Coordination of Industrial Symbiosis through Anchoring

This paper aims to contribute to understanding the dynamics of industrial symbiosis. More specifically, we focus on the dynamics of anchoring as they can be observed in the Chinese context of eco-industrial development. We define anchoring as those activities that (typically local) actors perform to create local physical and institutional conditions conducive to the emergence and further development of industrial symbiosis in a specific regional industrial system. We argue that, in the study of industrial symbiosis dynamics, it is conceptually more useful to focus on anchoring as an activity, rather than anchor tenants as actors. Based on a systematic literature review, we distinguish two types of anchoring activities: institutional and physical. We analyze anchoring dynamics in the case of Qijiang Industrial Symbiosis (Chongqing Municipality) in China. We have identified the physical and institutional anchoring activities, the actors responsible for these activities, and how different anchoring activities build on each other over time. Our case study shows that the attempt to bring about industrial symbiosis in the Qijiang industrial park can be described in a richer way than just ‘governmental planning’

Understanding Value Change in the Energy Transition: Exploring the Perspective of Original Institutional Economics

In this paper, we take inspiration from original institutional economics (OIE) as an approach to study value change within the highly complex assembly of sociotechnical transformations that make up the energy transition. OIE is examined here as a suitable perspective, as it combines Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy and a methodological interactionist perspective on value change, behavior and institutions, with technology figuring as a transformational factor. This combination overcomes conceptual and methodological shortcomings of alternative accounts of values. We will present the contours of an OIE based conceptual framework connecting nature, humans, technology, the economic process, society, culture and institutions and habits, valuation and behavior. We illustrate how to use this framework to examine and understand how environmental, ecologic, safety, economic, and social concerns about the energy transition are (re)framed as (new) values in the belief systems and habits of individuals and groups. Moreover, we will explore how that may give rise to collective action, via the institutionalization of such revised values in the procedures, arrangements, norms and incentives guiding transactions. As such, this approach allows us in a fine-grained manner to conceptually and theoretically understand the way in which values change in the energy-transition, as a complex interaction of technology development and social relations.Economics of Technology and InnovationEthics & Philosophy of Technolog

Towards the integrated management of urban water systems: Conceptualizing integration and its uncertainties

Climate change and urbanization, as well as growing environmental and economic concerns, highlight the limitations of traditional wastewater practices and thereby challenge the management of urban water systems. Both in theory and in practice, it has been widely acknowledged that the challenges of the twenty-first century require solutions that address problems in a more integrated way. Although the demand for integration is obvious, implementation has proved challenging because of the complexity and uncertainty involved. In addition, the urban water literature contains a wide diversity of approaches to integration, each contribution having its own understanding of the term, as well as how to deal with the complexity that comes with it. In this article, we take a first step in supporting both decision-making and decision-makers in urban water systems integration. First, we work towards a more comprehensive perspective on integration in urban water management; one that uses and structures the variety of existing approaches. In so doing, we introduce a typology of urban water systems integration that distinguishes between geographical, physical, informational, and project-based forms. Second, we explore the implications that such integrated solutions bring for decision-makers. They will be faced with additional uncertainty arising (1) at the interfaces of previously unconnected systems and (2) from the social and institutional changes that systems integration requires. Finally, we draft three decision-making challenges that come with integration and provide some possibilities for dealing with them.</p

Q methodology to select participants for a stakeholder dialogue on energy options from biomass in the Netherlands

