Interventions for an inclusive energy transition in Amsterdam Zuidoost

Interventions for an inclusive energy transition in Amsterdam Zuidoost: An ethnographic research on inclusivity of the LIFE project

van Gent, Alisa (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment; AMS Institute)

van Vliet, Bas (mentor)
Singh, A. (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering (MADE)

LIFE

2022-07-06

In order to overcome the existential threat of climate change the energy transition is needed. The energy transition has multiple challenges, one of them being that it risks increasing inequality. This challenge also occurs in Amsterdam Zuidoost. In Amsterdam Zuidoost almost one out of five households lives already in energy poverty, which risks to increase due to the energy transition. The LIFE project, located in Amsterdam Zuidoost, aims to reduce energy poverty and contribute to the transition towards clean energy. LIFE is an acronym for Local Inclusive Future Energy. The aim of the project is to stimulate smart energy use which enables flexibility of the local energy system. To ensure meaningful interaction between future users and the design of the project, this research aims to develop a framework that presents the conditions for interventions that contribute to a more inclusive energy transition in Amsterdam Zuidoost. For this research, inclusivity is conceptualised as the active involvement of citizens in the energy transition. This means that an open door policy is not enough, inclusion is a reflexive process in which the competences and desires of the excluded are put at the centre. The data collection method consisted of an exploration of the literature, ethnographic research in Amsterdam Zuidoost and an analysis of transcripts of interviews with key-informants. This led to a framework consisting of nine conditions for interventions for an inclusive energy transition. The established conditions are the following agency, identification of the community, skill development, multi-objectivity, the need for safety, communication methods, practical examples, lightheartedness and youth. These conditions were found to emphasise, ensure or stimulate the inclusivity of the interventions for the energy transition. The different conditions are heavily interlinked and are able to stimulate each other. Intentional participatory observations led to the suggestion of interventions that align with the found conditions. Some suggested interventions are a pop-up park, energy desk, training on how to save energy, heat photos, smart meters and energy classes at schools. These suggested interventions meet some of the conditions of the established framework, and therefore aim to contribute to a more inclusive energy transition in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Finally it is recommended to evaluate the outcome of the different intervention and compare those for further steps. Also investigating if the framework is applicable to other neighbourhoods or other types of transition might be of value.

Inclusivity
inclusion
energy
energy transition
Intervention

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b6f62dba-3c7b-401b-8e84-b4220e68a9fb

Student theses

master thesis

© 2022 Alisa van Gent