Transition towards and of sustainability-Understanding sustainability as performative

Our purpose is to explore the concept of sustainability when understood from a performative perspective, i.e. as a concept that is filled with meaning across time. Drawing on a 10 year-long study of the digital footprint of Stockholm Royal Seaport, claimed to be northern Europe's largest sustainable urban development district, we show that sustainability emerged as the project became associated with particular places, projects, histories, and technologies. This means that sustainability was local in that it was situated in the particular spatial context of the project; temporal in that it was situated in a particular time; and political in that it expressed particular values and perspectives. The study contributes to explaining why sustainability remains-and always will remain-a contested concept, which is why sustainability transitions are complex. Consequently, we suggest that the transition towards sustainability always involves the transition of sustainability, something that needs to be acknowledged in order for a transition to actually become sustainable.

Automated summary

The study examines the concept of sustainability from a performative perspective, highlighting its local, temporal, and political aspects. It reveals that sustainability is a contested concept and that transitioning towards sustainability entails acknowledging the transition of sustainability itself.