GREEN CITY ZONE A Case-Study in a Multi-Stakeholder Initiative within a Smart City

Abstract: As climate change concerns have taken a central spot in mainstream discourse, there has been an emergence of green smart city projects, resulting in an increased demand for research in these areas. As the EU has pledged a reduction of emissions, various projects have arisen, such as Climate Contract 2030, Move21, and this thesis’ subject – the Gothenburg Green City Zone. A commonality amongst these projects is employing a multi-stakeholder collaborative approach, typically applying a triumvirate consisting of industry, government, and academia. Using previous research on smart cities, project management and triple helix, as well as MSI framework (Elia et al., 2020) utilizing both the temporal distance and sociotechnical system lenses, this thesis aims to observe and discern the complex dynamics of a long-term, large scale multi-stakeholder initiative within a smart city program. The findings yield a recognition that both institutional logics and balancing socio-technical systems are potential challenges. Additionally, the findings show the effect temporal distance plays on the various MSI genes, specifically, with increased focus on desirability (high construal) aspects of the initiative, fueled by a growing wave of systemic importance, as compared to the practical feasibility (low construal) aspects of how to achieve the end-goal of net-zero emissions by 2030. The insights from this thesis contribute to the growing discussion centered around regional emissions reduction schemes and how collaborative helix-based project management can be affected by time, and the importance of socio-technical systems balance.