This month, a group of experts working in the fields of social innovation and sustainable transitions gathered to catalyse discussions on how social innovation research and modeling can concretely support policy-making for local energy and mobility transitions.
Representatives from cities and academia alike agreed that gradual changes, coupled with constant dialogue throughout the social innovation process, result in more acceptance of mobility and energy transition actions. For example, the City of Groningen (the Nerherlands) has taken the gradual approach of introducing temporary car-free days into an area so citizens can test out how things work, and see the benefits for themselves. And, in Samsø (Denmark), people had initially resisted the idea of installing new windmills, due to concerns about preserving the pristine environment. However, through citizen-led campaigns and open dialogue processes, the island transitioned to 100 percent renewable energy, all generated from the island's own supply. Long-term planning, trust and transparency were crucial according to the experts.
Several other key findings were also discussed. For example, when planning for social innovation in cities, one needs, first and foremost, to ensure that existing conditions (including policy and economic conditions) allow for this new innovation. Citizens should also be involved as early as possible in the planning stage. Throughout the planning process, flexibility and embracing necessary changes is key, as conditions might shift. Social innovation processes need to be just in order to achieve lasting change – decision makers need to look at which groups are engaged, see who is left out, and decide how to approach them. For this reason, top-down approaches have, historically, not worked well for marginalised communities.
Through holistic studies, research has proven that even if local conditions differ, certain common dynamics can be identified, which can be used to help inform policy-related decision making. These dynamics have been modelled and presented as a tool, given to the event participants to test. By utilising the tool, municipalities, organisations and policy makers can learn what kind of parameters affect the success and acceptance of energy- and mobility transitions and consequently how to plan for the path of least resistance in their localities. City representatives at this month's gathering found the tool useful for planning and replicating energy- and mobility transition actions. Furthermore, the modelling has helped to develop scientific approaches and the creation of successful awareness-raising campaigns.
Stay tuned for the launch of this modelling tool – know as the policy Sandbox Tool launch – in autumn 2021!
This event was organised by the EU-funded "Social and Market Approaches to Realizing Transition to Energy Efficiency and Sustainability" (SMARTEES) project, in which ICLEI Europe is a partner.
Learn more about energy- and mobility transitions and the SMARTEES project here.