Transition Arena Method in city development
About this good practice
The Transition Arena method, based on the Transition Management research approach, is a strategic tool for facilitating an exchange of knowledge and ideas between actors in different sectors to promote systemic changes.
The process consists of a series of 4–6 workshop interactions (“Transition Arenas”), in which a selected group of frontrunner actors first create a vision for change, then map drivers and obstacles, and finally formulate transition pathways in small groups. The method aims to synthesise different viewpoints instead of reaching unanimity, and the findings are compiled in a report. In the last workshop, the results and the final report are presented and discussed.
The method was used in city development in Tampere, when the RECO project (Resilient Smart City Solutions Ecosystem) employed Transition Arenas to bring together actors from different sectors to envision a sustainable future for the new city district Hiedanranta, with the aim of upscaling the learnings and innovations citywide and globally.
Four online Transition Arenas were organised in 2021 by the City of Tampere, Tampere University, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, following the methodology and resulting in a report published in 2022. The process brought together public sector, education and research organisations, businesses, other organisations, and citizens to formulate transition pathways for Hiedanranta that support the city’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
Resources needed
The RECO project employed a staff of 3 people.
The project budget was 248 926 euros, funded by the City of Tampere and the Council of Tampere Region, as a part of the ecosystem agreement between the City of Tampere and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland.
Evidence of success
The Transition Arena method efficiently enabled cross-sectoral discourse and resulted in a report, which can be used as a framework for developing the district, influencing e.g. the terms of plot sale and transfer between the land owner and property developers.
The City of Tampere deemed it useful to continue the work in a follow-up project RECO 2.0, which continues to take part in the preparation of a city-scale energy policy guideline and development of the city’s innovation processes.
Potential for learning or transfer
In the Transition Arena workshops, energy communities were recognised as an important part of smart energy system in the Hiedanranta district. The RECO project emphasised citizen engagement and cross-sectoral cooperation, which are vital parts of the REC4EU project.
One of the biggest challenges in promoting systemic change is getting the right people engaged, fostering communication between different actors, and ensuring that the process leads to concrete actions and changes. The Transition Arena method is a tried-and-true strategic tool for collaborative transformation that can be tailored to support different kinds of processes.
In Finland, several organisations in public sector have employed the Transition Arena method to create transition pathways e.g. on smart energy transition (Research Council of Finland, 2017), sustainable food packaging (Natural Resources Institute Finland, 2023) and empowering civil society in sustainability transition (Council of Tampere Region, ongoing).
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