Towards a research and policy agenda for climate action in smaller municipalities and rural regions

Municipalities are crucial for climate action, but most research has focused on large cities, neglecting smaller ones. Drawing on Professor Kristine Kern’s work, including smaller municipalities, this perspective assesses current knowledge on the municipal landscape, local innovation, financial aspects, multi-level dynamics, and networks. Going forward, a future research agenda for smaller municipalities should center on smaller and informal networks, the durability of action, and the dynamics and limits of scaling.