Identifying core dynamics of urban transition: Lessons from Copenhagen, Canberra, and Shenzhen

Cities are increasingly recognised as important agents of climate transitions, yet the processes through which urban transformations unfold remain highly complex and context dependent. This seminar presents recently published research introducing the concept of core dynamics: finest recurring causal feedback structures that shape urban transition processes across different contexts.

Drawing on comparative analysis of Copenhagen, Canberra and Shenzhen, the study identifies eleven core dynamics spanning governance, policy and infrastructure, technological innovation, multi-actor collaboration, public legitimacy and grassroots mobilisation. While these dynamics recur across cities, their specific manifestations vary with institutional, political and socio-economic contexts. Examples from our three case studies illustrate how these broader recurring dynamics take locally distinctive forms.

The seminar will discuss how focusing on recurring dynamics can complement existing approaches to understanding urban transitions and provide building blocks for systematic comparison across cities. It will conclude by outlining opportunities for future research to examine how these dynamics interact, combine and evolve over time to shape different urban transition trajectories.

About the Speaker

Dr. Sombol Mokhles is a Laureate Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University. Her work sits at the intersection of sustainability transition, urban studies, data science, and urban climate governance.

She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne, where she applied urban science methods to identify diverse typologies of cities based on their climate mitigation actions, with particular attention to socio-spatial diversity and the inclusion of cities from the Global South. She also holds an MPhil in Urban Studies from the University of Cambridge.

Her research has been published in leading journals including Ambio, Urban Climate, npj Urban sustainability and the Journal of Cleaner Production. In her current postdoctoral role, she explores cities’ transition trajectories, underlying dynamics, and networking practices to understand how urban systems address climate change and build resilience—drawing on her interdisciplinary expertise and applying mixed-methods approaches.