Exploring Citizens' Adoption of Sustainable Innovations Implemented by Cities and Municipalities: A Research Agenda

Sustainability and environmental friendliness are increasingly becoming the focus of society. Cities and municipalities are also taking up these issues and integrating them into everyday life. To further advance sustainability in Germany and to strengthen activities that have already been implemented, sustainable lighthouse projects in German cities/municipalities have been awarded since 2012. Despite many administrations' efforts to make their cities/municipalities more sustainable, citizens lack awareness and knowledge about their investments. Against the background that the implemented sustainability activities offer added value for citizens and their life in the city/municipality, it is of course of administrations' interest that its financial investments are worthwhile and consciously perceived by society. In this regard, we look at activities for sustainable innovation from both, the citizen and public administration perspective. Based on this, we present our research agenda looking at how sustainable innovation disseminate across the society by adapting key concepts of Innovation Diffusion Theory.