ARTS (Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability) - Revision history

Niki Frantzeskaki: /* Main insights on/for sustainable just cities */

2020-07-25T07:28:43Z

Main insights on/for sustainable just cities

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:28, 25 July 2020
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	Transition initiatives vary in terms of domains, spatial and cultural contexts, as well as the type of actors that drive them. Often hybrid in nature, they bring new ways of thinking, new ways of doing things, as well as new forms of (self-) organisation. Driven by people that live or work in the city-region, these initiatives aim to transform the way that our basic needs are defined and met. Transition initiatives offer interesting starting points for sustainable development of the city-region since they aim to, or often have already implemented, alternative practices that contribute to environmental sustainability. Consequently, they can accelerate transitions to sustainability by acting as a driving force to transform practices, perceptions and expectations as well as ways of organisation towards more sustainable ones.		Transition initiatives vary in terms of domains, spatial and cultural contexts, as well as the type of actors that drive them. Often hybrid in nature, they bring new ways of thinking, new ways of doing things, as well as new forms of (self-) organisation. Driven by people that live or work in the city-region, these initiatives aim to transform the way that our basic needs are defined and met. Transition initiatives offer interesting starting points for sustainable development of the city-region since they aim to, or often have already implemented, alternative practices that contribute to environmental sustainability. Consequently, they can accelerate transitions to sustainability by acting as a driving force to transform practices, perceptions and expectations as well as ways of organisation towards more sustainable ones.

	For more on the importance of transition initiatives and ways in which they influence and are influenced by broader city-region governance patterns see Transition Read #1 “Who runs this place? Unpacking local governance”.

	For examples of transformative impact of transition initiatives see the series of ARTS factsheets covering domains such as biodiversity and ecosystem services, urban living and built environment, resource efficiency, energy use and supply and transport and mobility.		For examples of transformative impact of transition initiatives see the series of ARTS factsheets covering domains such as biodiversity and ecosystem services, urban living and built environment, resource efficiency, energy use and supply and transport and mobility.
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	Public sector organizations need the capacity and institutional space to try out new ideas or practices, in cooperation with the urban change agents. Most transition initiatives are composed of doers, people with a strong desire to act who get quickly discouraged by lengthy discussions. The ability to quickly respond to emerging ideas, using even small-scale experiments as learning tools, is crucial to building mutually respectful relationships and harnessing the full potential of multi-stakeholder collaboration. Prototyping and experimenting with new practices or processes is not only a great learning opportunity but also a risk reduction mechanism, preparing the ground for large scale changes.		Public sector organizations need the capacity and institutional space to try out new ideas or practices, in cooperation with the urban change agents. Most transition initiatives are composed of doers, people with a strong desire to act who get quickly discouraged by lengthy discussions. The ability to quickly respond to emerging ideas, using even small-scale experiments as learning tools, is crucial to building mutually respectful relationships and harnessing the full potential of multi-stakeholder collaboration. Prototyping and experimenting with new practices or processes is not only a great learning opportunity but also a risk reduction mechanism, preparing the ground for large scale changes.

	For an example of how transition initiatives can generate transformative social impact and at the same time challenge existing local government structures, go to Transition Read #2 “Nature-based solutions” that describes governance implication of socio-spatial interventions with a transformative impact on the relationship between people and nature.		For an example of how transition initiatives can generate transformative social impact and at the same time challenge existing local government structures, go to Transition Read #2 “Nature-based solutions” or the work of Frantzeskaki et al 2017 listed in the publications that describes governance implication of socio-spatial interventions with a transformative impact on the relationship between people and nature.

	See also Transition Read #6 “How to accelerate sustainability transitions? Messages for local governments and transition initiatives”, especially Key Messsages #1 and #2 focusing on new institutional spaces and culture of collaboration.

