‘Crossing multiple solar energy gaps: A Dutch case study on intermediation for building-integrated photovoltaics’

Het artikel geeft inzicht in welke knelpunten er nog zijn in het besluitvormingsproces van huiseigenaren over BIPV, en hoe bemiddeling (intermediation) door formele en informele partijen, zoals de overheid, BIPVNL, architecten, consultants, energy coaches, maar ook vrienden en familie in het sociaal netwerk van huiseigenaren, kunnen bijdragen in de versnelling van de opschaling van BIPV […]

Urban Living Labs and Transformative Changes

Urban Living Labs have become a popular instrument to find solutions to a current pressing
challenge that cities face: How can they combine economic prosperity, social cohesion, and
environmental sustainability all at the same time? While the normalisation of Urban Living Labs in cities
is well evident, a lack of understanding in the nature and purpose of the empirical phenomenon leaves
open many challenges yet to be overcome. One particular challenge is about their potential impact to
contribute to transformative changes beyond their initial domain. By combining a historical literature
review with a comparative case study to three Urban Living Labs in the city of Groningen, the
Netherlands, this study explores how the triadic relationship between stakeholder roles, funding
options and outcomes generated influences the impact creation of Urban Living Labs. Comparison
between theoretical models and empirical experiences hint that opportunity lies within trust building
between urban stakeholders in Urban Living Labs in order to contribute to urban sustainability. The
study confirms and adds to current theoretical positions taken about how to overcome issues
regarding impact creation; a call for a shared ideology and reviewing the concept of power. Also, it
shows five ways to start trust building in Urban Living Labs: redesigning funding programs, political
empowerment of initiators, the level of abstract as facilitator in collaboration, search for new ways to
access effectiveness, and a clarification of the concept itself.