To capture the market in the field of SoC, the companies have to launch their product ahead of their competitors. Virtual platforms allow the building and testing of software before the hardware is available, so the hardware and software development can take place in parallel and reduce the time to market. A virtual platform is used to perform faster simulation. It simulates the functionality of the hardware rather than modeling timing details. In SystemC based simulators, the loosely timed model allows the SystemC threads to run multiple cycles before they synchronize with other threads in the system by a method called temporal decoupling. The amount of time for which the threads can run ahead is called the global quantum. Increasing the quantum can cause a thread to run for a longer time, thus reducing the context switching overhead. This increases the simulation speed, but at the cost of accuracy. In this work, the effects of temporal decoupling in SystemC based virtual platforms is evaluated by simulating three different variants of virtual platforms, each for two target ASIC platforms. The goal is to check whether varying the temporal decoupling affects the performance. The global quantum value is varied in steps and data is collected for the effective quantum. The quantum utilization is then calculated to see the share of global quantum actually used during a simulation. To see how changing the global quantum affects the performance, the simulation times for various quantum values are also measured and the reduction in context switches is also calculated. Two variants showed reduction in context switches upto 96% when compared to the values at lowest measured quantum and the quantum utilization is found to be higher for these variants compared to the first variant. The simulation time decreased when the global quantum was increased, up to a certain value of the global quantum. Some test cases also failed at higher quantum values. It is observed that the global quantum can be used as an accuracy parameter in a simulator, provided the coupling in the simulator between the SystemC threads is low enough, so that the effective quantum follows an increase in the global quantum. / För att fånga marknaden inom området SoC måste företag lansera sinq produkter före sina konkurrenter. De virtuella plattformarna gör det möjligt att bygga och testa mjukvara innan hårdvaran finns tillgänglig, så hårdvaru- och mjukvaruutvecklingen kan ske parallellt och minska ledtiden. En virtuell plattform används för att utföra snabbare simulering. Den simulerar hårdvarans funktionalitet snarare än att modellera tidsinformation. I SystemC-baserade simulatorer tillåter den löst tidskopplade modellen SystemC-trådarna att köra en förutbestämd tid innan de synkroniseras med andra trådar i systemet. På detta sätt blir trådarna tidsmässigt frikopplade från varandra. Den tid som trådarna kan köra framåt kallas det globala kvantat. Att öka kvantat kan leda till att trådarna exekverar längre och därmed minskar antalet trådbyten. Detta ökar simuleringshastigheten men på bekostnad av noggrannhet. I detta arbete utvärderas effekterna av tidsmässig frikoppling i SystemC-baserade virtuella plattformer genom att simulera tre olika varianter av virtuella plattformar, vardera för två olika ASIC plattformar. Målet är att kontrollera om variationen i den tidsmässiga frikopplingen påverkar prestandan. Det globala kvantumvärdet varieras i steg och data samlas in för det effektiva kvantat. Kvantum-utnyttjandet beräknas sedan för att se hur stor del av det globala kvantat som faktiskt används under en simulering. För att se hur en förändring av det globala kvantat påverkar prestandan mäts också simuleringstiderna för olika kvantum-värden och reduktionen i antalet trådbyten beräknas. Två varianter uppvisade en minskning av antalet trådbyten upp till 96% jämfört med lägsta uppmätta kvantumvärdet och kvantum-utnyttjandet visade sig vara högre för dessa varianter jämfört med den första varianten. Simuleringstiden visade en minskning när det globala kvantat ökades, upp till ett visst värde. Vissa testfall misslyckades vid högre kvantumvärden. Detta visar att globala kvantat kan användas som en noggrannhetsparameter i en simulator, förutsatt att simulatorn har tillräckligt löst kopplade trådar, så att det effektiva kvantat ökar när det globala kvantat ökar.

