Sustainability transition pathways in the building sector: Energy-efficient building in Freiburg (Germany)

This paper examines the urban contextualisation of sustainability transitions in the building sector by analysing the interplay of building practices, actors and policy regulation. The ‘Green City’ of Freiburg (Germany) is used as a case study to illustrate how the transitions pathways of energy-efficient building and construction are distinct results of local innovative practice-driven ‘bottom-up’ and policy-driven ’top-down’ processes. Since the early 1990s, the Freiburg low-energy building standard for new residential buildings played a key role as a catalyst for ‘learning by doing’ processes and a broader adoption of green building practices. How these changes in policy and practice developed over time is highlighted and discussed. The paper looks beyond success factors by identifying challenges, veto actors and vested interests in the context of urban sustainability transitions. Our findings clearly show that ‘learning by doing’ and ‘learning by using’ need to be more thoroughly considered in urban sustainability transitions research and local policy actions.