The document discusses the complexities of sustainability transitions, emphasizing the need for fundamental changes in societal structures, cultures, and practices to address persistent sustainability issues in various domains like energy and mobility. It highlights the governance principles for managing these transitions, advocating for long-term thinking, multi-actor engagement, and the involvement of consumers in changing behaviors. Furthermore, it reviews the application of transition governance in urban contexts, showcasing strategies for promoting sustainable practices through community empowerment and innovative policy-making.

1. New developments in transition studies beyond visions and innovation Derk Loorbach Delft, 23-05-2011

2. Transitions Transition Governance Transitionizing consumption Social-ecological systems New agenda

3. Complex, long-term and uncertain no quick fixes or only technological solutions Embedded in societal structures optimization through existing solutions insufficient Many different actors involved contested and ‘ill-structured’ Difficult to ‘manage’ Examples: energy, mobility, agriculture, education, health care, water management, housing etc.  Unsustainability lock-in requires transitions Persistent problems of sustainability

4. Transitions fundamental change of structure, culture and practices in a societal (sub)system culture: collective set of values, norms, perspectives (shared orientation), paradigms structure: physical infrastructure, economic infrastructure, institutions, rules, regulations, collective routines practices: behaviour, operation, implementation Shared discourse and language for multi-actor learning and innovation processes

5. Consumption: a persistent problem? Unsustainable consumption practices are problematic Consumption creates demand, demand structures consumption Consumption practices occur at different levels (individuals, groups, societies) ‘ unsustainable consumption’ is ill-structured: what is the problem?  transition in consumption systems?

6. Transition levels Macro-level: landscape autonomous trends, paradigms, slow changes Meso-level: regime Dominant structure, culture and practices Micro-level : niches innovative ideas, projects, technologies, niche actors Based on Geels and Kemp, 2001

7. Multiple Phases From: Rotmans et al, 2000 Predevelopment Stabilization time Societal development Acceleration Take-off

8. Transition phases predevelopment take-off acceleration stabilisation Based on Rotmans et al, 2001 Sustainable society? health care energy waste water construction mobility finance

9. Where is consumption? Transition research so far predominantly focuses on supply side and sectors Actors (let alone consumers) are often not explicitly addressed However, transitions presuppose major shifts in (consumer) practices  are we seeing a pattern shift towards acceleration in consumer behavior?

10. Transition governance principles (predev.) long-term thinking as the basis for short term policy thinking in terms of multiple domains (multi-domain), different actors (multi-actor), different levels (multi-level) learning as an important aim for policy (‘learning-by-doing’ and ‘doing-by-learning’) orient governance towards system innovation besides system improvement keeping options open, exploring multiple pathways selective participation focusing on frontrunners

11. Governance framework Strategic (culture, worldviews, norms and values) Tactical (institutions, networks, structures) Operational (practices, innovations, niches) Influencing learning and reflection ( transition monitoring ) Influencing changes in structures ( transition-network and –agenda) Influencing changes in culture and discourse ( transitionarena ) Influencing innovation dynamics ( transitionexperiments )

12. society Transition arena Regular policy arena - Short term - Peloton Incremental change Problem- and goal oriented - Long term - Frontrunners System-innovation Problem- and goal searching Transition arenas

13. Dutch Energytransition Initiated by Ministry of Economic Affairs Grown from 5 to over 1000 involved actors between 2001 and 2010 Long-term vision: a clean, affordable and safe energy-suppply 7 transition platforms Built environment, mobility, green electricity, green resources, new gas, chain efficiency and greenhouse as energy source Innovation agenda with budget of over 400 MEuro Multiple pathways (25+) and hundereds of experiments

14. Structure

15. Impact? Agenda adopted by regime board Transition platform established by ministries Experiments started And concrete regulations influenced Narrative/discourse spreading Accelerated by financial crisis Energy transition cancelled at Ministry level But taken over at regional/business/community level

16. Recent experiences Transition governance increasingly applied regionally/in urban context Citizens/consumers more explicitly part of the problem/challenge So far however no attempts to create large scale behavioral change with transition approach  focus primarily on envisioning, agenda-building and experimenting

17. Urban Transition Management Rotterdam Increasing speed, coherence, ambition and engagement of urban innovation processes ‘ Transitionizing’ Existing Policies Use of the concept of transitions to conceptualize, analyze and identify on-going changes towards sustainability in different domains Stimulation of envisioning and goal formulation on the long-term (re)structuring transition scenario’s and pathways Up-scaling and initiating projects and experiments Reflection and evaluation of progress of transitions and (required) changes in governance

19. CityPorts area CityPorts area redevelopment as transition challenge Long-term and highly complex and uncertain Very high sustainability ambition Need for institutional and behavioral change Experimental (policy) approach Public-private challenge  Trying to guide and accelerate organic systemic changes

20. 5 strategies Re-inventing delta technology Volume & Value Crossing borders Floating gentrification Sustainable mobility Long term : perspective 2040 Mid term : course 2025 Short term : action 2015 CityPorts

21. One of the images: Floating City (Design: www.deltasync.nl)

22. … the transition experiment

23. Societal resilience and transition Context: Pact op Zuid 1 billion Euro investment in battling social problems Reframing program as transition program Transition arena experiment in deprived neighbourhood (wijkarena) Local citizens, entrepreneurs, organisations Close cooperation policy-science in transition team ‘ transitionizing’ policy through coproduction Now up-scaling in ‘Veerkracht’ (Resilience)