Yes / This paper investigates the stabilisation problem and consider transient optimisation for a class of the multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) semi-linear stochastic systems. A control algorithm is presented via an m-block backstepping controller design where the closed-loop system has been stabilized in a probabilistic sense and the transient performance is optimisable by optimised by searching the design parameters under the given criterion. In particular, the transient randomness and the probabilistic decoupling will be investigated as case studies. Note that the presented control algorithm can be potentially extended as a framework based on the various performance criteria. To evaluate the effectiveness of this proposed control framework, a numerical example is given with simulation results. In summary, the key contributions of this paper are stated as follows: 1) one block backstepping-based output feedback control design is developed to stabilize the dynamic MIMO semi-linear stochastic systems using a linear estimator; 2) the randomness and probabilistic couplings of the system outputs have been minimized based on the optimisation of the design parameters of the controller; 3) a control framework with transient performance enhancement of multi-variable semi-linear stochastic systems has been discussed. / Higher Education Innovation Fund (No. HEIF 2018-2020), De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.

denna textanalys har författarna Jackson (2009) Prosperity without growth – economics for a finite planet och Wallerstein (2004) World system analysis – an introduction analyserats. Syftet med textanalysen är att jämföra Wallersteins och Jacksons texter utifrån deras syn på det nuvarande ekonomiska systemet och möjlighet till ekonomisk frikoppling. Resultat: Ingen av författarna anser att det finns någon möjlighet till ekonomisk frikoppling men anledningarna till detta skiljer sig mellan författarna. Jackson menar att fortsatt ekonomisk utveckling bland annat är viktigt för att finansiera välfärdsinstitutioner. Vissa former av utveckling har oundvikliga inslag av materiellt behov, exempelvis utbyggnad av infrastrukturer. Därav är ekonomisk frikoppling inte möjlig. Enligt Jackson måste mänskligheten söka mening i andra värden än det ekonomiska. Wallerstein menar att det nuvarande ekonomiska systemet är i grunden orättvist och exploaterar bland annat människor i periferin. Det här systemet kan inte repareras, det är först när det nuvarande ekonomiska systemet, som han kallar världskapitalistismen, försvinner som vi vet vilket system som reser sig ur dess aska. / In this text analysis the authors Jackson (2009) Prosperity without growth – economics for a finite planet and Wallerstein (2004) World system analysis – an introduction have been analyzed. The purpose of the text analysis was to compare Wallerstein and Jacksons texts upon their views of the current economic system and its ability to decouple. Result: Either authors believes that there exist a possibility to decouple but the reach this conclusion in different ways. Jackson claims that furtherer economic growths is important to finance welfare institutions. Some forms of development have inherent materiel need such as further development of infrastructure. This is why decoupling isn’t possible. Humankind have to seek different values other the economic ones. Wallerstein claims that the current economic system in its foundation is unfair and exploit people in the periphery and this system can’t be repaired. First when the world capitalistic economy disappears a new system will arise from the ashes.

Global raw material extraction has accelerated since the 1950s, causing resource depletion, ecosystem degra- dation, pollution, and climate change. To reduce such impacts, the economic drivers of material use must be addressed. Although economic growth often drives material use to increase, this increase can be counter- acted by dematerialization. This study explores whether dematerialization can achieve sustainable material footprints in Sweden by 2050, considering different scenarios of economic growth. Environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis was used to calculate the Swedish material footprint from 1995 to 2011. Structural decomposition analysis was used to quantify how much dematerialization, economic growth, con- sumption and trade patterns, and population drove the changes in the material footprint. Based on previous literature, 6 tons of materials per person