NachhaltigkeitsforschungHead of Research Unit Prof. Dr.Janina GrabsOverviewMembersPublicationsProjects & CollaborationsProjects & Collaborations OverviewMembersPublicationsProjects & Collaborations Projects & Collaborations 39 foundShow per page10 10 20 50 TrAnsformative StädTische Ernährungsprojekte: Was bewährt sich wo und wie? (TASTE) Research Project | 2 Project MembersDie Debatte über eine nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Weiterentwicklung von Agrarsystemen in der «Fläche» wird seit vielen Jahren breit und konstruktiv geführt. Die Erreichung der SDGs im Zusammenhang mit Ernährungssystemen hängt aber massgeblich auch vom Verhalten der Akteure - Bürger*innen und Verbraucher*innen. Produzent*innen, Händler*innen, Policy-Maker - in Städten ab. Dementsprechend ist seit Kurzem eine verstärkte Hinwendung der wissenschaftlichen und politisch-praktischen Aufmerksamkeit in Richtung städtischer Ernährungssysteme zu beobachten. In städtischen Kontexten haben sich in den letzten Jahren zahlreiche neue (staatliche, zivilgesellschaftliche und privatwirtschaftliche) Initiativen und Projekte formiert, die ihrem Selbstverständnis nach zu einer nachhaltigkeits-orientierten Transformation urbaner Ernährungssysteme beitragen möchten. Dazu gehören etwa alternative Formen der städtischen Nahrungsmittelerzeugung (urban farming bzw. gardening), neue Formen der Zusammenarbeit von lokalen Erzeugern und Verarbeitern, aber auch Food Sharing-Initiativen. Die Projekte in diesem Bereich sind sehr divers, kaum systematisch erfasst und hinsichtlich ihrer transformativen Potentiale nur ansatzweise verstanden, geschweige denn einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit bekannt. Das Projekt zielt auf die Erfassung, das Sichtbarmachen und die kommunikative Verbreitung besonders erfolgreicher Projekte zur Transformation städtischer Ernährungssysteme in der Schweiz. Es schafft die Möglichkeit, dass städtische Ernährungsakteure (in Stadtverwaltungen, Zivilgesellschaft und Wirtschaft) von positiven Beispielen lernen und Handlungskapazitäten im Hinblick auf die Ausgestaltung und Umsetzung nachhaltigkeitsorientierter Ernährungsprojekte im städtischen Kontext aufbauen. Im Rahmen des Projekts fokussieren wir auf Ernährungspraktiken in vier grossen (Basel, Zürich, Lausanne, Bern) und vier mittelgrossen (Biel, Chur, Schaffhausen, Schwyz) Schweizer Städten. Während die Klärung besonders erfolgreicher Projekte im Rahmen der Solution Initiative selbst erfolgen wird, wird es aller Voraussicht nach um Projekte in den folgenden Bereichen gehen: 1) Produktion: Alternative städtische Lebensmittelproduktion vor allem in kooperativen Formaten (z.B. Urban Farming, Urban Gardening, Aquaponic) 2) Verarbeitung: Neue Formen der Lebensmittelverarbeitung in städtischen Kontexten (z.B. Umstellung auf Lebensmittel mit kleinerem ökologischen Fussabdruck in Grossküchen, kooperative Küchen, lokale Wertschöpfung) 3) Verteilung: Neue Formate des städtischen Vertriebs von Lebensmitteln (z.B. städtische Tafeln, Lebensmittelkooperativen, Foodsharing-Projekte) Trinationale Kooperationsplattform für Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen, Einrichtungen Sozialer Arbeit und nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Unternehmen Research Project | 4 Project MembersTRICOP aims to build a cooperation platform that connects sustainability initiatives, businesses and social work institutions, opening up spaces for trinational cooperation and innovation. There are numerous possibilities for networking, such as linking urban gardening with day centres for people with mental illnesses or marginalized groups such as refugees. TRICOP is conceived as a trinational study and cooperation project of the University of Basel and the EH Freiburg and is funded by the Intercantonal Coordination Office at the Regio Basiliensis (IKRB) as representative of the Swiss Confederation within the framework of the New Regional Policy and the Canton of Basel-Landschaft. This project is realized through various student project at the EH Freiburg and the University of Basel. Specifically, through different seminars and workshops students learn different skills to research and identify various cooperation potentials, using literature/internet research, interviews or focus groups. Accompanying this, concrete cooperations are initiated by contacting actors, setting impulses for trinational cooperations and, as far as possible, consolidating them within a cooperation platform. The aim of the project is that the online platform functions as a networking/communication and search platform through which potential cooperation partners can be found and networked. Mapping Sustainability in Swiss Nutritional Guidelines Research Project | 5 Project MembersOur modern food system is fundamentally undermining