Solar Cities in Europe: a material semiotic analysis of innovation in urban photovoltaics

This thesis explores the gradual and by no means unproblematic emergence of solar photovoltaic technologies (PV) in European cities. It is a qualitative study of innovation in urban PV across three European cities: Barcelona (Spain), London (UK) and Paris (France) which draws on documentary evidence and interview data with a broad range of urban professionals engaged in implementing the technology. The thesis interrogates current understandings of how ‘green’ technologies such as PV are thought to bring about ‘sustainable’ transformations by ‘breaking through’ from the margins into mainstream society. Several innovation studies frameworks are assessed in terms of their merits and shortcomings for understanding innovation in urban PV. It is argued that extant literatures succinctly frame innovation as an interplay between that which is ‘novel’ and that which is ‘in place’, however, that they fail to address three issues that are critical for understanding how new technologies may emerge and transform: the multiplicity and heterogeneity of actors and their means for contesting ‘sustainable’ (or other) transformations, the complex spatio-temporality of ‘barriers’ to innovation, and the ways in which technologies gather humans, materials and spaces into new, potentially more ‘sustainable’ constellations. The thesis develops ‘material semiotics’ as a conceptual foundation and methodology for understanding innovation. Material semiotics provides powerful analytical sensibilities that enable the thesis to radically re-imagine the objects, processes and places involved in innovation. Through understanding innovation as characterised by attempts to bring forth into the present aspirations for alternative futures, urban PV is understood as simultaneously a vehicle for, as well as an outcome of, sustainable transformation. Its entanglement in a myriad of social, material, spatial and temporal relations is shown to engender a geography of ‘sustainable’ innovation that is much more partial and imperfect than current understandings suggest

Current trends and innovations affecting the potential for a widespread adoption of electric buses - A comparative case study of 22 cities in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe

Electric buses have environmental, economic, and health benefits, which many cities want to achieve by transitioning their fleets. However, the actual worldwide electric bus adoption is geographically uneven and limited in scale, and few studies analyzed what factors can potentially shape a wider adoption. The paper is based on real world experiences, and applies a comparative multi-case study to 22 cities in 14 countries. A common framework is used for analysis, which includes non-reimbursable funds, investment capital, and legal arrangements. Results show that four key factors are shaping the widespread adoption of electric buses. Firstly, public and private grants, which, when dedicated to cleaning the fleet, appears as a strong factor underpinning existing clean bus systems. Secondly, less costly sources of financing can reduce financial risks and enable more adoption, and it is where innovation can happen. Also, innovative ways of structuring contractual implementation effectively connect stakeholders and involve third-party players, which leads to shared and mitigated risks, increased efficiency and improved performance. In addition, some other elements outside of the business model framework also prove to be enabling the adoption of electric buses

Low-carbon Transitions and the Reconfiguration of Urban Infrastructure

Over the past decade, a growing body of research has examined the role of cities in addressing climate change and the institutional and political challenges which they encounter. For the most part, in these accounts, the infrastructure networks, their material fabric, everyday practices and political economies, have remained unexamined. In this paper, it is argued that this is a critical omission and an approach is developed for understanding how urban responses to climate change both configure and are configured by infrastructure networks. Central to any such analysis is the conception of how and why (urban) infrastructure networks undergo change. Focusing on urban energy networks and on the case of London, the paper argues for an analysis of the ‘urban infrastructure regimes’ and ‘experiments’ through which climate change is governed. It is found that climate change experiments serve as a means through which dominant actors articulate and test new ‘low-carbon’ logics for urban infrastructure development. It is argued that experiments work by establishing new circuits, configuring actors in new sets of relations and through these means realising the potential for addressing climate change in the city. At the same time, experiments become sites of conflict, a means through which new forms of urban circulation can be confined and marginalised, leaving dominant energy regimes (relatively) intact

Measuring the work environment among healthcare professionals:Validation of the Dutch version of the Culture of Care Barometer

Objectives A positive work environment (WE) is paramount for healthcare employees to provide good quality care. To stimulate a positive work environment, employees’ perceptions of the work environment need to be assessed. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the Culture of Care Barometer (CoCB-NL) survey in hospitals. Methods This longitudinal validation study explored content validity, structural validity, internal consistency, hypothesis testing for construct validity, and responsiveness. The study was conducted at seven departments in two Dutch university hospitals. The departments were included based on their managers’ motivation to better understand their employees’ perception of their WE. All employees of participating departments were invited to complete the survey (n = 1,730). Results The response rate was 63.2%. The content of the CoCB-NL was considered relevant and accessible by the respondents. Two factor models were found. First, confirmative factor analysis of the original four-factor structure showed an acceptable fit (X2 2006.49; df 399; p = &lt;0.001; comparative fit index [CFI] 0.82; Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] 0.80; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] 0.09). Second, explanatory factor analysis revealed a five-factor model including ‘organizational support’, ‘leadership’, ‘collegiality and teamwork’, ‘relationship with manager’, and ‘employee influence and development’. This model was confirmed and showed a better fit (X2 1552.93; df 395; p = &lt; 0.00; CFI 0.87; TLI 0.86; RMSEA 0.07). Twelve out of eighteen hypotheses were confirmed. Responsiveness was assumed between the measurements. Conclusions The CoCB-NL is a valid and reliable instrument for identifying areas needing improvement in the WE. Furthermore, the CoCB-NL appears to be responsive and therefore useful for longitudinal evaluations of healthcare employees’ work environments.</p