Cheryl de Boer

An Interactive Planning Support Tool for Addressing Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Projects in The Netherlands

The implementation of renewable energy policies is lagging behind in The Netherlands. While several Dutch cities have ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the implementation of renewable energy projects has been rather slow. The main reasons for this are the limited institutional capacities of local decision-makers, low levels of social acceptance of renewable-energy technologies, and limited opportunities for engagement of communities in decision-making processes. In order to address these issues we have developed an interactive planning support tool named COLLAGE for stakeholder participation in local renewable-energy planning. The goal of this paper is to analyze whether the COLLAGE tool helps to increase community engagement in renewable-energy projects and planning by increasing awareness and addressing social learning issues related to renewable-energy options. We tested the tool in a series of workshops with stakeholders and citizens from the city of Enschede, The Netherlands. The workshop results show that the tool helped involve stakeholders and communities in deciding where to locate renewable-energy facilities. It increased community members’ awareness of the benefits of and requirements for renewable energy by disclosing the spatial consequences of overall municipal goals. We conclude that the COLLAGE tool can be an important building block towards new local energy governance.

New strategies for implementing locally integrated stream restoration projects

Flooding risks in the Netherlands have been a high priority for decades because of its high population density, proximity to the North Sea, and extensive use of land reclamation techniques. With confounding factors such as climate and land-use changes, the Dutch water boards, governments, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), local farmers, and private citizens are addressing the vulnerabilities related to increasing flood risks by improving the resilience of the natural and social systems. Based on an existing framework of important governance regime characteristics, we explore how local groups work toward a more sustainable situation by producing synergetic win-win situations, constructive and cooperative planning and implementation, and the development of a high level of trust.

Water resource co-management and sustainable regional development

Purpose - – Given the importance of multi-stakeholder processes in managing water resources, this paper aims to shed light on various project management strategies being used in The Netherlands to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing multifunctional water projects. Design/methodology/approach - – Using two sub-projects of the restoration of the Regge River as a case study, ten strategies used by project managers are uncovered through interviewing involved actors and analysing the results according to contextual interaction theory. Findings - – These strategies support local sustainable development through the overlapping of various local goals of different stakeholders and reducing risk of failed projects. Co-management can thus be used as a strategic way to achieve goal alignment, increased information and resources and trust. Originality/value - – Given the pressures related to adaptation for climate change, these lessons can be used to support increasing both the natural buffering capacity of river resources in a way that also improve the economic and social values associated with the river basins.

Towards circular economy – a wastewater treatment perspective, the Presa Guadalupe case

Purpose In Mexico, only 19.3 per cent of industrial water is treated (Green-Peace, 2014, pp. 3-4), whereas municipal treatment levels are approximately 50 per cent (CONAGUA, 2014a). This paper aims to focus on how the wastewater treatment plant policy, from a circular economy perspective, is affected by the governance context at the Presa Guadalupe sub-basin. Circular economy can contribute to water innovations that help in improving water quality. However, such benefits are not easily achieved. This case provides an example of the complexity and challenges that the implementation of a circular economy model can face. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected via semi-structured in-depth interviews with the stakeholders that are members of the Presa Guadalupe Commission. The contextual interaction theory (CIT) is the theoretical basis for this analysis (Boer de and Bressers, 2011; Bressers, 2009). Findings The findings show that the wastewater treatment plant policy plays an important role in a circular economy model. Some incentives towards a circular economy model are already in place; however, the hurdles of a top-down implementation perspective, low availability of resources, prioritisation of short-term results, lack of enforcement of the “polluter pays” principle and a linear model of water systems need to be overcome. If Mexico wants to move towards a circular economy model and if the government wants to enforce sustainable development principles, wastewater treatment is a challenge that must be addressed. Originality/value There are few studies in the circular economy literature that have analysed its implementation under a governance arrangement perspective.

A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Representation of Policy Implementation Processes in a Multi-Actor World

Implementation of any policy involves negotiation between multiple actors, and is therefore susceptible to a dynamic systems modelling approach. In this paper, we make an attempt to develop a family of dynamic systems models of policy implementation in such a multi-actor world by translating an existing, semi-quantitative, application of two theoretical approaches, Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT) and Participatory Action Research (PAR), into a quantitative dynamic framework. We explore various alternative actor-based dynamic systems for this proposed Participatory Contextual Interaction Theory (PCIT), including linear, piecewise linear, and strongly nonlinear models. Analytical results are supplemented with results of numerical simulations. One of the goals of the modelling exercise is to advance the actor dynamics module in the APoLUS land use cellular automata model; illustrative examples of the incorporation of actor dynamics models developed in the present paper into the computation of APoLUS transition potentials are provided.

The Governance Context of Drought Policy and Pilot Measures for the Arzal Dam and Reservoir, Vilaine Catchment, Brittany, France

This chapter presents an analysis of the drought adaptation governance of the Vilaine catchment in the Brittany region in France and, more specifically, of the Arzal dam and reservoir located at the outlet of the river. Accordingly, the analysis focuses on the lower part of the Vilaine catchment, where two pilot studies were conducted during the DROP project.

Drought awareness through agricultural policy : multi-level action in Salland, The Netherlands

This chapter focuses on the Salland region of the Netherlands and presents our analysis regarding the role of governance context on the new irrigation policy of the Water Authority of Groot Salland (Waterschap Groot Salland—WGS). The irrigation policy was adopted in early 2013 by the five water authorities in the eastern Netherlands. Given the drought conditions in this region, the policy is concerned with finding a balance between the use of groundwater and surface water by farmers and the water needs of vulnerable nature areas.

Governing for drought and water scarcity in the context of flood disaster recovery : the curious case of Somerset, United Kingdom

Historically, flooding has dominated the physical and political landscape of Somerset—particularly over the winter of 2013/2014 when a devastating and high profile flood hit the region. However, the area is also sensitive to drought and water scarcity (DW the extent of the relationships and capacities that were increasingly being built to deal with policies and on-the-ground measures for DW and the increasing visibility of the issue of D&WS for the region after a period of extended dryness. The implications for drought governance in the context of flooding recovery are also discussed, particularly engaging with critical geographical literatures on the emotional and political work underpinning water management in the region, and how such processes are underpinned by broader meta-governance failures in the English water sector.

The Utility Optimization of Science & Technology Information in the Context of Knowledge Supply Chain

On the basis of the characteristics of knowledge supply chain (KSC) operation, this paper analyzed the circulation process of knowledge connoted, and constructed a description structural model of KSC on the basis of knowledge value realization. from the aspects of knowledge diffusion, information increment and knowledge innovation, explored the optimization process of the flow, transmission, diffusion, and utility optimization of science & technology (S&T) information in the context of KSC.