Urban area development plays a crucial role in achieving sustainability ambitions, yet the complexity of the multi-actor environment often hinders their realization. This thesis investigates how sustainability ambitions can be enabled within the complex environment of Dutch urban area development, using transition theories as a theoretical lens.

The study uses qualitative research based on 24 semi-structured interviews across five actor groups: governments, industry, NGOs, financial institutions and knowledge institutes. The findings reveal a wide range of financial, policy and regulatory, and organizational challenges that are not isolated, but embedded in systemic dependencies between actors.

Using the sustainable market transformation theory, the study demonstrates how transition phases help to explain the misalignment between actors. Five illustrative examples show that actors often operate in different phases of transition, creating systemic bottlenecks that limit collective progress. The results underscore the relevance of involving all actor groups, as each holds the potential to either enable or hinder collective progress toward sustainable outcomes.

This research concludes that transition theories provide valuable insights into the dynamics of urban area development and contribute to a deeper understanding of how sustainability ambitions can be enabled.