Unpacking sustainability in city strategic plans: value, problem or instrument?

Purpose Promoting sustainability has become a core task for cities and other municipalities, but research on sustainability management in public management studies remains limited. Moreover, strategic interpretation of sustainability is an understudied topic. The study contributes to the understanding of how different interpretations of sustainability affect the management of cities and how strategic plans can be used as tools for local sustainability management. Design/methodology/approach Our study bridges sustainability management and strategy research. We used frame analysis to examine how sustainability is interpreted in city strategic plans. Our data consist of the strategic plans of the 21 largest cities in Finland. The analysis generates new insights into the nuances and implications of the interpretations of sustainability in city management. Findings Sustainability in city strategic plans is framed as (1) a guiding value or principle, (2) a problem to be solved, and (3) an instrument for other goals. These different framings represent different ways to interpret sustainability and highlight the multiple uses of sustainability in city management. Originality/value Our study empirically identifies and illustrates the use of sustainability in city strategic plans and how the plans are used to form the basis and backbone for city management in their efforts to promote sustainability. Our study emphasizes how different framings lead to different management foci. Further studies are needed to analyse the strategy formulation process as well as strategy implementation in promoting sustainability.