	3.Research design and funding mechanisms should encourage collaboration with, and not exploitation of, civil society initiatives		3.Research design and funding mechanisms should encourage collaboration with, and not exploitation of, civil society initiatives
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	Research with instead of research on		Research with instead of research on
	There are many types of knowledge and academic is just one of them. Incorporating civil society actors in research design helps to generate knowledge that is relevant to local context and encourages knowledge coproduction. Civil society initiatives are holding knowledge on systemic conditions and social needs that can be valuable in city making processes. Researchers should take into account the needs and interests of civil society initiatives, instead of treating them merely as information dispensers. This can be made easier by encouraging early involvement of civil society actors (e.g. as project partners) and offering greater flexibility in adapting research design to their needs (e.g. by applying a two-step selection procedure or including their input in the review process).		There are many types of knowledge and academic is just one of them. Incorporating civil society actors in research design helps to generate knowledge that is relevant to local context and encourages knowledge coproduction. Civil society initiatives are holding knowledge on systemic conditions and social needs that can be valuable in city making processes. Researchers should take into account the needs and interests of civil society initiatives, instead of treating them merely as information dispensers. This can be made easier by encouraging early involvement of civil society actors (e.g. as project partners) and offering greater flexibility in adapting research design to their needs (e.g. by applying a two-step selection procedure or including their input in the review process).

			Further reading on: Frantzeskaki and Rok 2017 in publications

	Give and take instead of take and run		Give and take instead of take and run
	Too often the researchers’ demands put pressure on already limited resources that civil society groups have at their disposal, offering little in return. This is especially the case for initiatives that become so successful everyone wants to talk to them. Researchers could not only make it easier for them, e.g. by attending one of the public meetings or talking on the phone instead of sending questionnaires, but also reciprocate, e.g. by offering their time or skills. This should be reflected in the project proposal and evaluated accordingly, allowing necessary resources for this fair exchange.		Too often the researchers’ demands put pressure on already limited resources that civil society groups have at their disposal, offering little in return. This is especially the case for initiatives that become so successful everyone wants to talk to them. Researchers could not only make it easier for them, e.g. by attending one of the public meetings or talking on the phone instead of sending questionnaires, but also reciprocate, e.g. by offering their time or skills. This should be reflected in the project proposal and evaluated accordingly, allowing necessary resources for this fair exchange.

	For more on the different roles civil society can play in accelerating sustainability transitions in European cities go to ~~Transition Read #3 “Role of Civil Society”~~ that brings together reflections coming from a number of EU-funded research projects related to this topic, most notably ARTS (Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability) and GLAMURS (Green Lifestyles, Alternative Models and Up-scaling Regional Sustainability).		For more on the different roles civil society can play in accelerating sustainability transitions in European cities go to publication Frantzeskaki et al 2016 in the publication list, that brings together reflections coming from a number of EU-funded research projects related to this topic, most notably ARTS (Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability) and GLAMURS (Green Lifestyles, Alternative Models and Up-scaling Regional Sustainability).

	4. Artists and culture practitioners play an important role in accelerating sustainability transitions but need the right space to act		4. Artists and culture practitioners play an important role in accelerating sustainability transitions but need the right space to act
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	In order to allow genuine co-creation of ways forward to happen, a significant amount of time and resources needs to be invested in setting up the partnership with artists and culture practitioners. The framework of collaboration should be designed collectively to promote ownership and respect the needs of all partners, including fair compensation for their work. This is particularly important when working with artists, whose work is habitually undervalued, and transition initiatives, where burnout and attrition are constant challenges because they rely primarily on volunteer labor.		In order to allow genuine co-creation of ways forward to happen, a significant amount of time and resources needs to be invested in setting up the partnership with artists and culture practitioners. The framework of collaboration should be designed collectively to promote ownership and respect the needs of all partners, including fair compensation for their work. This is particularly important when working with artists, whose work is habitually undervalued, and transition initiatives, where burnout and attrition are constant challenges because they rely primarily on volunteer labor.

	For more on how to prepare, sustain and nurture the cooperation with arts and culture go to Transition Read #4 “Putting Art into ARTS” that summarizes the reflections and lessons learned from an experimental exercise that sought to connect researchers to local transition initiatives using art and the creative process as a bridge.