was used as a sustainability target in three backcasting scenarios, reflecting degrowth, growth, and growth with ambitious shifts towards less material intensive consumption and trade patterns, respectively. The Swedish material footprint increased from 211 to 279 Mt from 1995 to 2011. While relative dematerialization did occur, economic growth caused material use to grow. If the economy degrows, the 2050 target can be reached with dematerialization rates of 0.7 times the previous rates. To reach the target under continued economic growth, dematerialization rates must increase by a factor of 1.8-2.7, depending on the extent of shifts to less material intensive consumption and trade patterns. Although further research is needed to examine whether such unprecedented rates of dematerialization are feasible, the results suggest that degrowth must be considered. / Råvaruutvinningen i världen har ökat kraftigt sedan 1950-talet, vilket leder till resursbrist, degraderade ekosystem, föroreningar och klimatförändringar. För att minska den miljöpåverkan behöver drivkrafterna bakom samhällets materialanvändning angripas. Ekonomisk tillväxt driver på råvaruutvinningen, men resurseffektivisering kan minska den. Den här studien undersöker hur resurseffektivisering,dematerialization på engelska, kan uppnå en hållbar materialanvändning i Sverige 2050, beroende på hur den ekonomiska tillväxten utvecklas. Data på nationella och internationella ekonomiska flöden och deras miljöeffekter, environmentally extended multi-regional input-output data på engelska, användes för att räkna ut Sveriges materialanvändning ur ett konsumtionsperspektiv från 1995 till 2011. Strukturell dekomponering användes för att kvantifiera hur mycket resurseffektivisering, ekonomisk tillväxt, konsumtions- och handelsmönster och befolkningsstorlek drev förändringarna i materialanvändningen. Baserat på den befintliga litteraturen användes 6 ton material per person som ett hållbarhetsmål i tre scenarier, som representerade nerväxt, tillväxt och tillväxt där konsumtionen samtidigt blir mindre materialintensiv. Den svenska materialanvändningen ökade från 211 till 279 Mt mellan 1995 och 2011. En viss resurseffektivisering skedde under perioden, men den ekonomiska tillväxten bidrog till att materialanvändningen ändå ökade. Om ekonomins storlek minskar kan hållbarhetsmålet nås 2050 med en resurseffektiviseringstakt som är 0,7 gånger takten från 1995 till 2011. För att nå målet med ekonomisk tillväxt behöver takten i resurseffektiviseringen öka med en faktor mellan 1,8 och 2,7, beroende på hur stora skiftena till mindre materialintensiva konsumtions- och handelsmönster är. Mer forsknings behövs för att undersöka huruvida en så snabb resurseffektiviseringstakt är realistisk, men resultaten visar att nerväxt kan vara ett alternativ.

Yes / The paper presents a technique to enhance the isolation between adjacent radiating elements which is common in densely packed antenna arrays. Such antennas provide frequency beam-scanning capability needed in Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems and Synthetic Aperture Radars (SARs). The method proposed here uses a metamaterial decoupling slab (MTMDS), which is located between radiating elements, to suppress mutual-coupling between the elements that would otherwise degrade the antenna efficiency and performance in both the transmit and receive mode. The proposed MTM-DS consists of mirror imaged Eshaped slits engraved on a microstrip patch with inductive stub. Measured results confirm over 9–11 GHz with no MTM-DS the average isolation (S12) is -27 dB; however, with MTM-DS the average isolation improves to -38 dB. With this technique the separation between the radiating element can be reduced to 0.66λo, where λ0 is free space wavelength at 10 GHz. In addition, with this technique there is 15% improvement in operating bandwidth. At frequencies of high impedance match of 9.95 GHz and 10.63 GHz the gain is 4.52 dBi and 5.40 dBi, respectively. Furthermore, the technique eliminates poor front-to-back ratio encountered in other decoupling methods. MTM-DS is also relatively simple to implement. Assuming adequate space is available between adjacent radiators the MTM-DS can be fixed retrospectively on existing antenna arrays, which makes the proposed method versatile. / Partially supported by innovation programme under grant agreement H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET- 722424 and the financial support from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant EP/E022936/1.

