Reconfiguring what network? (Road) network synchronization in Dutch traffic management

Current sustainability challenges are increasingly acknowledged to reveal systemic flaws in societal systems such as energy, mobility and agriculture. Adequate solutions then require system innovations and societal transitions. The quest for system innovation is notoriously hard, however: In a polycentric society systemic problems tend to be elusive, and solution strategies are contested. So whereas the quest for system innovation is typically backed by substantive analyses of system pathologies, polycentric perspectives emphasize that the intrinsic properties of an innovation attempt are hardly decisive. Innovation attempts need to be relevant to the targeted actors in the first place

Beyond ‘resistance to change’: Interference management in System Innovation

This paper addresses a recurring theme in system innovation and sustainability transitions research, pertaining directly to the politics of system innovation: The issue of ‘barriers’ and ‘resistance’ to change. Framed as such, they appear as accidental and unfortunate phenomena, as obstacles on the road towards transformative change. These framings do not do justice to the multisided and contested nature of system innovation processes, however. Introducing a unidirectional ‘race-track metaphor’ (Stirling, 2011), they normatively dismiss the voices of actors experiencing interference from change attempts. Taking a more polycentric perspective, by contrast, ‘resistance to change’ can be appreciated with more nuance, through the bidirectional concept of ‘interference’. Based on four in-depth case studies into innovation attempts in the Dutch traffic management field (Pel, 2012), it is argued that alleged ‘resistance’ and ‘barriers’ are by no means accidental, but are only regular manifestations of innovations interfering with stakeholders: Interference occurs even in cases of seemingly ‘incremental’ innovation. Compared as sequences of translations (Callon, 1982, Akrich et al, 2002a,b), the cases bring forward various faces of interference. The key conclusion is that management of system innovation involves not only avoidance and reduction of interference, but also its somewhat paradoxical counterpart of interference-seeking. The term ‘interference management’ denotes the integrated handling of interference, offering both a framework for analysis and a repertoire for action

Trojan horses in System Innovation; A dialectical perspective on the paradox of acceptable novelty

Current and future sustainability challenges are increasingly acknowledged to be of a persistent and systemic nature. This gives rise to calls for likewise systemic solution strategies: Transformative system innovations instead of incremental system improvements, and societal transitions rather than procrastination on current locked-in trajectories. On these accounts, incremental change will not do. Still it proves difficult to achieve truly radical transformations. Insights from innovation theory, governance, sociology and critical theory help understand why radical transformation is unlikely to occur: Novelty, if it is to spread at all, should be acceptable to potential ‘adopters’, and should not be overly disruptive to existing practices. Initiatives should be radical enough to constitute transformative potential, but also shallow enough to be acceptable in current institutional constellations: This contradiction between transformation and non-disruption, the ‘paradox of acceptable novelty’, can be considered a key system innovation challenge. It is only paradoxical in its idealized form, however. System-innovative practices bring out various ways of dealing with the contradiction and its tradeoffs. This paper returns to the archetypical example of the more favorable case: The Trojan horse, the seemingly innocuous innovation with latent transformative force. Addressing its ambiguities, the concept’s practical relevance is elicited. Clever levers to systemic change may be devised, but inversely they may become ‘domesticated’ and neutralized. Based on a comparative case study on innovation attempts in the Dutch traffic management field, it is shown how these two faces can even alternate. The ‘incremental’ turn towards ‘network-oriented’ traffic management and the ‘radical’ call for the social sharing of space display an intriguing mixture of transformative and non-disruptive faces. Analyzed as sequences of ‘translations’, these cases help understand and deal with the ambiguities of Trojan horses. A dialectical approach to ‘acceptable novelty’ helps combine system-innovative idealism with Machiavellian agility