the environment, health, and social justice. It is multifaceted, with many actors and contested interests. When it comes to consumption, the voices become even more diverse, as diets are highly personal and related to many factors such as culture, affordability, taste, and environment. Individuals and organizations might want to look for reliable and clear guidance on how to better consume. Nutritional Guidelines can be influential instruments to offer such direction. Not surprisingly, the context of these guidelines might not be uniform and lead to varying diet stories, especially in the case of sustainability. Considering this context, in our research project, we propose to map sustainability in the existing Swiss Nutritional Guidelines (NGs) to clarify questions such as: What are the dominant NGs in Switzerland? How arethey approaching Sustainability? What are the trade-offs and synergies that are rising from different dimensions within NGs? Our research aims are the following: (1) To review the NGs in Switzerland and asses them through five dimensions: economic, social, environmental, health and governance; (2) To analyse the emergent key trade-offs and synergies within these dimensions; (3) To engage with stakeholders to complement the findings; (4) To generate a Sustainable-Diet Map. Research proposal for the analysis of the SHEDS for Zurich Research Project | 3 Project MembersThe project aims at a comparative analysis of the Swiss Household Energy Demand Survey (SHEDS) from Zurich's perspective. SHEDS is an online survey designed and implemented by researchers from SCCER CREST. In phase I, an exploratory study compares patterns of differences in energy demand and consumption behaviour between households living in Zurich city with other parts of Switzerland, namely 1) Households in Zürich canton (KZH), excluding SZH and Winterthur; 2) Households in the 8 major Swiss cities other than SZH namely, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Luzern, Winterthur, Biel/Bienne, and St. Gallen; and 3) Households from the rest of Switzerland, i.e. all excluding groups 1-3 above. The analysis is based on group mean comparisons and generic OLS regressions applied to a panel data set extracted from four waves of the SHEDS from 2016 to 2019, including around 1'200 households in Zurich City and in total about 22'000 observations across the German and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. The objective is to analyse a wide scope of variables characterizing household demand in three main energy fields (electricity, mobility and heating) as well as a selection of related psychological factors such as intentions and norms. Phase II builds on the exploratory findings of Phase I. The main objective of Phase II is to identify meaningful differences that characterize the energy demand of households in Zurich compared to other cities/cantons. The econometric methods allow to: 1) decompose potential differences according to four groups of determinants thus linking them to various underlying mechanisms, and 2) identify the distribution of these differences across a selection of relevant population segments based on a selection of moderating factors. The project's focus is on two primary energy domains namely, electricity and private mobility. In order to provide an adequate comparative inference, it is required that the Zurich subsamples (treatment groups) are "matched" and compared with their comparable counterparts (control groups) in the rest of Switzerland. Therefore, in Phase II, we conduct a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to identify the optimal matching groups that can be compared with each household in Zurich. The "Zurich" effect will then be estimated as the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATET). Smart-BEEjS / Human-Centric Energy Districts: Smart Value Generation by Building Efficiency and Energy Justice for Sustainable Living Research Project | 3 Project MembersSmart-BEEjS (Human-Centric Energy Districts: Smart Value Generation by Building Efficiency and Energy Justice for Sustainable Living) is a Horizon2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network - project. It encompasses a consortium of 8 universities and research centres, supported by 16 non-academic entities, in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. 