts and challenges in ten C40 cities. Environmental Science & Policy. 2016; 66 ():353-365.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Vanesa Castán Broto; Tomoko Takagi; Zoe Sprigings; Yuko Nishida; Masaru Yarime. 2016. "Innovative policy practices to advance building energy efficiency and retrofitting: Approaches, impacts and challenges in ten C40 cities." Environmental Science & Policy 66, no. : 353-365.

Book chapter
Published: 11 August 2016 in Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace
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University-driven partnerships and experiments for advancing urban sustainability are flourishing around the world. Responding to drivers such as calls for stakeholder engagement in research, tangible social and economic contributions, and government funding incentives, Asian research universities are also forming cross-sector partnerships and implementing various sociotechnical experiments. In this chapter we examine the role of university partnerships in knowledge co-production and implementation of urban sustainability experiments in industrialized Asian nations. By examining fifteen cases from Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea, we highlight common attributes (focus areas, actors, motivations and mechanisms) and then investigate the functions, motivations, barriers and significance of roles assumed by differing societal sectors. A detailed case study of an ambitious project from the University of Tokyo then follows to further illustrate these attributes in context. Key findings are that, overall, university partnerships for urban sustainability in our Asian sample are dominated by technical approaches. Yet the most significant barriers are human aspects such as time restraints, lack of unity, and poor management and leadership, to name several. On key drivers, government funding is playing a major role in enticing partnership formation and influencing particular approaches to urban sustainability. Measures are required to encourage the participation of the social sciences and humanities, and non-technical sustainability experiments. Case study evidence suggests that the ability of partnerships to tackle complex social issues and trigger societal transitions towards sustainability is often constrained by existing research projects and the institutional capacities of universities and their partners.

ACS Style

Gregory Trencher; Xuemei Bai. The Role of University Partnerships in Urban Sustainability Experiments: Evidence from Asia. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace 2016, 631 -653.

AMA Style

Gregory Trencher, Xuemei Bai. The Role of University Partnerships in Urban Sustainability Experiments: Evidence from Asia. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace. 2016; ():631-653.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Trencher; Xuemei Bai. 2016. "The Role of University Partnerships in Urban Sustainability Experiments: Evidence from Asia." Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace , no. : 631-653.