No / This paper presents a novel concept to describe the couplings among the outputs of the stochastic systems which are represented by NARMA models. Compared with the traditional coupling description, the presented concept can be considered as an extension using statistical independence theory. Based on this concept, the decoupling control in statistical sense is established with the necessary and sufficient conditions for complete decoupling. Since the complete decoupling is difficult to achieve, a control algorithm has been developed using the Cauchy-Schwarz mutual information criterion. Without modifying the existing control loop, this algorithm supplies a compensative controller to minimise the statistical couplings of the system outputs and the local stability has been analysed. In addition, a further discussion illustrates the combination of the presented control algorithm and data-based mutual information estimation. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Noise and vibration transmitted through the tire and suspension system are strong indicators of overall vehicle ride quality. Often, during the tire design process, target specifications are used to achieve the desired ride performance. To validate the design, subjective evaluations are performed by expert drivers. These evaluations are usually done on a test track and are both quite expensive and time consuming due to the several experimental sets of tires that must be manufactured, installed, and then tested on the target vehicle. In order to evaluate the performance, expert drivers tune themselves to the frequency response of the tire/vehicle combination. Provided the right models exist, this evaluation can also be achieved in a laboratory. The research presented here is a method which utilizes the principles of frequency based substructuring (FBS) to separate or combine frequency response data for the tire and suspension. This method allows for the possibility of combining high fidelity tire models with analytical or experimental suspension data in order to obtain an overall response of the combined system without requiring an experimental setup or comprehensive simulations. Though high fidelity models are not combined with experimental data in the present work, these coupling/decoupling techniques are applied independently to several quarter car models of varying complexity and to experimental data. These models range from a simplified spring-mass model to a generalized 3D model including rotation. Further, decoupling techniques were applied to simulations of a rigid ring tire model, which allows for inclusion of nonlinearities present in the tire subsystem and provides meaningful information for a loaded tire. By reducing the need for time consuming simulations and experiments, this research has the potential to significantly reduce the time and cost associated with tire design for ride performance. In order to validate the process experimentally, a small-scale quarter car test rig was developed. This novel setup was specifically designed for the challenges associated with the testing necessary to apply FBS techniques to the tire and suspension systems. The small-scale quarter car system was then used to validate both the models and the testing processes unique to this application. By validating the coupling/decoupling process for the first time on the tire/vehicle system with experimental data, this research can potentially improve the current process of tire design for ride performance. / Ph. D. / Noise and vibration transmitted through the tire and suspension system of a vehicle strongly influence the comfort of passengers. Often, during the tire design process, target specifications are used to achieve the desired vibrational characteristics. Subjective evaluations are then performed by expert drivers in order to validate the tire design. These evaluations are usually done on a test track and are both quite expensive and time consuming due to the several experimental sets of tires that must be manufactured, installed, then tested on the target vehicle. The research presented here utilizes techniques from the field of Dynamic Substructuring which allow frequency data for the tire and suspension systems to be separated or combined. This method allows for the possibility of combining high fidelity tire models with analytical or experimental suspension data in order to obtain an overall response of the combined system without requiring an experimental setup or comprehensive simulations. Several analytical tire and suspension models were developed for this work and the process of separating/combining the frequency data was performed. Then, a small scale test system was developed and used to establish experimental procedures to collect the data necessary to carry out the Dynamic Substructuring techniques. Finally, the process was validated by repeating the process of separating/combing the frequency properties of the experimental data.

