'The built environment is a key focus for climate action in cities. Examining a wide range of voluntary programmes for reducing carbon emissions in buildings in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, this book examines whether promises for action have been achieved in practice. It finds that while the opportunities for action appear plentiful, such schemes may be deluding themselves about the difference that they are making on the ground and the leadership they provide in the sector. A narrow focus on a small segment of the market and the limited ambition of many of the programmes involved has restricted their impact. The overly positive discourse surrounding such schemes, van der Heijden argues, is based on a 'leadership delusion' that such schemes can provide a beacon for others to follow. … Richly detailed, empirically rigorous and innovative in its design and approach, this book provides an original account of how voluntary forms of climate governance are working in cities in different contexts, providing insight for students and researchers alike and with valuable lessons for the policy process.' Harriet Bulkeley, University of Durham
Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Why focus on voluntary programmes for sustainable buildings and cities?; 2. The sustainable building challenge: contextualising the problem; 3. A world of voluntary programs: prevailing and advanced theoretical perspectives; 4. Bridging supply and demand; 5. Generating and sharing knowledge; 6. Providing funds; 7. Separating the wheat from the chaff: a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA); 8. Voluntary programs for sustainable cities elsewhere: certification and classification in India, Malaysia, and Singapore; 9. Beyond the leadership delusion: what role for voluntary programs in decarbonising buildings and cities?; Appendix A. Country snapshots; Appendix B. Voluntary program snapshots; Appendix C. Application of QCA in this book and an additional fsQCA; Appendix D. Interviews; References; Index.