Transition management (TM) approaches have generated considerable interest in
academic and policy circles in recent years (Kemp and Loorbach, 2005; Rotmans and
Kemp, 2003). In terms of a loose definition, a ‘transition can be defined as a gradual,
continuous process of structural change within a society or culture’ (Rotmans et al, 2001,
p.2). The development of TM, much of which has occurred within the context of the
Netherlands, may be seen as a response to the complexities, uncertainties and problems
which confront many western societies, in organising ‘sustainably’ various aspects of
energy, agricultural, water, transport and health systems of production and consumption.
Problems such as pollution, congestion, the vulnerability of energy or water supplies and
so on are seen as systemic and entwined or embedded in a series of social, economic,
political, cultural and technological relationships.
The systemic nature of many of these problems highlights the involvement - in the
functioning of a particular system and any subsequent transition - of multiple actors or
‘stakeholders’ across different local, national and international scales of activity. With this
in mind, such problems become difficult to ‘solve’ and ‘solutions’ are seen to require
systemic innovation rather than individual or episodic responses. The point being that
‘these problems are system inherent and… the solution lies in creating different systems or
transforming existing ones’ (Kemp and Loorbach, 2005, p.125).
In this paper we critically engage with and build upon transitions approaches to address
their ‘applicability’ in the context of the UK. In doing this the paper addresses the
prospective potential of transitions approaches, but also their relative neglect of places and
publics. Through developing an argument which addresses the strengths and ‘gaps’ of
transitions approaches we also analyse the resonances and dissonances between three
themes – cities and regions, public participation and national hydrogen strategy – in the
transitions literature and the UK policy context
