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Transitions are processes of major change and often come with conflict. There has been limited attention for the complex and multi-dimensional nature of conflict and its relation to transformative change. To capture this complexity, we use the case of ridesharing in Indonesia and the dynamics of conflict that accompany the emergence of digital innovations in mobility services. We use the notion of 'critical moments' to be able to deepen the analysis on particular short timespans during which conflicts are particularly visible. For an in-depth understanding of these critical moments we look at the discursive enactment and mobilize dramaturgical analysis. We argue that: (1) multi-dimensional conflict analysis could be beneficial for transition studies; (2) critical moments are promising units of analysis in transition studies when analysing conflictual dynamics. (3) examining the dramaturgy of politics provides a useful framework and shed new light on where and how conflict in transition takes place and how it plays out.

Transitions are processes of major change and often come with conflict. There has been limited attention for the complex and multi-dimensional nature of conflict and its relation to transformative change. To capture this complexity, we use the case of ridesharing in Indonesia and the dynamics of conflict that accompany the emergence of digital innovations in mobility services. We use the notion of 'critical moments' to be able to deepen the analysis on particular short timespans during which conflicts are particularly visible. For an in-depth understanding of these critical moments we look at the discursive enactment and mobilize dramaturgical analysis. We argue that: (1) multi-dimensional conflict analysis could be beneficial for transition studies; (2) critical moments are promising units of analysis in transition studies when analysing conflictual dynamics. (3) examining the dramaturgy of politics provides a useful framework and shed new light on where and how conflict in transition takes place and how it plays out.

"Das Thema der ökologischen Frage hat sich mittlerweile einen festen Platz in den Sozialwissenschaften erobert. Prominent dabei sind Versuche, die ökologische Frage durch Anwendung von Modernisierungstheorien zu konzeptualisieren (ökologische Modernisierung, reflexive Modernisierung). Der Vortrag versucht mittels einer diskursanalytischen Betrachtung die 'modernistischen' Konzeptualisierungen der ökologischen Frage unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rolle der Technik bzw. Technikpolitik zu deuten. Die modernisierungstheoretischen Ansätze teilen hier wenigstens zwei wesentliche Merkmale: (1) Die Definition der ökologischen Frage als institutionelle Krise, wobei die Erfahrung dieser Krise als Anlaß eines umfassenden Prozesses von sozialem Wandel interpretiert wird. (2) Die Lösungsstrategien orientieren sich allerdings vor allem an technologischen oder institutionellen Innovationen. Der Vortrag soll zeigen, daß (1) man anhand der Theorie der reflexiven Modernisierung zwar viele konzeptuelle Lücken in der Theorie der ökologischen Modernisierung aufdecken kann; daß aber (2) im Hinblick auf die Rolle der Technik weder die Theorie der ökologischen Modernisierung, noch die Theorie der reflexiven Modernisierung sich aus dem 'modernistischen' Diskurs zu befreien vermag. Es wird versucht, durch diskurs-theoretische Verfahren, die Black Box der Technik weiter zu öffnen. Ziel ist es dabei, den Beck'schen Gedanken einer realistischen Utopie gegen eine techno-institutionelle Normalisierung zu verteidigen." (Autorenreferat)

To provide for ever-growing populations, cities build new neighbourhoods, transform old industrial areas, and renew the existing urban fabric. The focus now is on energy-neutral neighbourhoods, but in order for these to work, residents must be engaged and the tactics embedded within a broader social policy. This book revisits the neighbourhood as the appropriate scale to build our urban futures: it is small enough to be tangible, large enough to make a difference. Introducing the concepts of neighbourhood arrangements and ecologies, it provides a new perspective on the relation between participants, resources, and rules to spark change and realise future sustainable living

This paper investigates how the teaching and learning about ?wicked? environmental problems may be fostered through an educational approach premised on futuring ? the active imagination of the future. The growing academic interest in possible and desirable futures provides a promising starting point for restructuring education as coupling knowledge to imagination and teaching to policy practice can open up new, experiential ways of learning. Empirically, this paper draws upon research on an experimental futuring course employing a ?mixed classroom? formula in which students and policy-makers learn together about sustainability challenges. Drawing on the notion of inquiry, this course is set up with the aim to foster a critical engagement with the ways futures are imagined in political debates and decision-making. Through complementary activities, the students were pushed to imagine possible futures around a central theme, the transition to a circular economy, in interaction with the policy-makers and other practitioners. This culminated in a ?Museum of the Future?. From our action-research-based investigation of the learning experiences in the course, we conclude that a futuring approach to teaching wicked problems results in a more active attitude of students towards the space in which wicked problems and solutions are collectively imagined and deliberated.

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) have gained a prominent role in the climate science-policy interface. The article reconstructs the evolution of IAMs and their changing role in this interface, investigating how and why IAMs have become so prominent. Based on literature analysis, quantitative document analysis and semi-structured interviews, we describe the historic evolution of the interactions between IAMs and policy-making between 1970 and 2015. We identify five historic phases in which IAMs played distinct mediating roles between science and policy, succeeding to adjust their scenario efforts to the continuously changing demands for knowledge from the policy community. In explaining the prominent role of IAMs, we differentiate between background conditions (material and sociological) and more contextual factors, most notably the flexible, hybrid and broad nature of IAMs as well as the pro-active character of the IAM community to enhance their policy relevance. We draw on the notion of institutional work to explain this success. In light of the urgency of responding to the climate crisis, we suggest that the IAM community may expand their scope of anticipated futures and consider engaging a wider range of publics and societal stakeholders beyond the science-policy interface.

