An Assessment of Innovation Oriented European Green Deal Project Agendas and Climate Governance: Global and Local Dimensions

Date

2026-2-27

Author

Can, Deniz

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The first quarter of the 21st century has been characterized by multiple and overlapping crises, in which social, ecological and economic disruptions unfold simultaneously and intensify one another. In this context, the climate crisis became the most significant global challenge, raising questions on the sustainability of the current development paradigms. The European Green Deal (EGD) emerged as a transformative policy framework, aiming to generate collective global climate action. Its influence extends beyond European Union, shaping comprehensive green transition strategies across countries and localities. While the global agendas on Green Deal are rapidly proliferating, their translation into local contexts does not always follow straightforward policy transfer and implementation processes. Türkiye as one of the countries experiencing the severe effects of climate change, is also preparing national and local strategies, targeting climate crisis. This thesis investigates how Green Deal strategies are localized within the Turkish urban context by examining innovation-oriented European Green Deal projects, with a particular focus on Horizon initiatives. The study emphasizes the role of municipalities as key decision-making actors and explores whether the Horizon projects that municipalities partake, generate niche innovations, which are capable of influencing broader development paradigms. Adopting a multi-level analytical perspective, the research examines governance structures, planning instruments, and the potential of innovation and value-creation of four Horizon projects implemented by İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Kadıköy Municipality and Seferihisar Municipality. By employing actor and sectoral mapping, along with semi-structured interviews the study reveals the complex processes through which supranational climate objectives are interpreted, mediated, and operationalized by national and local actors in Türkiye. The findings reveal that the dissemination of Green Deal and climate agendas at the local level are carried out through network-based mechanisms, involving both vertical and horizontal actor relations. This process unfolds progressively through projects, which act as innovation niches, enabling gradual value creation and transition, rather than following a linear trajectory. The thesis contributes to ongoing debates on the localization of international climate agendas and offers critical assessments for a holistic, inclusive, and just green transition pathways for Türkiye.

Subject Keywords

European Green Deal, Climate Crisis, Urban Climate Policy, Innovation-oriented Projects, Multi-level Governance

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119072

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis