public lecture swinburne university melbourne

Transition management for sustainability

Derk LoorbachMelbourne, 10-6-2010

Derk LoorbachMelbourne, 10-6-2010

Dutch Research Institute For Transitions

SustainabilityTransitionsGovernanceInnovation


• 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


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


Why do 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


Sustainability as guiding orientation

• Inherently ambiguous, contested and uncertain

• Basis for dialogue, competition and innovation

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


Inevitable?

• Number of landscape developments pressure regimes– Resources, climate issues, economic crises, …

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

new financial models, …

• Regimes start to defend, get into crises or open up– CCS, Desalination plants, ‘Keep mining Strong’, …

Indicators for transitions approaching


Possible transition pathways


Transition phases

Sustainable society?

health care

energywaste

waterconstruction

mobility finance

predevelopment

take-off

acceleration

stabilisation

Based on Rotmans et al, 2001


Transition governance

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

• think in terms of multiple domains (multi-domain), think 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-learning as an important aim for policy (‘learning-by-doing’ and ‘doing-by-learning’)by-doing’ and ‘doing-by-learning’)

• orient policy towards system innovation besides orient policy towards system innovation besides system improvementsystem improvement

• keeping options open (wide playing field)keeping options open (wide playing field)


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


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


learninglearning

experimentsexperiments

policypolicy

arenasarenas

TransitionGovernance

TransitionGovernance

sectoral

regional

neigbourhood

transitioncoalitions

transition agenda

transitionprograms

technical

social

economic

learning strategies

reflexive evaluation

transition monitoring


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 management practices

• In the Netherlands– Health care, building, energy, water,

regional and local

• Internationally– Belgium, Canada, Japan

• In international research– European network, Canada, Japan, US,

Australia


Transitionagenda Building

• 1 year arena ‘shadow’ process– Small core of frontrunners within larger innovation

network

• Shared narrative and language– Framing the need for transition– Sketching desired future direction and pathways

• Transitionizing the regime– Interaction with regime board focused on damage

control– Gradually involving innovative regime actors


Shared problem definition

• Building process traditional and supply driven

• Lowest price dominant orientation

• Business models outdated

• Negative incentives for sustainability and innovation

• Self-organising capacity absent


Future orientation and pathways

Building sector produces social added value:– Carbon neutrality– Urban renewal– Energy transition– Accessibility – Liveability – Adaptability and resilience


Experiments, stepping stones and business cases

• Roof transition• Floating cities• Neigbourhood development companies• Sustainable infrastructure corporations• Sustainable purchasing• Sustainable finance model• …


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 neutral built environment 2020

– 140 billion Euros investment and returns


Local arena Oud-Charlois

• 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


Core 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 action

• Core narrative: welcoming neigbourhood– Cultural ‘islands’ produce anonymous public space– Feeling at home implies responsibilities and space

• Practical orientation– Community planning for local square– ‘bridge builders’– Collaborative youth– Physical strategy– Greening the neighbourhood– …


Different but similar…

• Transition concepts as mediating frame and language

• Discourse as coordinating force in networks

• Process as means to indirectly influence action

• (Unpredictable) actions follow from open arenaprocess


Transitionizing…

• Transition teams: domain experts, transition experts, problem owners

• ‘Managing’:– Analysis (structuring substance in terms of transitions)– Facilitation (create space, support process)– Structuration (discussion, actions) – Selection (actors, experiments)– Stimulation (discussion, competition, cooperation)

• Mediating between regular and transition policy– Gradually and strategically engaging with regime as

narrative and network get stronger


10 years transition management

key process lessons

• Relevance of context• Space for frontrunners • Empowering frontrunners is key to a

transition process • Composition of a transition arena• The regime-niche dynamic• Indirect impact and results of a

transition process


10 years transition management

key scientific lessons

• Society as laboratory• Role of rersearchers• Need for engaged research• Inter- and transdisciplinarity• Struggle with disicplines• Uncertainties and need for proactivity• Difficulties of normative science


Transition management 2.0

• New phase of societal transitions (take-off/acceleration)

– Chaotic, reorganisation, counter-forces, power and politics

– From variation to selection and institutional change– From arenas to public/political debate– From ‘shadow’ to mainstream– From interdisciplinary to also disciplinary

From build-up to breakdown and breakthrough


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 1.0Creating space and

convergenceArenas,

experimentsDiscourse 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 2.0Focus on

breakthroughsInstitutions for

transitionUpscaling and

structural change


Transition management 2.0

• Basic tenets and framework guide experimental governance development

• In predevelopment: building niche-regimes– Visions, experiments, agenda’s & reflection inform one another

• Creating societal pressure on regime, and seducing regime actors to participate– Building up new discourse, institutions and alternatives

• New strategies developing for – Breakdown: ‘Transitionizing’ regular policy– Breakthrough: TM instruments 2.0 (laws, institutions, regulatory

freezones, financial restructuring)


Transitionizing Melbourne?

• Core challenges– Greyfields, Water sensitive cities, Mobility, Demographic

growth, Energy,(social/cultural …?)

• Transition support base– Large sustainability community, scientific expertise,

innovative niches, pragmatic culture

• Possible barriers– Policy and science culture, too strong landscape

developments, skepticism and vested interests

Need for engagement, creativity and translation


Thank you for your attention

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

public lecture swinburne university melbourne

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