Stakeholder dialogues are proposed as a method for assessing complex ecological and environmental problems. Stakeholder dialogues aim to enhance mutual learning by generating and evaluating divergent knowledge claims and viewpoints, i.e. problem structuring. Problem structuring requires that the diversity of perspectives is represented in the dialogue. We argue therefore that stakeholder dialogues should involve procedures for stakeholder selection that allow for the identification of the diversity of perspectives as well as of stakeholders identifying with those perspectives. We explore the use of Q methodology as a tool for pursuing this goal. Q methodology can be used to uncover perspectives that exist within a particular (policy) field. We applied Q methodology to a stakeholder dialogue on energy options from biomass in the Netherlands to identify stakeholder perspectives on energy from biomass and to select stakeholders for the dialogue. In order to discuss the use of Q methodology for stakeholder selection, we compare this stakeholder selection with a hypothetical selection based on actor type (NGOs, knowledge institutes, industry, etcetera). Our analysis shows that, although often implicitly assumed, actor type is not a good proxy for perspective: the actor types appeared to be heterogeneous in terms of perspectives. This means that a stakeholder selection procedure based on perspectives will very likely result in a different group composition than a selection based on affiliation or actor type. The analysis however also shows that some actor types were more heterogeneous than others and that some perspectives are dominated by particular actor types. We conclude that Q methodology is a useful method for stakeholder selection in stakeholder dialogues and wrap up with a discussion of the results and the implications for the design and preparation of a dialogue process.Biomass Deliberation Participation Stakeholder dialogue Stakeholder selection Q methodology

The role of integration for future urban water systems: Identifying Dutch urban water practitioners' perspectives using Q methodology

Urban water systems are under increased pressure from ongoing developments like climate change, population growth and urbanization. While it is clear that current urban water challenges need a more integrated approach, practitioners disagree on what such an integrated approach means exactly. Integration could therefore be described as a wicked problem, with practitioners having different understandings of integration, as well as the opportunities and challenges they should focus on; e.g., climate adaptation, resource recovery or collective replacement. This lack of consensus challenges decision-making, and thus the implementation of integration. To foster urban water systems integration, this study uses Q methodology to explore the different perspectives that Dutch urban water practitioners have on integration for future urban water systems. Our analysis reveals four salient perspectives: perspective 1 sees coordination as a means to make the system future-proof, perspective 2 focuses on climate adaptation, perspective 3 aims for recovery, and perspective 4 is all about efficiency and being in control. While all perspectives acknowledge that traditional urban water practices need to change, they differ on which sustainability challenges are considered most important and what means should be used. Practitioners need to understand these differences to deal effectively with the wicked nature of integration.Sanitary Engineerin

Contested Technologies and Design for Values: The Case of Shale Gas

The introduction of new energy technologies may lead to public resistance and contestation. It is often argued that this phenomenon is caused by an inadequate inclusion of relevant public values in the design of technology. In this paper we examine the applicability of the value sensitive design (VSD) approach. While VSD was primarily introduced for incorporating values in technological design, our focus in this paper is expanded towards the design of the institutions surrounding these technologies, as well as the design of stakeholder participation. One important methodological challenge of VSD is to identify the relevant values related to new technological developments. In this paper, we argue that the public debate can form a rich source from which to retrieve the values at stake. To demonstrate this, we have examined the arguments used in the public debate regarding the exploration and exploitation of shale gas in the Netherlands. We identified two important sets of the underlying values, namely substantive and procedural values. This paper concludes with two key findings. Firstly, contrary to what is often suggested in the literature, both proponents and opponents seem to endorse the same values. Secondly, contestation seems to arise in the precise operationalization of these values among the different stakeholders. In other words, contestation in the Dutch shale gas debate does not arise from inter-value conflict but rather from intra-value conflicts. This multi-interpretability should be incorporated in VSD processes

Industrial Symbiosis : towards a design process for eco-industrial clusters by integrating Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology perspectives

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a collective approach to competitive advantage in which separate industries create a cooperative network to exchange materials, energy, water and/or by-products. By addressing issues related to resource depletion, waste management and pollution, IS plays an important role in the transition towards sustainable development. In the literature, two conceptual perspectives on IS can be identified: the Industrial Ecology (IE) and the Circular Economy (CE) perspective. Despite the recognition of these two perspectives, their relationship remains unclear and explicit attempts to develop an integrated perspective have not been made yet. Consequently, the goal of this research is to highlight and start addressing this critical gap of knowledge in order to support future research and practice geared towards the design of new IS clusters. We pose the following research question: How can the IE and CE perspectives on IS be combined in order to support the design of IS clusters? To this end, we first investigate the two perspectives more in depth and compare them in terms of nature, features and relevance for the study of IS. This is done by applying them as conceptual lenses for the analysis of the same case study, an existing IS cluster. The comparative analysis provides insights into how the two perspectives differ, ultimately demonstrating that they are complimentary and both necessary to fully describe an IS cluster. While the CE perspective is more suitable to explain how a cluster functions from a business standpoint in the operating phase, the IE perspective is more suitable to explain its development over time and its impacts on the environment, the economy and society. Building upon the outcomes of the comparative analysis, we leverage on the discipline of Strategic Design and integrate the two perspectives into a process for designing new IS clusters. We suggest two directions for future research. First, improving our comparative analysis of the two perspectives by looking at a wider sample of IS clusters of different sizes and in different contexts. Second, focusing with more specificity on the issue of how IS clusters can be designed, potentially by trying to apply the process we propose on a real case aimed at designing a new IS cluster

