No plan, no hope: reclaiming sustainability through place-based transitions

This essay advances sustainability not as a fixed end state, but as a dynamic, culturally grounded process of societal transformation. Drawing on the Horizon 2020 TREnD project and the COST Action Underground4Value, it argues that transition studies offer valuable frameworks to navigate complexity without falling into determinism. A transatlantic comparison of four urban regeneration initiatives in the U.S. and Belgium shows how place-based, culturally resonant strategies strength innovation, equity, and civic engagement. The study highlights that successful transitions emerge not from standardised models, but from context-sensitive approaches. Finally, by reintroducing culture into sustainability discourse, the essay calls for a redefinition of planning as a reflexive, ethical, and hopeful act, connecting vision with reality, and empowering communities to co-create meaningful, just, and sustainable futures.