Bradley James Loewen

About

Bradley Loewen is an Associate Professor in STS and sustainability transitions, Onsager Fellow and participant in the Outstanding Academic Fellows Programme 5.0 the NTNU Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Culture (KULT). Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher within the Norwegian Centre for Energy Transition Strategies (FME NTRANS) at KULT and a researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (IBM). At KULT, he contributes to the Centre for Energy, Climate and Environment and Good Infrastructures research groups based on interests in planning, innovation, sustainability transitions and societal transformation. His research bridges multiple policy spheres and analytical perspectives including socio-technical and socio-ecological systems, geographies of innovation, political economy, institutional analysis and transition studies.

His interdisciplinary approach connects high level EU and national policies to regional systems, local development and stakeholder groups in various sectors. In prior work, he was a Marie Curie Individual Fellow in his project PeripheRIS, “Enabling institutional support for innovation in peripheries,” and a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher in the ITN RegPol2, “Socio-economic and political responses to regional polarization in Central and Eastern Europe.” Bradley focuses now on the Nordic-Baltic region with strong collaborations in Estonia. He has a PhD in Economics from the University of Tartu (Tartu, Estonia), an Master in Sustainable Urban Planning and Design from KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden), and a Bachelor of Commerce in Real Estate from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada). He also has more than 15 years of research experience, including at the University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health (Vancouver, Canada) and the University of Toronto's Global Cities Institute (Toronto, Canada). He has authored numerous academic articles and book chapters since 2015 and has served as a reviewer for outlets including Energy Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, Environmental Politics, European Countryside, European Urban and Regional Studies, Globalizations, Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Land, Moravian Geographical Reports, Regional Studies, Regional Studies-Regional Science, Sustainability, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening and Urban Planning, as well as for the European Commission and European Investment Bank.

Research

SSH CENTRE

Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy aNd Transport Research Excellence engages with stakeholders across research, policy, and business (including citizens), accelerating the EU’s transition to carbon neutrality.

FME NTRANS

Norwegian Centre for Energy Transition Strategies

Publications

2025

Loewen, Bradley; Streifeneder, Thomas. (2025) Smart(er) rural areas: Framing ‘smart villages’ for conceptual development and EU policy. European Urban and Regional Studies
Academic article
Senior, Coline; Loewen, Bradley; Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov. (2025) The Science of Play: An STS Analysis of Serious Games and Co-production.
Chapter
Gaffuri, Gabriele; Crowther, Ami; Foulds, Chris; Heidenreich, Sara; Loewen, Bradley; Rohse, Melanie. (2025) Strengthening the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in the SET Plan: Policy recommendations for SET Plan Implementation Plans. SSH Centre SSH Centre
Report
Plüschke-Altof, Bianka; Loewen, Bradley; Calderon, Camilo; Chebotareva, Mariia; Tuula-Fjodorov, Reeda; Gäckle, Julia. (2025) Nature-Based Solutions and Public Participation: Unpacking Tensions in Sustainable City Development in Northern Europe. Land
Academic article

2024

Loewen, Bradley. (2024) From Social Barriers to Transformative Planning in Energy Transitions: Learning from Norwegian Planners' Perspectives. Urban Planning
Academic article
Malaise, Julie; Rohse, Melanie; Foulds, Chris; Loewen, Bradley; Crowther, Ami. (2024) Citizen-led recommendations for the Horizon Europe Missions on sustainability. SSH CENTRE SSH CENTRE
Report

2023

Plüschke-Altof, Bianka; Loewen, Bradley James; Müüripeal, Anni; Sooväli-Sepping, Helen. (2023) Balancing participatory planning and planning for resilience in nature-based solutions. A case of transformative agency?. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography
Academic article
Korsnes, Marius; Loewen, Bradley; Dale, Ragnhild Freng; Steen, Markus; Skjølsvold, Tomas Moe. (2023) Paradoxes of Norway’s energy transition: controversies and justice. Climate Policy
Academic article

