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The , organized by the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��, brought together an esteemed panel of experts in the field to engage in a critical science-policy debate on the regional transition challenges, focusing on the Utrecht region. Under the conference’s overarching theme of 'Responsibility and Reflexivity in Transitions’, this debate provided the opportunity for regional stakeholders to deliberate on critical questions regarding regional transitions to a panel of international scientists.

Key topics of discussion

The central topics for discussion revolved around the societal and policy challenges faced by regions in achieving successful transitions on a local and regional scale while contributing to broader global transitions. Major importance was the incorporation of new scientific insights from the geography of transitions research, which emphasizes the significant role played by local and regional scales in accelerating transitions.

Exploring Spatial Dynamics

We zoomed in into the district scale: the Merwedekanaalzone district in Utrecht city, and then zoomed out towards the city, the region and the country. Which enabling spatial conditions are important for local experimentation? Which barriers can and must be tackled on a district scale, which can be tackled on higher scales?

Panel and Audience Participation

The expert panel in the debate consisted of 5 policymakers and 4 scientists. The debate was a dynamic and insightful exchange of ideas, with approximately 80 attendees representing the international transitions research community and regional stakeholders from the Utrecht region.

Contribution of the Utrecht Region

One of our goals of the debate was to offer new scientific insights into the contribution of the Utrecht region in advancing global sustainability transitions. The Utrecht region, despite its relatively small geographical size, has a remarkable profile. With a high level of education, exceptional competitiveness (ranked the highest in Europe), and a diverse range of landscapes, the region serves as a ‘knowledge hub’ in The Netherlands. Van den Heiligenberg from Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� recently concluded  his PhD research. It further highlighted the Utrecht region’s status, ranking high on the ‘frontrunner index’ for sustainability experimentation. In this index the following indicators are combined: Community action for the environment, Interpersonal trust, International meetings, Tertiary education attainment, Regional GDP/capita and R&D expenditure.

Panelists

Policymakers

• Neighbourhood: Mirjam Schmull - Coordinator Merwedelab, City of Utrecht
• City: Astrid Janssen - Alderman, Municipality of Amersfoort
• Region: Rob van Muilekom - Regional Minister, Province of Utrecht
• Country: Robert Dijksterhuis - Envoy sustainable building, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands
• Europe: Luis Galiano Bastarrica - Coordinator Cohesion for transitions project, European Commission

Scientists

• Mapula Tshangela - Stellenbosch ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��, South Africa
• Harald Rohracher - Linköping ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��, Sweden
• Iris Wanzenböck - Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��, The Netherlands
• Lars Coenen - Western Norway ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� of Applied Sciences, Norway

First Round – some policymakers’ questions

The use of innovative solutions

• Question: The high ambitions of the Merwede district in Utrecht require the application of innovative solutions. There is a political wish to use proven solutions only. How do we include the testing of more innovative solutions?
• Response: It is often not easy to act as a pioneer in a political context. There is a limited willingness to fail, which hinders innovation. However, from a transition perspective failures are important for learning purposes. An option is to act as the ‘second’ pioneer or use a portfolio of innovative and less innovative solutions.

Unrest in society; new leadership needed?

• Question: How to deal with the unrest and uncertainty in the society? A strong voice in society says: “They are interfering in what we eat, where we go on holiday, and so on”. Is there a possibility to calm down? Which new form of leadership is needed to manage transitions?
• Response: local politicians have the advantage of having direct contact with citizens. However, the local level is probably the most challenging level regarding leadership. It requires not only to look into the future but also to listen carefully to the voices of citizens and their concerns.

Inclusivity and affordability

• Question: to involve everybody in the transition; to include also the participation of the people with lower income or lower education level? Which approach is needed to involve people who cannot afford to buy solar panels or an electric vehicle?
• Response: the topic of just transitions is a central theme in transitions research. It is not only a question of affordability, but also of power relations, ownership, justice, and other things. To be inclusive in the phase of experimentation is very difficult.

Community-driven initiatives and local ownership

• Question: to promote local grassroots and community-driven initiatives to become a serious partner in the sustainability transition? In Denmark, 60% of the heating infrastructure is owned by local groups.
• Response: local ownership is essential, for instance in infrastructure, wind parks, or a neighborhood battery. This may increase local commitment. We also see increased knowledge exchange between neighborhoods, which is vital for accelerating transitions.

Second round - debate on the motion: “There is an urgent need for a new transdisciplinary regional transition approach.”

The majority of the panelists and the audience agreed on this motion. The discussion focused on the science-policy interface. Politicians indicated that they think it is needed to make better use of the newest scientific insights. Researchers can also bring in experiences from other regions so that policymakers can learn from others. In transition policy, the existing policy evaluation methods do not seem adequate. There is a need for new methodologies, e.g. for evaluating experimentation. A good relationship between science and policy is valuable. However, scientists are no consultants. Scientists should be critical of policy developments when needed.

Concluding

One of the outcomes of the debate is the importance of collaboration between scientists and government at a regional scale to support and accelerate transitions. This requires building trust and a new type of leadership for people with and without authority.

The insights from the debate are used in a new Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� project called “The Utrecht region as a living lab for global transitions”. In this project, we evaluate the transformative potential of experiments with healthy urban living innovations in the Utrecht region, and support the actual scaling of these innovations using innovative action-oriented research.