24. Dutch Research Institute For Transitions

25. Core transitional challenge Community empowerment Developing self-organisational capacity Paradigm shift towards self-awareness Articulating community needs Policy transition Participation in societal process Toward integrative cooperation Developing process governance capacity

26. Social and policy transition Tijd Pact op Zuid City harbors Program-directors Self-organisation: Supply driven, Integral, Process oriented Innovative,/sustainable Co-production Fragmented Competition Individualism Distrust Short-term GGW Gideon Policy new style nwe stijl City marines SONS Bureau frontline Field-academy Activation Human centered concrete solutions Empowering Experimenting Learning Mono-actor Group portrets Participation visions Norm op Zuid Roffa 5314 Artroute

27. Rotterdam sustainability transition Connected PortCity: flows of people, energy, resources, finances, knowledge reconnect city and port in a symbiotic way Port transition: green chemistry, bio and renewable energyport, cradle-to-cradle industry, waterconstruction City transition: toward a biotic, self-sustaining and socially resilient and diverse city Cityports area as the ‘heart’

33. InContext (FP7) Application of transition approach in local communities focusing on sustainable behavior Collective ‘framing’ of outer context and socio-technical structures that condition behavior Specific and explicit attention to individual ‘inner contexts’ (e.g. perspectives, values) and the differences  Is it possible to ‘transitionize’ behavior/consumption?

34. Behavioral/consumption transition? Dominant behavioral patterns, structures and culture in a neighborhood (inner and outer)? Identifying persistent problems locally, regionally and internationally Historical origins, external pressures/changes and alternative practices/niches? Shift towards sustainable behavioral patterns, culture and structures (individual and collective) Insight into how individuals matter

35. ... is a co-creation tool for sustainable behaviour by local communities and builds upon the theoretical literature and insights of transition management, backcasting and literature on inner/outer contexts of behaviour and learning . ... differs from other ‘traditional’ transition arenas by its integration of insights from backcasting and internal context of human behaviour as well as by its focus on the individual level. .. should result into processes of reflection on individual and group level allowing for new strategies to emerge on how individual/groups needs are met and also into experiments with innovative practices as alternatives to established ones The community arena

36. The community arena Key activities Key output 0. Pre-preparation A. Case orientation B. Transition team formation A. Initial case description for each pilot B. Transition team 1. Preparation & Exploration A. Process design B. System analysis C. Actor analysis (long-list and shortlist of relevant actors) + interviews A. Community Arena process plan B. Reframed challenge C. Actor identification + insight inner context behaviour 2. Problem structuring & Envisioning A. Transition Arena formation B. Problem structuring process + meeting C. Selection of key priorities D. Participatory vision process + meeting A. Frontrunner network B. Individual and shared problem perceptions C. Guiding sustainability principles D. Individual and shared visions 3. Backcasting, Agenda Building & Target Setting A. Backcasting meeting and interviews B. Formulation agenda and specific actions C. Defining transition paths + meeting A. Backcasting analysis B. Community action agenda C. Transition paths 4. Experimenting & Implementing A. Dissemination of arena, visions and agenda B. Coalition forming & broadening the network C. Conduct transition experiments A. Embedded results B. Change agents network C. Experiment portfolio 5. Monitoring & Evaluation A. Monitoring and evaluation of method and content (process) + meeting B. Monitoring and evaluation of individual level (inner context) + meeting and interviews A. Adaptation methodological framework (during process), and lessons learned for local and EU-level governance B. Insight in drivers and barriers for sustainable behaviour

37. Hypotheses Build on present sustainable behavioral niches Explicit attention to structures will raise awareness and provide action perspective Collective reflection might stimulate collective action (e.g. collective purchasing, local food production, sustainable mobility) Inclusion of different worldviews and lifestyles might help to ‘normalize’ sustainable behavior in neighborhoods  Impact, sustainability, possibility, desirability,…?

38. TM: evolving theory and practice Monitoring, evaluating and adapting Developing sustainability images, coalitions and joint transition-agendas Problem structuring, envisioning and organizing transition-arenas Mobilizing actors and transition- experiments TM 1.0 Creating space and convergence Arenas, experiments Discourse and culture Monitoring, evaluating and adapting Developing sustainability images, coalitions and joint transition-agendas Problem structuring, envisioning and organizing transition-arenas Mobilizing actors and transition- experiments TM 2.0 Focus on breakthroughs Institutions for transition Upscaling and structural change

39. Transition governance principles (acceleration) Coordination accelerating transition dynamics Guiding build-up towards sustainability ‘ Controlled’ break-down Safe-guarding diversity and flexibility Dealing wit/anticipating resistance and barriers Leading role for business, citizens, networks Activistic idealism and strategic gaming

40. TM 2.011 From Frontrunners Searching/learning/experi-menting Predevelopment Creating space Deepening/broadening Developing discours/language Initiating/starting-up/building-up Knowledge development To First followers (of the mainstream) Institutionalisation Take-off/acceleration Making use of space Scaling-up/structural change Action oriented Embedding/breaking-down Diffusion

41. TM 2.011 From To Transitionanalysis Arenas Visions Scenarios Agendas/pathways Experiments Monitoring/evaluation Tippingpoint-/phase-analysis Transitioncoalitions Public/political debate Pathway-analyses Development plans/business cases/legal innovation Destabilising actions/interventions Quantitative t-mon/reflexive pattern monitoring

42. What is TM? Framing Learning for Experimenting for Mobilising Empowering Institutionalising social innovation and change

43. Thank you for your attention For more information and publications: [email_address] www.drift.eur.nl www.ksinetwork.org www.twitter.com/drk75