The potential of collaborative governance for a just energy transition

A case study: The decarbonisation and demonopolisation of the energy system in the K-buurt

The Netherlands is on a mission to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with an ambitious 55% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. This significant transformation involves renovating millions of homes and buildings to replace gas-fuelled structures with energy-efficient, sustainable alternatives. A key focus is affordability and enhancing the quality of life for its citizens. Decentralisation has transferred the responsibility for the heat transition to municipalities, imposing them to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders on the energy transition, particularly through a neighbourhood-based approach. Amsterdam, at the forefront of this transition, is dedicated to building 7,500 new homes annually and becoming a climate-neutral, circular, and climate-adaptive city by 2050. The city aims to engage its citizens actively in this endeavour. In the diverse and socially complex district of Amsterdam Zuidoost, a commitment exists to achieve energy neutrality by 2040 through a social energy transition. The Energielab Zuidoost brings together stakeholders to accelerate this transition, with the K-buurt neighbourhood serving as a case study for this research. Municipalities in the Netherlands are at the forefront of the energy transition, tasked with accelerating the shift to renewable energy and achieving ambitious climate goals. However, they face a pressing issue of capacity constraints, including a lack of technical expertise, analytical resources, and financial support. This hampers their ability to effectively coordinate the complex energy transition, which encompasses renovating existing buildings, achieving housing development targets, and ensuring energy justice. An integrated approach that combines building development, energy systems, and infrastructure transformation is crucial. Energy justice, emphasising democratisation and the decentralisation of the energy system, plays a central role. The transition to a lower-carbon energy system is recognised as a complex endeavour that requires cooperation across governments, businesses, and civil society. Collaboration and participatory approaches are essential in navigating this complex and multifaceted energy transition. The research question at hand is, "How can a just energy transition be ensured with a local collective energy system in an underprivileged neighbourhood undergoing new development by employing collaborative governance?" This research provides guidelines for municipalities to promote energy justice and collaboration during the energy transition, focusing on the development of local collective energy systems in new construction and building renovations. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, dividing the process into three phases: Explore, Analyse, and Reflect. Data sources include interviews, policy documents, and spatial datasets. The analysis involves spatial, stakeholder, and policy analysis, and co-occurrence analysis using Atlas.TI. The methodology provides comprehensive insights into the socio-technical elements occurring in the current housing and energy system, development plans, and the concept of collaborative governance. Currently, stakeholders' views on energy justice differ, with academics, civil society, and local communities emphasising recognition justice, while the energy company, housing association, and municipality give it lower priority. A financial party notes the minimal investment considerations of social and environmental benefits. Community representatives and academia highlight the gap between community experiences and abstract challenges. Community leaders express frustration with the municipality favouring corporate interests over residents' well-being. The housing association prefers a top-down approach and the energy company prefers limited resident involvement during development to prevent delays. Effective future collaborative governance for energy justice initiatives requires a nuanced understanding of justice perspectives and the power dynamics at play. Stakeholders hold varying motivations and considerations regarding justice, and this diversity should be reflected in the collaborative process. Firstly, a shared understanding of justice should be negotiated collectively, with emphasis on the recognition and representation of residents, who especially face power imbalances in underprivileged neighbourhoods. Secondly, effective citizen participation goes beyond providing clear information; it necessitates bridging the gap between community experiences and abstract challenges through improved two-way communication. Building mutual trust and addressing conflicts are essential foundations for successful collaboration. Moreover, individual willingness and capacity to participate should be determined collaboratively with local communities, taking into account the contextual factors that influence their involvement. When reflecting on these theoretical concepts, a need for a collaborative model emerged, involving the government, the market, civil society organisations, and representation of citizens, who have mutual interdependencies, as shown in figure 1. However, in the context of an underprivileged neighbourhood, there also seems to be a strong need for an independent mediating entity that can: 1) bridge the complexity of the energy transition and the lived experiences from local communities, 2) take an initiating and coordinating role in local energy initiatives as a public non-governmental organization with a neutral independent position, and 3) lay the foundation for a professional collaboration among the above-mentioned parties, offering a solid basis for external financial support, thereby ensuring economic and sustainability goals and maintaining mutual interdependencies. Besides, the inclusion of knowledge institutions are needed to further living lab research on implementation of collaborative governance. Furthermore, forthcoming government policies that support public and local ownership offer a conducive environment, but significant government contributions may be necessary to empower municipalities in their journey towards decentralisation with local collective energy systems. The recommendations include financial support for mediating parties, institutional arrangements for setting sustainability criteria, the establishment of independent mediating entities, revisions to existing programs, and initiatives to build trust between communities and institutions. These recommendations aim to pave the way for a just and sustainable urban energy transition.