15 PhD researchers will be working towards a PhD degree in the field of Positive Energy Districs (PEDs) that can generate local decentralised and innovative energy ecosystems, placing the consumer at its centre. The EU has used the Strategic Energy Technology Plan to transfer power to consumers (https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/set-plan_progress_2016.pdf), by decentralising the energy ecosystem to the local district-level. One of the targets of the plan is to establish "100 positive energy districts by 2025 (baseline 2015) and 80% of electricity consumption to be managed by consumers in 4 out of 5 households". In particular, PEDs are local developments and networks of homes, workplaces and traffic systems which, together, generate more energy than is consumed. The PhD positions are funded for a three years period and are supported by a supervisory. The project will train the 15 students using an innovative doctoral training programme that incorporates deep training in their individual subjects, with the ability to understand and engage with the needs of citizens and communities, the needs and opportunities available from scientists in different disciplines. In addition, they will have the opportunity to work through a collaborative research programme with those who produce the technologies necessary for PEDs, and work with the policymakers who can facilitate these new and exciting opportunities to generate new knowledge, influence and promote the development of PEDs. Governance of Risk and Sustainability Research Project | 2 Project MembersAs ultimate threat to human existence, risks have been key objects for governmental interventions in the Anthropocene. Departing from technocratic models of risk assessment and management, this research project problematizes a depiction of risks as natural processes «out there» that can be assessed and managed. It rather suggests an analysis of risk governance within shifting human-environment relations - with facts and values about risks being co-produced within social and institutional networks. The following questions are at the core of this project: How is knowledge around risks (and security) produced in situated practices? How are choices and decisions around risks made and legitimized? And, how does the uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that characterize risks affect the ways they are governed and contested? Addressing these questions through theoretically-inspired empirical research on risk governance in Switzerland, this research project aims at contributing to a critical and reflexive engagement with and of an advancing «risk society». The sustainabilization of the state. Forms, Functions and Formation of Sustainability Governance in Swiss Cantons Research Project | 3 Project MembersThis project builds on emerging practices of states to establish institutional capacities for coping with commitments related to sustainable development on the one hand, and on existing scientific claims demanding that states have to transform themselves in order to play a decisive role in sustainability governance on the other hand (e.g. claims on policy integration, participation etc.). We want to capture this perceived and claimed "differentness" theoretically and by analyzing the states' concrete endeavors to sustainabilize themselves. Accordingly, the project strives for contributing to an improved understanding of the self-transformation of the political-administrative system toward sustainability.Hereby, the project builds on the results of an explorative pre-study. To substantiate this preliminary work, we will approach the overall question on three levels. First, we look at the generic aspects of "sustainabilization" on a conceptual level. We especially want to elaborate a framework of the sustainable state with regard to its own internal and external governance functions. Second and based on the according conceptual basis, we will empirically analyze the practical efforts of sustainabilizing Swiss cantonal administrations. An important reason for choosing the subnational level is that the pre-study revealed a diversity of already developed practices. Hence, the framework could be applied to different cases and an informative comparison can be established. Third, the project includes a practice-oriented level by collaborating with cantonal representatives in an accompanying focus group not only to disseminate research results, but also to ensure a mutual learning process between the practitioners and the research team. The latter builds on the dialogue between scholars and sustainability administrators from Swiss cantons already established in the pre-study.The scientific part is composed of a theoretical part and an empirical part. We first develop an analytical framework of the sustainable state, based on a critical discussion of concepts from transition, sustainability, and governance theory. The empirical part will be guided but what we take to be a new and innovative framework. Based on a documentary analysis to reveal existing forms of the sustainable state in all Swiss cantons, we will select distinct cases for further in-depth inquiries. We will employ a qualitative case study approach to investigate the working of sustainability