Factors influencing experience in crowds – the organiser perspective

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Crowds are a commonplace encounter but the experience for participants can be highly variable. Crowds are complex sociotechnical phenomenon, affected by many interacting factors. Little is known, however, about how those responsible for organising crowd situations approach their responsibilities. This study conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 41) with organisers responsible for different aspects of the design, planning, management and operations of events and other crowd situations. The objective was to understand organisers' priorities, along with the consideration given to the experience of crowd participants. The interviews revealed that organisers generally prioritised finance, security and health and safety aspects, whilst giving limited explicit attention to other important factors that affect participant experience. Organisers tended to approach their planning and decisions on the basis of their own experience and judgement, without accessing training or reference to guidance. It is suggested that the non-use of guidance is in part due to problems with the guidance currently available, both its content and its form. The organisers of infrequent or small-scale events have the greatest knowledge and experience gap. It is concluded that in order to achieve a consistent, high quality experience for crowd participants, there needs to be improved understanding among organisers of the complexity of crowds and the multiple factors influencing participant experience. Guidance and tools need to be usable and tailored to organisers’ requirements. Organisers of infrequent or small-scale events are especially in need of support

Aspects of the automobile’s diffusion in the North-West of England 1896-1939

This thesis explores aspects of the development of automobilism in the North-West from its beginnings around 1896 to 1939. An investigation of regional source material is used to engage with national and international research on the automobile, and more broadly, science and technology studies and the interaction between technology and society. In doing so, this investigation shows the complexities surrounding the diffusion and technological development of the automobile, focusing on the interactions between users, non-users, designers and dealers. Split into three main chapters, this thesis starts by exploring motoring culture in the North-West, arguing the importance of cultural and social factors in the automobile’s diffusion. It then exposes the important role played by commercial prospects and the “imaginaries” surrounding the commercial vehicle in the development of automobilism. Finally, it argues the importance of considering the role of both the small firm and the agent and dealer in the development of automobile technology and automobilism in general. Overall this thesis can be used as a case study for the way in which sociotechnological systems develop, in this case described as “automobilism”. It also shows how regional experiences both in design, use, promotion and resistance shape these systems

Data Platforms and Cities

This section offers a series of joint reflections on (open) data platform from a variety of cases, from cycling, traffic and mapping to activism, environment and data brokering. Data platforms play a key role in contemporary urban governance. Linked to open data initiatives, such platforms are often proposed as both mechanisms for enhancing the accountability of administrations and performing as sites for 'bottom-up' digital invention. Such promises of smooth flows of data, however, rarely materialise unproblematically. The development of data platforms is always situated in legal and administrative cultures, databases are often built according to the standards of existing digital ecologies, access always involves processes of social negotiation, and interfaces (such as sensors) may become objects of public contestation. The following contributions explore the contested and mutable character of open data platforms as part of heterogeneous publics and trace the pathways of data through different knowledge, skills, public and private configurations. They also reflect on the value of STS approaches to highlight issues and tensions as well as to shape design and governance

An inquiry into changes in everyday bicycling cultures: the case of Johannesburg in conversation with Amsterdam, Beijing and Chicago

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Johannesburg October 2017This thesis examines shifts in the everyday use of bicycles in the different contexts that are the subject of this study. In doing so it explores how associated symbolic meanings are produced and reproduced and shape everyday cycling. While many studies have shown how meanings and other cultural attributes influence cycling, there has been insufficient focus into their formation in the cycling literature leading to calls for greater understanding into their formation. Other studies shedding light into production processes reside in different scholarly traditions, limiting the possibility of interdisciplinary learning. Understanding how meanings are produced and the role of context in particular, responds to queries in the cycling literature. It can also support context sensitive policy solutions to promote bicycling for transport. To explore these questions and objectives, a historical comparative study into the changing use of bicycles for everyday purposes in Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Beijing and Chicago is undertaken. Using a framework of analysis from transitions theory, the thesis argues that meanings emerge and change through a dynamic interrelated process involving actor activities in building or unravelling a bicycling socio-technical system and alternative ground transport solutions, contextual characteristics and associated changes, and cycling experiences. In these processes, (in)equalities in social relations resident in contexts play an important role in the production of meaning. Moreover, as meanings emerge, they do so together with user practices, technology, infrastructures, social norms, and other elements that constitute transport systems. Since there are multiple co-interacting factors that produce meanings about bicycling, policy efforts could with advantage pay attention to these and in particular how they assume specificities in contexts. The thesis also breaks ground by offering a novel empirical history of everyday cycling in Johannesburg.XL201

