There is an increasing acknowledgement in Eco-municipalities – cities using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) as a tool for their planning process – of the need for Cross-Sector Collaboration, but the necessary expertise is often lacking. The purpose of this study is to better understand effective CSC in Eco-municipalities through indicating potential leverage points and inform the use of the FSSD in this specific context. An 'effective CSC' lens is constructed from general CSC literature and documents from Eco-municipalities. 187 barriers and enablers to effective cross-sector collaboration are identified from interviews with experts and interviews from the In-depth Case Study in the city of Eindhoven. An 'Importance Index' defined by alignment with Lens Factors is developed to select key indicators. These key indicators are clustered into 45 potential leverage points for effective CSC in Eco-municipalities. The use of these potential leverage points is checked in an In-depth Case Study through a Causal Loop Diagram in which nine leverage points were identified. Interrelations between these leverage points, unexpected results and methodology are discussed, conclusions are drawn, and further research is suggested.

Human society as a whole has a reached a tipping point in its relationship with the socio-ecological systems upon which it depends. All sectors of society need to be involved in addressing this crucial challenge through a raised awareness of the issues and pro-active solutions to it. This research focuses on small urban towns and cities, where half the world’s urban population lives, and looks at the ways in which local government in these key areas can play an active role in leading sustainability through education and training. Municipalities and communities that use the framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD) were investigated, and the conditions were identified that helped and hindered training to be really effective. Effective training, in its many forms, was found to be essential in fomenting a common language of sustainability, engaging the community, and bringing concerted strategic actions that together could foster a culture of sustainability. / <p>jpbaronb@yahoo.co.uk, rifat.pal@gmail.com, quynhvan86@gmail.com</p>