governance arrangements in selected Swiss cantons and we will assess their capacities to bring forth functions of sustainable governance with reference to the analytical framework. To do so, we will conduct interviews with key actors in the public administration as well societal actors. We will analyze the data using methods of qualitative content analysis. Finally, and employing the method of process tracing, we will capture the formation of sustainability governance arrangements in the selected cases.With the project, we add innovative knowledge to the sustainability governance literature in mainly four respects. First, it establishes an informed notion of the governance functions of the sustainable state. Second, it provides empirical knowledge on sustainable transformation processes within the state along the studied Swiss cantons. Third, it illuminates the role of key sustainability actors in transforming governance. Fourth, the project adds practical, socially robust knowledge to improve the capacities for sustainability governance in Swiss cantons. Participation, Democracy and Sustainability in Urban Governance (Dissertation) Research Project | 2 Project MembersAbstract is in preparation. UtilitEE: Utility Business Model Transformation through human-centric behavioral interventions and ICT tools for Energy Efficiency Research Project | 3 Project MembersUtilities are facing political pressure to reduce the energy end use by their customers and GHG emissions. Consumers on the other hand, are empowered by the proliferation of IT interfaces and multiplication of channels. Their expectations for everything-anytime-anywhere interaction are redefining the nature of (energy) services. The advent of smart building technologies for energy efficiency reveal a mega-trend on the evolution of consumer choices and highlight the need for addressing their requirements for user-friendly, meaningful and actionable communication. Faced with these realities, business as usual is no longer an option for energy utilities. They must seek new sources of revenues by introducing bundled building energy management service packages including energy efficiency, smart controls and automation. The UtilitEE project will provide a customer-oriented Behavioural Change Framework (Energy-as-a-Service delivery approach via an open ICT ecosystem integrated into the building with off-the-shelf sensors). It focuses on discovering, quantifying and revealing energy-hungry activities and conveys meaningful feedback to engage users into a continuous process of learning and improvement. UtilitEE will leverage well-known behavioural models/ theories and standardized operational rating/ certification methods. It will also incorporate human-centric intelligent control features that use occupant comfort profiles and supportively control HVAC and lights so as to minimize energy waste, while always keeping occupants comfortable and preserving a healthy indoor environment. The framework will be validated in real-life conditions by a large population of residential and commercial consumers and aims to reduce energy use by ~30%. Validation activities will also explore future business models and go-to-market strategies for utilities. A holistic roadmap and business plan for the exploitation and replication of project results will be delivered. Mobility decisions in the context of a sustainable develop-ment - depedencies and potentials of influence (Dissertation) Research Project | 2 Project MembersThe proposed doctoral thesis aims at improving the understanding of the dependencies regarding environmentally sound mobility behaviour as well as long-term and short-term mobility decisions. The former are understood as strategic decisions with effect on a longer period, such as residential choice, car purchase, or public transport subscriptions. The latter are decisions on concrete trips, i.e the choice of destination, transportation mean or route, often predetermined by the former long-term mobility decisions. Based on a deeper understanding of mobility decisions, it's planned to come up with dependencies of values, attitudes, needs, and surrounding conditions on sustainable mobility decisions, in order to formulate recommendations for well-adjusted sustainable policies. In detail, the following research questions could be focused on: How can long-term and short-term sustainable mobility decisions be operationalized ? Are there indications for behavioral changes towards sustainability oriented mobility decisions, triggered by specific, target-group adjusted policies ? How do people react to incremental changes of the political framework in order to foster a more sustainable mobility behavior In what way do values influence mobility decisions, on the short and long term, of citizens, professional experts and politicians? Could « value-education / reflection» move forward sustainability in the transport sector ? 1234 1...4 OverviewMembersPublicationsProjects & Collaborations
