derk loorbach - the art of transitions to become green

The art of Transitions to become Green

Derk LoorbachAmsterdam, 09-11-2010

Derk LoorbachAmsterdam, 09-11-2010

Dutch Research Institute For Transitions

SustainabilityTransitionsMuseums

Transitioning3 challenges

Green Museums: a trend?

• 75 million google hits

• Emphasis on green buildings and operations

• Increasing emphasis on social role


Green Museums


War Museum Ottawa

Siemens Urban Systainability Centre

California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco

What is happening?

• Society is changing and increasingly complex

• We are facing increasingly persistent problems

• Sustainability is a moral and practical challenge

• Every organisation needs to redefine its role, ambition and contribution



Resilience and sustainability

Röckstrom et al, 2009


• 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

Sustainability as persistent problem


Transitions

fundamental change of structure, culture and fundamental change of structure, culture and practices in a societal (sub)systempractices in a societal (sub)system

– culture:culture: collective set of values, norms, collective set of values, norms, perspectives (shared perspectives (shared orientation), paradigms orientation), paradigms

– structure:structure: physical infrastructure, economic physical infrastructure, economic infrastructure, infrastructure, institutions, rules, regulations, collective institutions, rules, regulations, collective routinesroutines

– practices:practices: behaviour, operation, implementationbehaviour, operation, implementation

Shared discourse and language for multi-actor Shared discourse and language for multi-actor learning and innovation processeslearning and innovation processes


Transition levelsMacro-level: landscapeautonomous trends, paradigms, slow changes

Meso-level: regimeDominant structure, culture and practices

Micro-level: niches innovative ideas, projects, technologies, niche actorsBased on Geels and Kemp, 2001


Multiple Phases

Predevelopment

Stabilization

time

Societal development

Acceleration

Take-off

From: Rotmans et al, 2000


Inevitable?

• Number of landscape developments pressure regimes– Globalisation, resources, climate issues, economic crises,

demography …

• Number of alternatives becoming competitive– Renewables, ecological approaches, community initiatives,

new financial models, self-organisation, …

• Regimes start to defend, get into crises or open up– Protectionism, spreading doubt, prolongation strategies, …

current crises represent systems crisiscurrent crises represent systems crisis

Sustainability and transitions

• Transitions are rare and most likely do not automatically lead to sustainability

• Sustainability itself is inherently ambiguous, contested and uncertain

• It is about the process of sustainable development rather than the end goal

• Frontrunner individuals and organisations take the lead in the discovery journey


Why do sustainability transitions fail?

• Institutional fragmentation and miscoordination

• Dominant players have too many interests to defend and don’t want to change the rules drastically

• Technological and social lock-in and path dependencies

• Lack of coherence in thought and strategy of sustainability initiatives

Where is art?


time

Societal development


Transition governance principles

• long-term long-term thinking as the basis for short term policythinking as the basis for short term policy

• thinking in terms of multiple domains (multi-domain), thinking in terms of multiple domains (multi-domain), different actors (multi-actor), different actors (multi-actor), different levels (multi-different levels (multi-level)level)

• learning as an important aim for policy (‘learning-by-learning as an important aim for policy (‘learning-by-doing’ and ‘doing-by-learning’)doing’ and ‘doing-by-learning’)

• orient governance towards system innovation orient governance towards system innovation besides system improvementbesides system improvement

• keeping options open, exploring multiple pathwayskeeping options open, exploring multiple pathways

• selective participation focusing on frontrunnersselective participation focusing on frontrunners


Governance framework

Strategic(culture, worldviews, norms and values)

Tactical(institutions, networks, structures)

Operational(practices, innovations,niches)

Influencing learning

and reflection

Influencing changes in structures

Influencing changes in culture and discourse

Influencing innovation dynamics


society

Transition arenaRegular policy arena

- Short term- Peloton - Incremental change- Problem- and goal oriented

- Long term- Frontrunners - System-innovation- Problem- and goal searching

Transition arenas


Transition approach

• acknowledge that there is a persistent problemacknowledge that there is a persistent problemshared problem perceptionshared problem perception

• thethe solution does not exist solution does not exist transform problem into visionary challengetransform problem into visionary challenge

• define guiding principles and evolving transition define guiding principles and evolving transition agendaagendamultiple futures with multiple pathways and optionsmultiple futures with multiple pathways and options

• start portfolio of experiments into the same directionstart portfolio of experiments into the same directionpostpone choices till enough has been learnedpostpone choices till enough has been learned


Transition management practices

• Increasing numbers of actors engage collectively in research and governance of transitions– Health care, building, energy, water, regional

and local

• Individuals and organisations transition– Business, education, government, research

• Local initiatives blossom– Do-it-yourself sustainability, transition towns


5 strategies1. Re-inventing delta technology

2. Volume & Value

3. Crossing borders

4. Floating gentrification

5. Sustainable mobility

Long term: perspective 2040

Mid term: course 2025

Short term: action 2015

City harbours: agenda

http://stadshavensrotterdam.nl/eng/re-inventing-delta-technology

http://stadshavensrotterdam.nl/eng/volume-value

http://stadshavensrotterdam.nl/eng/floating-communities

http://stadshavensrotterdam.nl/eng/sustainable-mobility


One of the images: Floating City

(Design: www.deltasync.nl)


…the transition experiment


Neighbourhoodarena Oud-Charlois

• Transition arena experiment in deprived neighbourhood (wijkarena)– Local citizens, entrepreneurs, organisations

• What is a sustainable community?– And how to organize it

• Engaging the willing– Community empowerment and self-organisation

Dutch Research Institute For Transitions Dutch Research Institute For Transitions


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


Emerging agenda and experiments

• Core narrative: welcoming neigbourhood– Socio-cultural ‘islands’ produce anonymous public space– Focus on problems by policy reinforces negative dynamics– Feeling at home implies responsibilities and space

• Practical orientation– Community planning for local square– ‘bridge builders’: citizens welcoming neighbours and

newcomers– Collaborative youth across cultures– Greening the neighbourhood: self-management of green

space– Images of the neighbourhood

Local artists and galeries got involved

Where are museums?

• Are they beacons that could guide society through chaotic transitions?

Providing: • stability • education• space• reflection• guidance• …


Museums and transitions: 3 levels

1. Transition in the organisation and building

2. Transition in its mission and practice

3. Co-creator of societal transitions


Level 1: operational sustainability

• Energy generate own renewable energy

• Mobility develop sustainable mobility plans

• Water safe water and ban bottled water

• Food organic, regional food

• Resources C2C, recylce and reuse

• Biodiversity green the building


Level 2: structure building

• Develop coalitions– Around mobility schemes, renewable energy, food

production

• Develop new infrastructures– For learning, debate sense-making, art-society duialogue

• Cluster museums– Spatially and combine mobility, resources

Level 3: guiding transitions

• Take part in societal innovation processes

• Give stage to engaged artists

• Acommodate public debate

• Offer reflection and alternative perspectives

• Provoke


Thank you for your attention

For more information and publications:loorbach@fsw.eur.nlwww.drift.eur.nlwww.ksinetwork.orgwww.sustainabilitytransitions.com

derk loorbach - the art of transitions to become green

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