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• Design can play a fundamental role in research for sustainability transitions by strengthening scientific critique (de-scription) of the unsustainability of existing sociotechnical systems. • Design is fundamental for the creation of alternative concepts for sociotechnical systems that are sustainable (in-scription) by connecting their core elements and functions (design in context) with systemic (designing context) and policy level (design of context). • We are all designers and therefore is necessary to make visible the position of designing to be able to assess whether a design contributes or hinders transitions to sustainability. This article is an exploration of the role of design in sustainability transitions. Design has the potential to complement discussions on governance and actions related to transitions in the making, and activate scholars' ability to critically assess existing technologies, technological components and systemic relations, and their capacity to propose alternatives. The authors draw on their engagement with the project 'A Coherent Transport System for Greater Copenhagen 2050′, and on visioning for Copenhagen's future, with a special emphasis on discussions on mobility. The primary claim is that design can have a pivotal role in destabilizing existing regimes and creating systemic alternatives and transformative technologies and components. We propose a framework that focuses on three elements: the position of designing; integration across levels of design; and design-based criticism of the existing 'de-scriptions' to create new designs or 'in-scriptions'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sustainability transitions has become increasingly prominent in academic and policy discourses during recent decades, but the importance of the link between knowledge-producing epistemic practices and urban governance has been underappreciated in this discourse. Based on a case study of cycling in Copenhagen between 1900 and 2015, and drawing upon a governmentality-inspired analytical framework, this research demonstrates that transformative governance may be initiated by epistemic practices that render urban systems visible in other ways. Urban cycling has been reconstructed over time in Copenhagen as a traffic safety ‘problem’, a component of the experiential and liveable city, and a health-producing (and hence economically valuable) regional transport mode. The research findings emphasise that epistemic practices can provide a powerful stimulus for creating changes in urban governance. The results also provide support for initiatives to broaden the terms of academic debate on sustainability transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors present a planning tool for comparing and assessing the sustainability of different wastewater systems. The core of the planning tool is an assessment method based on both technical and social elements. The point of departure is that no technique is inherently sustainable or ecological in itself, but that the sustainability of thetotal system of technologies for a particular settlement in a given location must be assessed in a holistic and transparent manner. A pilot case is used to demonstrate the structure and the results of the assessment method. The assessment method is still under development, and this paper discusses crucial points in the development of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The premise of this paper is that there is a need for rethinking thedesign of technical infrastructures because of environmental problems, and to understand the dynamics of and the potential for change, urban infrastructure large technological systems must be seen as socio-technical artefacts. This paper offers a methodology for analyzing current infrastructure systems, and a case study, demonstrating that social relations play a significant role as barriers against implementing new management practices. It is argued that there is a need to involve more people in the rethinking of urban infrastructure, and this paper raises some strategic questions concerning planning for the transformation of technical infrastructures into more sustainable systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]