2022

Loewen, Bradley. (2022) Coal, green growth and crises: Exploring three European Union policy responses to regional energy transitions. Energy Research & Social Science
Academic article
Loewen, Bradley; Larssæther, Stig; Krangsås, Savis Gohari; Vinge, Heidi; Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov. (2022) Contested Urban Green Space Development: Rolling Back the Frontiers of Sustainability in Trondheim, Norway.
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Loewen, Bradley. (2022) Revitalizing varieties of capitalism for sustainability transitions research: Review, critique and way forward. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Academic article

2021

Baer, Daniela; Loewen, Bradley; Cheng, Caroline Y; Thomsen, Judith; Wyckmans, Annemie; Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov. (2021) Approaches to Social Innovation in Positive Energy Districts (PEDs)—A Comparison of Norwegian Projects. Sustainability
Academic article

2020

Loewen, Bradley. (2020) Regionaalareng: Kohapime regionaalpoliitika ei vähenda ääremaastumist. Postimees
Popular scientific article
Plüschke-Altof, Bianka; Loewen, Bradley; Leetmaa, Kadri. (2020) Keskuse ja ääremaa lõhe Eestis. Eesti inimarengu aruanne
Popular scientific article
Loewen, Bradley. (2020) Cities and regions in crisis: The political economy of sub-national economic development. Regional studies
Book review
Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov; Loewen, Bradley. (2020) The next generation of smart citizens: Experiences and inspiration from the +CityxChange project.
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper

2019

Loewen, Bradley; Schulz, Sebastian. (2019) Questioning the Convergence of Cohesion and Innovation Policies in Central and Eastern Europe. In: Regional and Local Development in Times of Polarisation: Re-thinking Spatial Policies in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan
Popular scientific book

2018

Loewen, Bradley. (2018) Towards territorial cohesion? Path dependence and path innovation of regional policy in Central and Eastern Europe. Tartu Ülikool Kirjastus Tartu Ülikool Kirjastus
Academic monograph
Loewen, Bradley. (2018) From Decentralization to Re-Centralization: Tendencies of Regional Policy and Inequalities in Central and Eastern Europe. Halduskultuur
Academic article
Loewen, Bradley; Raagmaa, Garri. (2018) Introduction to the Special Issue: Territoriality and Governance in the Globalizing European Eastern Peripheries. Halduskultuur
Academic article
Loewen, Bradley. (2018) Cohesion Policy and institutional change in Hungary and Estonia. Regional Studies, Regional Science
Academic article
Dyba, Wojciech; Loewen, Bradley; Looga, Jaan; Zdražil, Pavel. (2018) Regional Development in Central-Eastern European Countries at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Path Dependence and Effects of EU Cohesion Policy. Quaestiones Geographicae
Academic article

2016

Loewen, Bradley. (2016) Omavalitsuste liitmine või innovatsioon?. Postimees
Reader opinion piece

Part of book/report

Senior, Coline; Loewen, Bradley; Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov. (2025) The Science of Play: An STS Analysis of Serious Games and Co-production.
Chapter
Loewen, Bradley; Larssæther, Stig; Krangsås, Savis Gohari; Vinge, Heidi; Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov. (2022) Contested Urban Green Space Development: Rolling Back the Frontiers of Sustainability in Trondheim, Norway.
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Salaj, Alenka Temeljotov; Loewen, Bradley. (2020) The next generation of smart citizens: Experiences and inspiration from the +CityxChange project.
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper

Report

Gaffuri, Gabriele; Crowther, Ami; Foulds, Chris; Heidenreich, Sara; Loewen, Bradley; Rohse, Melanie. (2025) Strengthening the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in the SET Plan: Policy recommendations for SET Plan Implementation Plans. SSH Centre SSH Centre
Report
Malaise, Julie; Rohse, Melanie; Foulds, Chris; Loewen, Bradley; Crowther, Ami. (2024) Citizen-led recommendations for the Horizon Europe Missions on sustainability. SSH CENTRE SSH CENTRE
Report

Teaching

Courses

Contributed lectures:

TBA 4176 - Property and Facilities Management
TBA 4179 - Urban Facilities Management
KULT 8123-8124 - Environmental Sustainability and Societal Transformation

Outreach