Ooit namen wij risico's als behorend bij het bestaan. Natuurrampen, ongelukken, dodelijke ziekten - ze hoorden er nu eenmaal bij. Tegenwoordig eisen we een leven in volstrekte veiligheid: pech moet weg. God is vervangen door de verzekeringsmaatschappij. Overkomt ons onverhoeds toch een ramp, dan wijzen we bij voorkeur naar de overheid. Zij had ons moeten beschermen. Maar hoe zit het met de verantwoordelijkheid van de burgers zelf?. Rond dit actuele thema organiseerde het Nederlands Gesprek Centrum een serie spraakmakende bijeenkomsten. Leven in de risicosamenleving is daarvan de weerslag. In p

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have the potential to become a powerful political vision that can support the urgently needed global transition to a shared and lasting prosperity. In December 2014, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General published his report on the SDGs. However, the final goals and targets that will be adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 risk falling short of expectations because of what we call " cockpit-ism": the illusion that top-down steering by governments and intergovernmental organizations alone can address global problems. In view of the limited effectiveness of intergovernmental efforts and questions about the capacity of national governments to affect change, the SDGs need to additionally mobilize new agents of change such as businesses, cities and civil society. To galvanize such a broad set of actors, multiple perspectives on sustainable development are needed that respond to the various motives and logics of change of these different actors. We propose four connected perspectives which can strengthen the universal relevance of the SDGs: " planetary boundaries" to stress the urgency of addressing environmental concerns and to target governments to take responsibility for (global) public goods; " the safe and just operating space" to highlight the interconnectedness of social and environmental concerns and its distributive consequences; " the energetic society" to benefit from the willingness of a broad group of actors worldwide to take action; and " green competition" to stimulate innovation and new business practices. To realize the transformative potential of the SDGs, these four perspectives should be reflected in the focus and content of the SDGs that will be negotiated in the run up to September 2015 and its further implementation.

In the governance of urban sustainability transformations, participatory futures practices are increasingly popular. Yet there is a rising awareness that the success or failure of these practices depends on how they are staged and the context in which they are conducted. These contextual factors are often less than ideal, and futures practices take place at the crossroads of many pre-determined agendas and priorities. We distinguish four factors that shape the effects of participatory futures practices: 1) how the institutional landscape constrains or enables a project aimed at urban sustainability transformations; 2) the participatory culture surrounding the project; 3) the project design; and 4) the futures methods applied. We assess these factors in three cities within the European H2020 IRIS Smart Cities project. In each city, project members participated in sessions where they designed citizen engagement using a futures methodology: the novel Scope and Ladder models. Each city reflects a different combination of the four contextual factors. We find that space for exploration and re-imagining can be found and optimized under imperfect conditions. Drawing on the results of the three cases, we conclude with a set of recommendations for the funders, project members and futures organizers of urban sustainability transformation projects.

The urban sustainability transformations that are urgently needed will have significant effects on the daily lives of city dwellers. As ways to imagine and co-design sustainable urban futures, experiments within the present-day urban environment are increasingly popular. This paper investigates how such an experimental approach can serve as the base of an applied urban futures game that enables its players to reflect on and imagine ways to address complex sustainability problems. We developed a large-scale mobile urban futures game, Utrecht2040, that provides its players with sustainability content, reflection, and motivation for action. The digital infrastructure of the game and large number of players provided unique opportunities for measuring outcomes. Our results indicate that this type of experimental gaming offers a new way for players to collect existing sustainable practices or 'seeds', and use them to collectively create glimpses into relevant sustainable urban futures. At the individual player level participants reported an increased understanding of sustainability and motivation to act. We conclude that large-scale collective experimental futures games in socio-spatial urban environments are a high-potential avenue for overcoming the "crisis of the imagination" by creating inclusive urban futures that inspire action.

The urban sustainability transformations that are urgently needed will have significant effects on the daily lives of city dwellers. As ways to imagine and co-design sustainable urban futures, experiments within the present-day urban environment are increasingly popular. This paper investigates how such an experimental approach can serve as the base of an applied urban futures game that enables its players to reflect on and imagine ways to address complex sustainability problems. We developed a large-scale mobile urban futures game, Utrecht2040, that provides its players with sustainability content, reflection, and motivation for action. The digital infrastructure of the game and large number of players provided unique opportunities for measuring outcomes. Our results indicate that this type of experimental gaming offers a new way for players to collect existing sustainable practices or 'seeds', and use them to collectively create glimpses into relevant sustainable urban futures. At the individual player level participants reported an increased understanding of sustainability and motivation to act. We conclude that large-scale collective experimental futures games in socio-spatial urban environments are a high-potential avenue for overcoming the "crisis of the imagination" by creating inclusive urban futures that inspire action.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have the potential to become a powerful political vision that can support the urgently needed global transition to a shared and lasting prosperity. In December 2014, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General published his report on the SDGs. However, the final goals and targets that will be adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 risk falling short of expectations because of what we call "cockpit-ism": the illusion that top-down steering by governments and intergovernmental organizations alone can address global problems. In view of the limited effectiveness of intergovernmental efforts and questions about the capacity of national governments to affect change, the SDGs need to additionally mobilize new agents of change such as businesses, cities and civil society. To galvanize such a broad set of actors, multiple perspectives on sustainable development are needed that respond to the various motives and logics of change of these different actors. We propose four connected perspectives which can strengthen the universal relevance of the SDGs: "planetary boundaries" to stress the urgency of addressing environmental concerns and to target governments to take responsibility for (global) public goods; "the safe and just operating space" to highlight the interconnectedness of social and environmental concerns and its distributive consequences; "the energetic society" to benefit from the willingness of a broad group of actors worldwide to take action; and "green competition" to stimulate innovation and new business practices. To realize the transformative potential of the SDGs, these four perspectives should be reflected in the focus and content of the SDGs that will be negotiated in the run up to September 2015 and its further implementation.