	5.Agent-based models can support local reflection process to accelerate sustainability transitions if part of a collective, playful experience		5.Agent-based models can support local reflection process to accelerate sustainability transitions if part of a collective, playful experience
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	The main issue when it comes to working with models is always to manage the expectations. Those who expect plug and play oracle that gives clear yes or no answers will inevitably be disappointed. The beauty of models lies in their ability to force a user to question his or her assumptions, to keep asking “what if” and to acknowledge that the right answer changes depending on the parameters set. All these qualities become even more valuable when experienced collectively, in a playful and informal setting. The participants have an opportunity to verify existing assumptions (e.g. that growing number of members translates to stronger impact of a given initiative) and test strategies, asking new questions and reflecting upon themselves as a community.		The main issue when it comes to working with models is always to manage the expectations. Those who expect plug and play oracle that gives clear yes or no answers will inevitably be disappointed. The beauty of models lies in their ability to force a user to question his or her assumptions, to keep asking “what if” and to acknowledge that the right answer changes depending on the parameters set. All these qualities become even more valuable when experienced collectively, in a playful and informal setting. The participants have an opportunity to verify existing assumptions (e.g. that growing number of members translates to stronger impact of a given initiative) and test strategies, asking new questions and reflecting upon themselves as a community.

	To find out more about the ARTS game, ~~a support tool for policy discussions around sustainability transition mechanisms and acceleration strategies, go to Transition Read #5 “Playing with Science” that describes~~ the ~~science behind the game and lessons learned from its applications~~.		To find out more about the ARTS game, read Valkering et al 2017 in Sustainability in the publication list.

	6.Scaling urban social innovation is a complex process that cannot be reduced to analyzing the growth or spread of single initiatives		6.Scaling urban social innovation is a complex process that cannot be reduced to analyzing the growth or spread of single initiatives
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	The ARTS project identified five acceleration mechanisms focusing on the interaction patterns among the transition initiatives and between transition initiatives and a broader governance context: upscaling, replicating, partnering, embedding and instrumentalising. The acceleration of sustainability transitions was addressed on a system level, looking at developments on the city-region scale and not just the growth of single initiatives. The shift towards systems thinking, recognizing the importance of interdependencies and moving away from showcasing individual success stories, is an important step in understanding sustainability transitions and the potential strategies for their acceleration.		The ARTS project identified five acceleration mechanisms focusing on the interaction patterns among the transition initiatives and between transition initiatives and a broader governance context: upscaling, replicating, partnering, embedding and instrumentalising. The acceleration of sustainability transitions was addressed on a system level, looking at developments on the city-region scale and not just the growth of single initiatives. The shift towards systems thinking, recognizing the importance of interdependencies and moving away from showcasing individual success stories, is an important step in understanding sustainability transitions and the potential strategies for their acceleration.

	To find out more about the many facets of urban social innovation, especially in the context of low-carbon transitions and sustainable local economies, ~~go to Transition Read “Social Innovation for Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Cities”~~, ~~a collaborative effort by ARTS~~, ~~GLAMURS~~, ~~GREEN SURGE~~, ~~PATHWAYS~~, ~~URBACT RESILIENT EUROPE and TESS projects~~ and the ~~ECOLISE meta-network~~.		To find out more about the many facets of urban social innovation, especially in the context of low-carbon transitions and sustainable local economies, read the publications of: Lam et al 2020, Borgstrom 2019, Gorissen et al 2017, Ehnert et al 2017, Frantzeskaki et al 2017, and more in the publications list.

	~~See also five acceleration roadmaps developed~~ for ~~Brighton~~ and ~~Hove (UK)~~, ~~Budapest (HU), Dresden (DE), Genk (BE)~~ and ~~Stockholm~~ (SE) ~~within the ARTS project for examples of systems-based approaches to accelerating sustainability transitions.~~		The book of Gorrisen and Meyers 2018 is written for the everyday practitioner and city maker, translating scientific results and theory for everyday policy maker and urban planner. (see publication list)

Niki Frantzeskaki: /* General introduction */

2020-07-25T07:23:43Z

General introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:23, 25 July 2020
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	==General introduction==		==General introduction==
	[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] project contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.		[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] project contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability with an explicit urban focus. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The ARTS research project was awarded a Research Excellence award from European Commission as a result of a rigorous policy and science impact evaluation in 2016 that was the concluding year of the project. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.


