Net-zero city challenge
International writing workshop, 28-29th October 2024
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona
Context
The Net-Zero / carbon neutral transition is urgent … but it’s much more than a technical task. For success, technology and material changes have to somehow fit with economic, social, political, ecological and cultural systems – all of them complex, inter-connected, dynamic and controversial. This calls not only for ‘more research’ but also new kinds of research – inter/trans-disciplinary, cognitive / emergent systems, action-oriented and co-produced
This workshop aimed to explore and mobilize such research – framed as extended dimensions of collaborative thinking and action:
- Wider community of ‘multi-helix’ stakeholders, beyond the experts and elites
- Deeper layers of value, beyond the material and functional
- Further horizons of change, looking beyond ‘problem-fix’ towards transformations
Workshop aims
- explore the urban climate challenge & the many inter-connected gaps & barriers:
- co-create ideas on enablers & pathways for transformation (to be followed up)
USP: What could go wrong & how ?? reality mapping
- Taking roles around the table….
- how would you get power / money / other benefits from each challenge?
- Could you get more power / money by blocking the NZ policy?
- Or – how could you use NZ policy as part of a bigger plan??
- ROLE-PLAY – from bus-drivers to billionaires
Outline program
- Introductions and scoping
- System / challenge mapping: (focused on case studies)
- Scenario / futures mapping: (focused on case studies) writing session –
- Enterprise / vision mapping: (focused on case studies)
- Synergy / pathway mapping: (focused on research methods) writing session –
- Synthesis & inter-connections: (focused on research methods) writing session –
- Action planning & next steps
We form sub-groups to work intensively on selected themes & inter-connections
- Practical case studies & applications: g. housing retrofit: urban transport: circular economy:
- Research methods & perspectives: g. carbon accounting: policy analysis: social justice: social practice: ‘collective climate intelligence’ etc