The Future for Fixing

This concluding chapter of _Techno-Fixers: Origins and Implications of Technological Faith_ examines the widespread overconfidence in present-day and proposed 'technological fixes', and provides guidelines - social, ethical and technical - for soberly assessing candidate technological solutions for societal problems

Formation and Development of Cultural Competence by Increasing Access to Material Forms of Historical and Art-History Heritage

The formation of the practical competence of the cultural cycle is determined, first of all, by the formation of access to the fund of material and non-material forms of art, which makes it possible to expand the possibilities of an individual to increase his cultural level. The relevance of the study is determined primarily by the fact that each individual must not only carry out his practical activities but also form an understanding of the meaning of cultural studies in his mind. In this regard, and in the context of overcoming crisis phenomena in the economy, turning to non-material forms becomes a priority task for bearers. The novelty of the research is determined by the possibilities of increasing access to cultural products, while the importance of access is determined not only by high culture. The authors show that the ability to access forms of mass culture also matters. It is shown that one of the possibilities of access to popular culture is to increase the level of distribution of library access. Using the example of countries that declare their commitment to raising the cultural level of the population, the necessity for the development of digital educational resources is shown. The practical significance of the study is determined by the possibilities of widely involving the population in the processes of digitalisation of information carriers about art and, on the basis of this, about the formation of general cultural competence in society as a whole

Fast forward: technography of the social integration of connected and automated vehicles into UK society

The emerging connected and automated vehicles (CAV) have caught much research attention in the past few years. However, a techno-centric bias in the CAV research domain implies the lack of in-depth qualitative studies. To fill the gap, this Ph.D. project bridges the fields of Social Anthropology with STS by adopting technography, an ethnography of technology, to enable a thick description of the CAV technology’s social integration into UK society. By critically drawing a holistic view of the ongoing process of the CAV social deployment, it aims to (1) unfold CAV’s potential problems and dynamic contributions to everyday life through the lens of sociotechnical imaginaries, and (2) reveal and analyse the institutional practice on its social rollout. Based on pilot research and one-year-long fieldwork in London and Edinburgh, the thesis investigated a wide range of important socio-political aspects where fundamental topics such as trust, human-and-machine relationship, social safety, political transparency, and equity in transport systems were explicated. Different from the planners’ top-down CAV imaginaries that focused on its contribution to functional safety, environment, and the economy, the public’s bottom-up imaginaries highlighted issues that were related to their travelling experiences, such as inequity of transport service distribution and sexual harassment during commutes. These findings inspired thinking and rethinking on what constitutes the success of technology’s social deployment from multiple perspectives. In particular, it critically pointed out that safety means not only technological feasibility but also social safety that refers to a safe commuting environments. Such finding in my thesis thus suggests that CAV technology is not a one-size-fits-all solution to problems in our transport system and calls for research effort to the broader socio-political and ethical areas of this technology. through an investigation of the institutional practice, it identified four major institutional forces, including technicians, industry stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers who have been working on these aspects with different approaches and priorities. Apart from acknowledging their efforts in building safety cases, pushing forward the CAV legislation, and engaging the public in trials, it critically explained challenges such as technical uncertainty and political tension in developing and implementing a legal framework. Hence, the project contributes to an understanding of a close encounter between the CAV technology and its imaginaries, in which, technical and socio-political problems and potentials fabricate the richness in its social deployment. It also explicates the importance of embracing multiple perspectives and calls for continuous research in this field