[ES] La cantidad de servicios de telecomunicación se ha incrementado signiticativamente en las últimas décadas. El uso de teléfonos inteligentes, así como el Internet de las Cosas, está generando una saturación del espectro electromágnetico. Por tanto, los requisitos de los sistemas de microondas han cambiado para adaptarse a estos nuevos avances. Para satisfacer estas necesidades, se busca el desarrollo de dispositivos de bajo coste, volumen, peso y consumo. Además, interesa que sean espectralmente eficientes y fácilmente integrables con otros dispositivos. Entre todos los dispostivos de microondas, los filtros son elementos clave dentro de los sistemas de comunicaciones móviles e inalámbricas. Es por ello que el diseño de filtros que cumplan con los requisitos mencionados se ha convertido en un tema de gran interés. Para dar respuesta a este problema ha surgido la tecnología de Guía de Onda Integrada en Sustrato (Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW)), que permite la implementación de filtros con un reducido tamaño y fácilmente integrables con otros dispositivos en tecnología planar. Dicha tecnología presenta unas prestaciones en cuanto a manejo de potencia y pérdidas mejores que la tecnología de circuito impreso (Printed Circuit Board (PCB)), aunque no llegan a ser iguales que las de la guía de onda clásica. Por otro lado, la saturación espectral también lleva al estudio de filtros con respuestas variables en frecuencia, es decir, que puedan cambiar su frecuencia central y ancho de banda con el fin de adaptarse a las necesidades del sistema. Por ello, el objetivo general de esta Tesis es el análisis y diseño de nuevos filtros reconfigurables en tecnología integrada. El trabajo empieza con el estudio de los fundamentos de los filtros de microondas hasta llegar al diseño de resonadores reconfigurables en tecnología SIW usando el cristal líquido como material de reconfiguración. En primer lugar, se ha estudiado la influencia que los cambios en el valor de la permitividad dieléctrica en el interior de las estructuras filtrantes pueden tener en la respuesta de las mismos. En particular, se desarrollan filtros alternando secciones de línea con y sin dieléctrico dentro de una SIW vacía, Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (ESIW). Una vez hecho esto, se procede al estudio de materiales que tengan un valor de permitividad dieléctrica variable de alguna forma. En concreto, se ha realizado la caracterización de diferentes mezclas de cristal líquido a la frecuencia de microondas. Dicho material cambia su valor de permitividad cuando se le aplica un campo eléctrico o magnético. Dado que para la reconfiguración de la respuesta de los filtros se requiere de una estructura desacoplada en baja frecuencia, es decir, con más de un conductor, se ha desarrollado una estrategia para el desacoplo de la estructuras ESIW, la tecnología Decoupled Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (DESIW). Por último, se han diseñado resonadores en dicha tecnología DESIW, que se han llenado de cristal líquido y aplicado unos campos de polarización, consiguiendo variar su respuesta en frecuencia. Dichos resonadores constituyen el elemento básico para el desarrollo de filtros de microondas. Es por ello que el conocimiento obtenido en la Tesis es una buena base para futuros trabajos esta tecnología que permitan conseguir filtros de altas prestaciones. / [CA] La quantitat de serveis de telecomunicació s'ha incrementat significativament en les últimes dècades. L'ús de telèfons intel$\cdot$ligents, així com la internet de les coses, està generant una saturació de l'espectre electromagnètic. Per tant, els requisits dels sistemes de microones han canviat per a adaptar-se a aquests nous avanços. Per a satisfer aquestes necessitats, se cerca el desenvolupament de dispositius de baix cost, volum, pes i consum. A més, interessa que siguen espectralment eficients i fàcilment integrables amb altres dispositius. Entre tots els dispositius de microones, els filtres són elements clau dins dels sistemes de comunicacions mòbils i sense fil. És per això que el disseny de filtres que complisquen els requisits esmentats s'ha convertit en un tema de gran interès. Per a donar resposta a aquest problema ha sorgit la tecnologia de Guia d'Ona Integrada en Substrat (Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW)), que permet la implementació de filtres amb una reduïda grandària i fàcilment integrables amb altres dispositius en tecnologia planar. Aquesta tecnologia presenta unes prestacions quant a maneig de potència i pèrdues millors que la tecnologia de circuit imprès (Printed Circuit Board (PCB)), encara que no arriben a ser iguals que les de la guia d'ona clàssica. D'altra banda, la saturació espectral també porta a l'estudi de filtres amb respostes variables en freqüència, és a dir, que puguen canviar la seua freqüència central i l'amplada de banda amb la finalitat d'adaptar-se a les necessitats del sistema. Per això, l'objectiu general d'aquesta tesi és l'anàlisi i el disseny de nous filtres reconfigurables en tecnologia integrada. El treball comença amb l'estudi dels fonaments dels filtres de microones, fins a arribar al disseny de ressonadors reconfigurables en tecnologia SIW usant el cristall líquid com a material de reconfiguració. En primer lloc, s'ha estudiat la influència que els canvis en el valor de la permitivitat dielèctrica a l'interior de les estructures filtrants poden tenir en la resposta d'aquestes. En particular, es desenvolupen filtres que alternen seccions de línia amb dielèctric i sense dins d'una SIW buida, Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (ESIW). Una vegada fet això, es procedeix a l'estudi de materials que tinguen un valor de permitivitat dielèctrica variable d'alguna forma. En concret, s'ha realitzat la caracterització de diferents mescles de cristall líquid a la freqüència de microones. Aquest material canvia el seu valor de permitivitat quan se li aplica un camp elèctric o magnètic. Atès que per a la reconfiguració de la resposta dels filtres es requereix una estructura desacoblada en baixa freqüència, és a