Enhancing urban heat grid development through improved communication
Exploring communication strategies for better technology adoption among tenants in social housing
S. Gitzels (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
E Mlecnik – Mentor (TU Delft - Real Estate Management)
Queena K. Qian – Mentor (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)
Y. Li – Mentor (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)
M. van Dorst – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Urbanism)
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Abstract
The international agreed upon UN COP21 Paris Agreement argues the urgent need of a shift in greenhouse gas emissions. This has been one of the reasons for the Dutch government to establish goals that comply with these agreements. One approach that is being used is the implementation of heat grids. Literature shows the importance of acceptance from tenants, but fails to provide information regarding the effects of communication strategies on the willingness to adopt heat grids. This research explores the current willingness and openness of tenants to adopt new technologies and its barriers to this, as well as the influence of the role of involved stakeholders and its communication strategies. The main research question therefore is: ‘How can actively involved stakeholders enhance communication to improve the adoption of heat grids among housing association tenants?’ The current gap will be researched through an explorative qualitative study, using literature, (intercept-) interviews, and case studies to identify the key problems. The findings show that a well-tailored narrative, aligned by the views of all stakeholders, helps to lower the social, behavioral and economic barriers related to heat grid adoption, where establishment of trust between tenants and organizations should be the principle for the communication strategy. This research contributes to the already existing literature by providing new insights in organizational barriers among the engaged stakeholders, as well as how certain communication strategies can be enhanced to create a successful project and helps in achieving energy transition goals.