Participatory repertoires for aligning policy and society : An analysis of Dutch stakeholder views on deep geothermal energy

In a transition to a sustainable energy system, governmental actors initiate participatory processes to gain better insights in questions and concerns of stakeholders, or to create support for decisions. Those participatory activities are embedded in institutionalized and formal decision making procedures. Participatory approaches promise to function as alignment mechanisms between those policies and society. The aim of this paper is to contribute to more successful alignment mechanisms. Based on a thematic analysis of 18 interviews and approximately one hundred policy documents, we relate stakeholders' uncertainties about ultra-deep geothermal energy to their preferred modes of participation. These stakeholders were (in)directly involved in the Dutch Green Deal program, in this case the Green Deal Geothermal Energy in the province North Brabant. Based on the analysis, we identify four participatory storylines and develop a more systemic view on different participatory activities: ‘participatory repertoires’. We conclude that unproductive power-politics between different political-administrative levels, and emerging local and wider publics that hamper alignments, may be prevented. This can be done by prioritizing societal dialogue on normative uncertainties in a range of combinations with local dialogue on normative, conceptual uncertainties, and with national or local joint fact finding on informational uncertainties

Functional diversity in circular building projects: A novel perspective to study actors, roles and circular results

Construction sectors have a long way to go to realize a circular economy. Many organizational barriers and institutional characteristics inhibit the sector’s transition to circular practices. Nevertheless, within this early phase of the transition, several building projects were realized. This research aims to learn from these frontrunners, in order to distill insights on how to improve conditions at project level. Drawing on ecological systems metaphor, circular building projects in this research are regarded as a system of multiple actors that each perform one or multiple functions: these functions together make up the functional diversity of circular building project. The sum of these functions produces a system service (i.e. circular building elements). Using this perspective to analyze four circular cases, we uncovered five functions that are crucial to realize circular buildings: 1) connecting though vision; 2) matching supply and demand; 3) providing used materials; 4) constructing circular building elements and 5) controlling safety and quality. The functional diversity perspective reveals that functions are to large extent interchangeable between actors. Further applications of the functional diversity perspective could reveal its relevance to support the transition to a circular construction practice and possibly other transition themes.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Urban Development ManagementReal Estate Managemen

Towards the integrated management of urban water systems: Conceptualizing integration and its uncertainties

Climate change and urbanization, as well as growing environmental and economic concerns, highlight the limitations of traditional wastewater practices and thereby challenge the management of urban water systems. Both in theory and in practice, it has been widely acknowledged that the challenges of the twenty-first century require solutions that address problems in a more integrated way. Although the demand for integration is obvious, implementation has proved challenging because of the complexity and uncertainty involved. In addition, the urban water literature contains a wide diversity of approaches to integration, each contribution having its own understanding of the term, as well as how to deal with the complexity that comes with it. In this article, we take a first step in supporting both decision-making and decision-makers in urban water systems integration. First, we work towards a more comprehensive perspective on integration in urban water management; one that uses and structures the variety of existing approaches. In so doing, we introduce a typology of urban water systems integration that distinguishes between geographical, physical, informational, and project-based forms. Second, we explore the implications that such integrated solutions bring for decision-makers. They will be faced with additional uncertainty arising (1) at the interfaces of previously unconnected systems and (2) from the social and institutional changes that systems integration requires. Finally, we draft three decision-making challenges that come with integration and provide some possibilities for dealing with them.Sanitary EngineeringOrganisation and Governanc