dir, amb més d'un conductor, s'ha desenvolupat una estratègia per al desacoblament d'estructures ESIW, la tecnologia Decoupled Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (DESIW). Finalment, s'han dissenyat ressonadors en aquesta tecnologia DESIW, que s'han omplit de cristall líquid i aplicat uns camps de polarització, i s'ha aconseguit variar la seua resposta en freqüència. Aquests ressonadors constitueixen l'element bàsic per al desenvolupament de filtres de microones. És per això que el coneixement obtingut en la tesi és una bona base per a futurs treballs d'aquesta tecnologia que permeten aconseguir filtres d'altes prestacions. / [EN] The number of telecommunication services has increased significantly in recent decades. The use of smartphones, as well as the Internet of Things, is generating a saturation of the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, the requirements of microwave systems have changed to adapt to these new developments and related challenges. For achieving these needs, the development of devices with low cost, volume, weight and power consumption is sought. In addition, it interests to be spectrally efficient, to offer high performance, and to be easily integrated with other devices. Among all microwave devices, filters are key elements within mobile and wireless communication systems. In this context, the design of filters that meet the aforementioned requirements has become a topic of great interest. For solving this problem, Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) technology has emerged, which allows the implementation of filters with a small size and to be easily integrated with other devices in planar technology. This technology has better power handling and loss performance than Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology, although they do not have the performance of the classic waveguide counterpart. On the other hand, the spectral saturation also leads to the study of filters with tunable frequency response, that is, they can change their central frequency and bandwidth, in order to fulfil the changing system requirements. Therefore, the general objective of this PhD Thesis work is the analysis and design of new reconfigurable filters in integrated technology. The work begins with the study of the basics of microwave filters until the design of reconfigurable resonators in SIW technology, using Liquid Crystal (LC) as reconfiguration material. Firstly, the influence that the change of the dielectric permittivity value inside the filtering structures have on the frequency response has been studied. Particularly, filters have been obtained by alternating line sections with and without dielectric material inside an empty SIW (Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (ESIW)). Once this is done, it is proceed to the study of materials that have a variable dielectric permittivity value. Specifically, the characterization of different LC mixtures at microwave frequencies has been carried out. This material changes its permittivity value when an electric or magnetic bias field is applied. A low-frequency decoupled structure is required for the reconfiguration of filters, that is, structures with more than one conductor. For that, a strategy for decoupling ESIW structures has been developed, i.e, the Decoupled Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (DESIW) technology. Finally, some resonators have been designed in DESIW technology, which have been filled with LC. The use of LC allows to tune their frequency response. These resonators are basic elements for the development of microwave filters. So that, the knowledge obtained in this Thesis work is a good basis for future works in this technology that allow for achieving high performance filters. / Sánchez Marín, JR. (2019). Reconfigurable Devices using Liquid Crystal at Microwave Frequencies in Substrate Integrated Waveguide [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/132183

Dynamic Substructuring is a powerful tool for simplification of the analysis of complex structures and it has been well established along the years in analytical calculations by means of the Craig-Bampton technique. Recently, a new branch of substructuring, the Experimental Dynamic Substrucuring, appeared as a promising field of research for the engineering community. This area presents several intrinsic difficulties, evincing a need to develop the traditional substructuring methods towards obtaining better results using the experimental approach. In this scenery, the Transmission Simulator technique emerges as an instrument for potential improvement of the achieved results. This work represents a study on the use of the Transmission Simulator technique in the analysis of an Ampair A600 wind turbine blade subjected to loads at the interface to the hub, and it is a part of the benchmarking studies of SEM (Society of Experimental Mechanics). The work consisted of collecting experimental data via vibration tests of a single blade connected to different sizes of transmission simulators. After that, a mathematical representation of the blade was obtained via subtraction of the effect of the transmission simulators via substructuring technique. The computed model was subsequently coupled to a model of the remainder of the wind turbine (the hub plus two blades), and the results were compared to data acquired in tests of the whole assembly. The final findings did not reflect the theory prospects and further investigation is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the used methodology.