Designing radical transitions: a plea for a new governance culture to empower deep transformative change

Abstract

This explorative paper introduces the idea of radical transitions as a necessary starting point for policy and governance. The urgency to achieve transformative change facing climate change and biodiversity loss is now broadly shared, but the dominant policy and market logics of innovation, optimization and risk management persist. In for example the urban mobility transition, we do see a technological shift towards electric mobility but not automatically a deeper cultural, spatial and behavioral shift towards cities in which as less vehicles and space are used to provide as much and as affordable mobility to all. We see a similar pattern in the built environment and food systems: the logics of policy and markets dictate optimization through (technological) innovation, while already for decades more radical alternatives have been developing and maturing locally worldwide. In this paper we explore how the basic principles and approach of transition management can be enriched with insights and methods from design to help institutionalize and mainstream the more radical alternatives.

Envisioning desirable futures in small-scale fisheries: a transdisciplinary arts-based co-creation process

“…transformative spaces. Arts-based creative practices also enhance understanding through making with our hands (Langley et al 2018); they enable the integration of diverse types of knowledge (Tengö et al 2014, Delgado and Rist 2016, Leavy 2020, Chambers et al 2021, and allow participants to explore what needs to be created and dismantled (Hyysalo et al 2019, Fry andTlostanova 2020). Moreover, collective visions can lead to alignment in terms of values and goals, necessary for systems-level transformation (Bui et al 2016, Öztekin andGaziulusoy 2021).…”

Negotiating discord in sustainability transformations

“…A steering bias is evident in pronouncements about the ability or necessity to steer overall societal systems toward a particular “direction” ( 32 , 52 ). This bias can overstate the level of control that policymakers and other actors have over complex problems ( 14 , 53 – 55 ). While steering is often presented as well-intentioned, its feasibility and adverse consequences are often neglected.…”

“…The notion of leverage points, where interventions can be strategically applied to gain deeper traction ( 70 , 71 ) and policy mixes that combine multiple policies to overcome limitations of individual policies ( 72 ) reflect a desire for efficiently targeted policy action. While these approaches can be valuable, the emphasis on broad diagnostic heuristics may create a misleading perception of the actual capacity of real-world actors to intervene at the specified location or level and to realize the intended impacts ( 55 ). For example, identifying leverage points heuristically does not guarantee the feasibility of taking action at those points or ensure that the desired effects will be realized ( 70 ).…”

“…Last, an additive bias is evident in policy discussions that emphasize innovation and scaling as the primary means of realizing transformation ( 74 – 76 ). This perspective can create the perception of win–win solutions that overlooks the challenging task of dismantling unsustainable aspects of existing systems, such as infrastructure, policies, and political economic arrangements ( 55 , 77 ). In the context of decarbonizing industrial economies, it is necessary to phase out fossil fuel technologies, subsidies, and consumption practices.…”

Everyday sustainability transitions through using green buildings: Spatial perspectives on materialities, discourses, and lived sustainabilities

“…Member states like Sweden and Germany have since pledged to become climate neutral by 2045, Austria by 2040, and Finland by 2035. To reach these net-zero targets, a "deep transition" (Schot and Kanger, 2018) or even a "radical transition" (Loorbach, 2022) is needed, involving significant institutional, structural, and social changes across all sectors and aspects of life simultaneously. Through its high share of energy use and carbon emissions, the building sector is seen as central to achieving these goals.…”