Projects & Collaborations 39 foundShow per page10 10 20 50 TrAnsformative StädTische Ernährungsprojekte: Was bewährt sich wo und wie? (TASTE) Research Project | 2 Project MembersDie Debatte über eine nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Weiterentwicklung von Agrarsystemen in der «Fläche» wird seit vielen Jahren breit und konstruktiv geführt. Die Erreichung der SDGs im Zusammenhang mit Ernährungssystemen hängt aber massgeblich auch vom Verhalten der Akteure - Bürger*innen und Verbraucher*innen. Produzent*innen, Händler*innen, Policy-Maker - in Städten ab. Dementsprechend ist seit Kurzem eine verstärkte Hinwendung der wissenschaftlichen und politisch-praktischen Aufmerksamkeit in Richtung städtischer Ernährungssysteme zu beobachten. In städtischen Kontexten haben sich in den letzten Jahren zahlreiche neue (staatliche, zivilgesellschaftliche und privatwirtschaftliche) Initiativen und Projekte formiert, die ihrem Selbstverständnis nach zu einer nachhaltigkeits-orientierten Transformation urbaner Ernährungssysteme beitragen möchten. Dazu gehören etwa alternative Formen der städtischen Nahrungsmittelerzeugung (urban farming bzw. gardening), neue Formen der Zusammenarbeit von lokalen Erzeugern und Verarbeitern, aber auch Food Sharing-Initiativen. Die Projekte in diesem Bereich sind sehr divers, kaum systematisch erfasst und hinsichtlich ihrer transformativen Potentiale nur ansatzweise verstanden, geschweige denn einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit bekannt. Das Projekt zielt auf die Erfassung, das Sichtbarmachen und die kommunikative Verbreitung besonders erfolgreicher Projekte zur Transformation städtischer Ernährungssysteme in der Schweiz. Es schafft die Möglichkeit, dass städtische Ernährungsakteure (in Stadtverwaltungen, Zivilgesellschaft und Wirtschaft) von positiven Beispielen lernen und Handlungskapazitäten im Hinblick auf die Ausgestaltung und Umsetzung nachhaltigkeitsorientierter Ernährungsprojekte im städtischen Kontext aufbauen. Im Rahmen des Projekts fokussieren wir auf Ernährungspraktiken in vier grossen (Basel, Zürich, Lausanne, Bern) und vier mittelgrossen (Biel, Chur, Schaffhausen, Schwyz) Schweizer Städten. Während die Klärung besonders erfolgreicher Projekte im Rahmen der Solution Initiative selbst erfolgen wird, wird es aller Voraussicht nach um Projekte in den folgenden Bereichen gehen: 1) Produktion: Alternative städtische Lebensmittelproduktion vor allem in kooperativen Formaten (z.B. Urban Farming, Urban Gardening, Aquaponic) 2) Verarbeitung: Neue Formen der Lebensmittelverarbeitung in städtischen Kontexten (z.B. Umstellung auf Lebensmittel mit kleinerem ökologischen Fussabdruck in Grossküchen, kooperative Küchen, lokale Wertschöpfung) 3) Verteilung: Neue Formate des städtischen Vertriebs von Lebensmitteln (z.B. städtische Tafeln, Lebensmittelkooperativen, Foodsharing-Projekte) Trinationale Kooperationsplattform für Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen, Einrichtungen Sozialer Arbeit und nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Unternehmen Research Project | 4 Project MembersTRICOP aims to build a cooperation platform that connects sustainability initiatives, businesses and social work institutions, opening up spaces for trinational cooperation and innovation. There are numerous possibilities for networking, such as linking urban gardening with day centres for people with mental illnesses or marginalized groups such as refugees. TRICOP is conceived as a trinational study and cooperation project of the University of Basel and the EH Freiburg and is funded by the Intercantonal Coordination Office at the Regio Basiliensis (IKRB) as representative of the Swiss Confederation within the framework of the New Regional Policy and the Canton of Basel-Landschaft. This project is realized through various student project at the EH Freiburg and the University of Basel. Specifically, through different seminars and workshops students learn different skills to research and identify various cooperation potentials, using literature/internet research, interviews or focus groups. Accompanying this, concrete cooperations are initiated by contacting actors, setting impulses for trinational cooperations and, as far as possible, consolidating them within a cooperation platform. The aim of the project is that the online platform functions as a networking/communication and search platform through which potential cooperation partners can be found and networked. Mapping Sustainability in Swiss Nutritional Guidelines Research Project | 5 Project MembersOur modern food system is fundamentally undermining the environment, health, and