Transition Management as a Policy Model to Reach Sustainable Use of Urban Underground Space

Urban underground space (UUS, i.e., built environment) is considered a valuable and non-renewable resource, and considerable research has been devoted to attaining sustainable UUS use. However, UUS use remains mostly characterized by an ad-hoc, first come, first served, or last resort practice which leads to unsustainable development of the urban underground. As more cities realize the importance of the subsurface, there is a growing need for a structured framework for upscaling sustainable UUS practices and transitioning toward a sustainable use of the subsurface. This article investigates how transition management (TM) as a governance theory and operational policy model, aimed at dealing with long-term desired change and sustainable development, can guide the necessary change toward sustainable UUS use. The research connects two streams that have not been closely aligned in the past and focuses on the question: How can transition management help in making sustainable UUS use more common practice? By applying TM key characteristics and instruments to the dysfunctional system of UUS space we demonstrate feasible pathways to upscale sustainable UUS practices.