Sustainability transitions and leapfrogging in latecomer cities: the development of solar thermal energy in Dezhou, China
研究了中国德州和北京两个城市推广太阳能热利用的驱动因素和障碍，发现德州这样的后发城市因较少受现有技术锁定，在环境转型中具有跨越式发展优势。
Sustainability transitions and leapfrogging in latecomer cities: the development of solar thermal energy in Dezhou, China. Regional Studies. Sustainability transitions in cities in emerging economic contexts are rarely addressed. The paper addresses this issue by investigating the drivers and barriers in the diffusion of solar thermal energy in two Chinese cities: Dezhou and Beijing. The findings suggest that latecomer cities such as Dezhou demonstrate several advantages over developed cities in environmental transitions. In particular they can ‘leapfrog’ to environmentally friendly technologies as they are less locked in by existing technological regimes. The paper thus contributes to debates over the role of both space and the urban scale in sustainability transitions research.