Diagnosing the scope of action for governing sustainable transformation in developing cities

This thesis employs a practice perspective to reveal the role of agency in realising sustainable urban transformation in developing cities. Empirical cases of infrastructure initiatives in Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia, were analysed to provide insights into how actors enact changes in practice. It gives focus to how variations in local political, cultural and governance contexts were navigated by diverse actors to create an opening for actions and anchor change processes. The research brings governance theory closer to practice by developing approaches that can map interactions between actors and capture locally nuanced opportunities and barriers for governing transformations towards sustainable development.