Questioning Low-Carbon Transition Governance: A Comparative Analysis of European Case Studies

To achieve the international emission reduction targets, current researches underline theneed to overcome the dominant techno-centric approaches to energy transition, in favor of analysesthat explore in more detail those practices and organizational assets that play a role in favoring atransition towards a low-carbon society. In this light, the article focuses on governance practicesand, in particular, on the different tools and actors involved across variable scales and temporalities.Drawing on the activities of the ERASMUS+Strategic Partnership for Higher Education LOTUS(Locally Organized Transition of Urban Sustainable Spaces), a selection of European case studiesis explored and compared in light of (i) the implemented actions in terms of energy productionand efficiency measures, (ii) the legal framework and the origin of the funding and (iii) the numberand type of involved actors and their partnerships. On this basis, the analysis outlines, from botha theoretical and a practical stand, a number of critical issues that characterize these episodes ofenergy transition governance. In particular, the authors reflect upon the interaction between energymeasures and urban contexts, the need for synergies among government level and the emergence ofnew forms of partnership among public, private and third parties’ actors.