social justice. It is multifaceted, with many actors and contested interests. When it comes to consumption, the voices become even more diverse, as diets are highly personal and related to many factors such as culture, affordability, taste, and environment. Individuals and organizations might want to look for reliable and clear guidance on how to better consume. Nutritional Guidelines can be influential instruments to offer such direction. Not surprisingly, the context of these guidelines might not be uniform and lead to varying diet stories, especially in the case of sustainability. Considering this context, in our research project, we propose to map sustainability in the existing Swiss Nutritional Guidelines (NGs) to clarify questions such as: What are the dominant NGs in Switzerland? How arethey approaching Sustainability? What are the trade-offs and synergies that are rising from different dimensions within NGs? Our research aims are the following: (1) To review the NGs in Switzerland and asses them through five dimensions: economic, social, environmental, health and governance; (2) To analyse the emergent key trade-offs and synergies within these dimensions; (3) To engage with stakeholders to complement the findings; (4) To generate a Sustainable-Diet Map. Research proposal for the analysis of the SHEDS for Zurich Research Project | 3 Project MembersThe project aims at a comparative analysis of the Swiss Household Energy Demand Survey (SHEDS) from Zurich's perspective. SHEDS is an online survey designed and implemented by researchers from SCCER CREST. In phase I, an exploratory study compares patterns of differences in energy demand and consumption behaviour between households living in Zurich city with other parts of Switzerland, namely 1) Households in Zürich canton (KZH), excluding SZH and Winterthur; 2) Households in the 8 major Swiss cities other than SZH namely, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Luzern, Winterthur, Biel/Bienne, and St. Gallen; and 3) Households from the rest of Switzerland, i.e. all excluding groups 1-3 above. The analysis is based on group mean comparisons and generic OLS regressions applied to a panel data set extracted from four waves of the SHEDS from 2016 to 2019, including around 1'200 households in Zurich City and in total about 22'000 observations across the German and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. The objective is to analyse a wide scope of variables characterizing household demand in three main energy fields (electricity, mobility and heating) as well as a selection of related psychological factors such as intentions and norms. Phase II builds on the exploratory findings of Phase I. The main objective of Phase II is to identify meaningful differences that characterize the energy demand of households in Zurich compared to other cities/cantons. The econometric methods allow to: 1) decompose potential differences according to four groups of determinants thus linking them to various underlying mechanisms, and 2) identify the distribution of these differences across a selection of relevant population segments based on a selection of moderating factors. The project's focus is on two primary energy domains namely, electricity and private mobility. In order to provide an adequate comparative inference, it is required that the Zurich subsamples (treatment groups) are "matched" and compared with their comparable counterparts (control groups) in the rest of Switzerland. Therefore, in Phase II, we conduct a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to identify the optimal matching groups that can be compared with each household in Zurich. The "Zurich" effect will then be estimated as the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATET). Smart-BEEjS / Human-Centric Energy Districts: Smart Value Generation by Building Efficiency and Energy Justice for Sustainable Living Research Project | 3 Project MembersSmart-BEEjS (Human-Centric Energy Districts: Smart Value Generation by Building Efficiency and Energy Justice for Sustainable Living) is a Horizon2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network - project. It encompasses a consortium of 8 universities and research centres, supported by 16 non-academic entities, in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. 