Tracking geographies of sustainability transitions: Relational and territorial aspects of urban policies in Casablanca and Cape Town

Abstract

Many countries in the Global South work on greater sustainability. Transition and economic geography scholars are well-positioned to contribute to a better understanding of these processes and their underlying dynamics. However, there is a lack of attention to the role of the city. In this article I apply a 'varieties of glocalisation' lens to explain the interplay between national, urban and global developments in the context of sustainability transitions. This article presents empirical data from Morocco and South-Africa about current renewable energy ambitions. These cases illustrate the cities' differences; while Cape Town was able to foster economic development in the slipstream of national policies, Casablanca's renewable energy sector is less developed. The green-driven growth triangle is then presented as a new analytical framework for future research on geographies of sustainability transitions.