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the case of the Cape Town Central City Provincial Government Revitalisation Initiative (CCPGRI) as a means to further understanding of socio-technical transitions. The departure point for this research is the recognition that the current economic growth and development trajectory is unsustainable. Despite this, deeply institutionalised frames of reference for decision-making reinforce and perpetuate the utilisation of (incumbent) sociotechnical systems which diminish finite resources and deteriorate eco-system services. The theoretical notion of decoupling, however, offers an alternative economic development paradigm. Decoupling has been identified, within this thesis, as the guiding framework through which adaption strategies should be carried out. This was indentified through a comprehensive literature review and an assessment of Cape Town's critical networked infrastructure. Networked infrastructure conveys flows of resources across vast urban spaces, in a linear configuration, thus conditioning resource flows and consumption. The case of Cape Town, however, illustrates that a linear configuration of infrastructure is both financially and environmentally unsustainable. Moreover, the case provides the empirical evidence for decoupling, reinforcing the argument for the adoption of the notion as an alternative development paradigm. Networked infrastructure has furthermore been identified as a socio-technical system, and therefore is considered as the component requiring a system transition and the subsequent intervention point for decoupling economic growth from resource consumption. From an implementation perspective, socio-technical system transitions, achieved through innovation, are the necessary component for realising sustainable urban development. It is argued that innovation, necessary for socio-technical system transitions, should be the product of sustainability-orientated innovation systems (SOIS's). SOIS's are implicitly linked to decoupling through the shared goal of enabling greater sustainability. The Cape Town CCPGRI has been extrapolated onto the multi-levelled perspective (MLP) model and is used to further understanding about how socio-technical system transitions are achieved. Findings indicate that socio-technical systems transitions are possible in urban areas that have multiple niche innovations developing simultaneously. Of significance is the presence of an intermediary, who is able to facilitate and manage the development of niche innovations emerging from SOIS's. It is therefore argued that high quality networking is critical for achieving socio-technical transitions which emerge from SOIS's. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek die geval van die "Cape Town Central City Provincial Government Revitalisation Initiative" (CCPGRI) as 'n manier om die begrip van sosio-tegniese oorgange te bevorder. Die vertrek punt vir hierdie navorsing is die insig dat die huidige verloop van ekonomiese groei en ontwikkeling onvolhoubaar is. Ten spyte hiervan versterk en verleng geïnstitusionaliseerde verwysingsraamwerke vir besluitneming die gebruik van (opgelegde) sosiotegniese sisteme wat uitputbare bronne verminder en ekosisteem dienste laat agteruitgaan. Die teoretiese idee van ontkoppeling bied nogtans 'n alternatiewe paradigma vir ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Hierdie tesis identifiseer ontkoppeling as die rigtinggewende raamwerk waardeur aanpassing strategië uitgevoer behoort te word. Dit is geïdentifiseer deur 'n omvattende literatuurstudie en 'n beoordeling van Kaapstad se kritiese infrastruktuur netwerk. Netwerke van infrastuktuur vervoer die vloei van bronne in 'n liniêre konfigurasie oor wye stedelike ruimtes en kondisioneer daardeur die vloei en verbruik van bronne. Die geval van Kaapstad illustreer egter dat 'n liniêre konfigurasie van infrastruktuur beide finansieel en omgewingsverwant onvolhoubaar is. Verder voorsien hierdie geval die empiriese bewyse vir ontkoppeling en versterk daardeur die argument vir die aanvaarding van die idee as „n alternatiewe paradigma vir ontwikkeling. Infrastruktuur netwerke is verder geïdentifiseer as 'n sosio-teniese sisteem en word daarom geag as die komponent wat 'n sisteem oorgang vereis en die gevolglike punt van ingryping om ekonomiese groei van bron verbruik te ontkoppel. Uit „n implemetering oogpunt is die oorgang van sosio-tegniese sisteme, voltrek deur innovering, die noodsaaklike komponent om volhoubare stedelike ontwikkeling te realiseer. Daar word geredeneer dat innovering – noodsaaklik vir sosio-tegniese sisteem oorgang – die produk behoort te wees van volhoubaar georiënteerde innovering sisteme. Hierdie sisteme is implisiet verbind aan ontkoppeling deur die gedeelde doel om groter volhoubaarheid moontlik te maak. Die Kaapstadse CCPGRI is op die meervlakkige perspektief model ge-ekstrapoleer en is aangewend om begrip te bevorder van hoe sosio-tegniese sisteem oorgang bereik word. Bevindings dui daarop dat sosio-tegniese sisteem oorgang moontlik is in stedelike gebiede waar meervoudige niche innoverings gelyktydig ontwikkel. Die teenwoordigheid van 'n tussenganger, wat die ontwikkeling van niche innoverings wat voortspruit uit die volhoubaar georiënteerde innovering sisteme kan fasiliteer en bestuur, is belangrik. Daar word dus geredeneer dat hoë kwaliteit netwerk daarstelling krities is vir die uitvoer van sosio-tegniese oorgange wat uit volhoubaar georiënteerde innovering sisteme voortspruit.