			The research resulted in a number of conceptual innovations for the field of sustainability transitions as well as for urban policy and planning. The newly conceptualised acceleration mechanisms capturing the complex dynamics produced by local change agents (transition initiatives) of spreading new ways of doing, thinking and/or organizing to a larger number of people in the city-region, exploiting synergies between (multiple and diverse) agents in the city-region, and exerting capacity to navigate complex governance structures and patterns for strengthening new ways of doing, thinking and / or organising in the city-region. The synergistic effect of the mechanisms brings about acceleration of sustainability transitions in the city-regions. The conceptualised acceleration mechanisms include:

			- Upscaling is the growth of members, supporters or users of a single transition initiative in order to spread these new ways of thinking, organizing and practicing.
			- Replicating is the take up of new ways of doing, organizing and thinking of one transition initiative by another transition initiative or different actors in order to spread out these new ways.
			- Partnering is the pooling and/or complementing of resources, competences, and capacities in order to exploit synergies between these new ways.
			- Instrumentalising is tapping into and capitalizing on opportunities provided by the multi-level governance context of the city-region in order to exploit synergies between these multi-level dynamics.
			- Embedding is the alignment of old and new ways of doing, organizing and thinking in order to integrate them into city-regional governance patterns.

			Another theoretical and policy impact achievement of ARTS project is the evidence that local sustainability initiatives are change agents and change makers and are important to consider when planning, regenerating and governing cities towards sustainability, resilience and justice.

	==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==		==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==

Niki Frantzeskaki: /* Main insights on/for sustainable just cities */

2020-07-25T07:02:11Z

Main insights on/for sustainable just cities

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Niki Frantzeskaki: /* Further reading */

2020-07-25T06:56:22Z

Niki Frantzeskaki: /* Suggested key readings & links */

2020-07-25T06:53:27Z

Vaishali Joshi at 08:18, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T08:18:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 8 April 2020
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	==General introduction==		==General introduction==
	[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.		[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] project contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.

	==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==		==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==

Vaishali Joshi at 08:18, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T08:18:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 8 April 2020
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	==General introduction==		==General introduction==
	[[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.		[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.

	==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==		==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==

Vaishali Joshi at 08:18, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T08:18:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 8 April 2020
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	~~[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/~~ ARTS] was a ~~three-year-long~~ research project~~, funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme,~~ to understand how transition initiatives can accelerate sustainability transitions in the five European city-regions of Brighton, Budapest, Dresden, Genk, and Stockholm.		ARTS was a research project to understand how transition initiatives can accelerate sustainability transitions in the five European city-regions of Brighton, Budapest, Dresden, Genk, and Stockholm.

	==General introduction==		==General introduction==
	ARTS contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability.The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.		[[http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/ Accelerating and Rescaling Transitions to Sustainability (ARTS)] contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability. It was a three-year-long research project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission through the FP7 programme. The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.

	==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==		==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==

Vaishali Joshi at 07:50, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T07:50:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:50, 8 April 2020
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	==Further reading==		==Further reading==
	''Links''		''Links''
			*Project Website: http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/

	''Publications''		''Publications''

Vaishali Joshi at 07:47, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T07:47:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:47, 8 April 2020
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	==General introduction==		==General introduction==
	The research in the ARTS or project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives.		ARTS contributed to the ongoing academic debates by unpacking the dynamics of governance for transitions to sustainability.The research in the ARTS project responds to two societal challenges: First, it supports governance in city-regions by revealing how transition initiatives source, mobilize and instrumentalise resources to realize and scale sustainable solutions. Second, it contributes to the understanding of transformative and societal governance processes that play out in making European city-regions more sustainable and socially inclusive through the scaling of transition initiatives. It created a multitude of dialogue spaces for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production including scientists, communities and local governments.

	==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==		==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==

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 ==Main insights on/for sustainable just cities==
-==Suggested key readings & links==
 ==Link to other Wiki-pages==

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 ''Links''
 *Project Website: http://acceleratingtransitions.eu/
 ''Publications''
 ==References==
 <references />