15 PhD researchers will be working towards a PhD degree in the field of Positive Energy Districs (PEDs) that can generate local decentralised and innovative energy ecosystems, placing the consumer at its centre. The EU has used the Strategic Energy Technology Plan to transfer power to consumers (https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/set-plan_progress_2016.pdf), by decentralising the energy ecosystem to the local district-level. One of the targets of the plan is to establish "100 positive energy districts by 2025 (baseline 2015) and 80% of electricity consumption to be managed by consumers in 4 out of 5 households". In particular, PEDs are local developments and networks of homes, workplaces and traffic systems which, together, generate more energy than is consumed. The PhD positions are funded for a three years period and are supported by a supervisory. The project will train the 15 students using an innovative doctoral training programme that incorporates deep training in their individual subjects, with the ability to understand and engage with the needs of citizens and communities, the needs and opportunities available from scientists in different disciplines. In addition, they will have the opportunity to work through a collaborative research programme with those who produce the technologies necessary for PEDs, and work with the policymakers who can facilitate these new and exciting opportunities to generate new knowledge, influence and promote the development of PEDs. Governance of Risk and Sustainability Research Project | 2 Project MembersAs ultimate threat to human existence, risks have been key objects for governmental interventions in the Anthropocene. Departing from technocratic models of risk assessment and management, this research project problematizes a depiction of risks as natural processes «out there» that can be assessed and managed. It rather suggests an analysis of risk governance within shifting human-environment relations - with facts and values about risks being co-produced within social and institutional networks. The following questions are at the core of this project: How is knowledge around risks (and security) produced in situated practices? How are choices and decisions around risks made and legitimized? And, how does the uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that characterize risks affect the ways they are governed and contested? Addressing these questions through theoretically-inspired empirical research on risk governance in Switzerland, this research project aims at contributing to a critical and reflexive engagement with and of an advancing «risk society». The sustainabilization of the state. Forms, Functions and Formation of Sustainability Governance in Swiss Cantons Research Project | 3 Project MembersThis project builds on emerging practices of states to establish institutional capacities for coping with commitments related to sustainable development on the one hand, and on existing scientific claims demanding that states have to transform themselves in order to play a decisive role in sustainability governance on the other hand (e.g. claims on policy integration, participation etc.). We want to capture this perceived and claimed "differentness" theoretically and by analyzing the states' concrete endeavors to sustainabilize themselves. Accordingly, the project strives for contributing to an improved understanding of the self-transformation of the political-administrative system toward sustainability.Hereby, the project builds on the results of an explorative pre-study. To substantiate this preliminary work, we will approach the overall question on three levels. First, we look at the generic aspects of "sustainabilization" on a conceptual level. We especially want to elaborate a framework of the sustainable state with regard to its own internal and external governance functions. Second and based on the according conceptual basis, we will empirically analyze the practical efforts of sustainabilizing Swiss cantonal administrations. An important reason for choosing the subnational level is that the pre-study revealed a diversity of already developed practices. Hence, the framework could be applied to different cases and an informative comparison can be established. Third, the project includes a practice-oriented level by collaborating with cantonal representatives in an accompanying focus group not only to disseminate research results, but also to ensure a mutual learning process between the practitioners and the research team. The latter builds on the dialogue between scholars and sustainability administrators from Swiss cantons already established in the pre-study.The scientific part is composed of a theoretical part and an empirical part. We first develop an analytical framework of the sustainable state, based on a critical discussion of concepts from transition, sustainability, and governance theory. The empirical part will be guided but what we take to be a new and innovative framework. Based on a documentary analysis to reveal existing forms of the sustainable state in all Swiss cantons, we will select distinct cases for further in-depth inquiries. We will employ a qualitative case study approach to investigate the working of sustainability governance arrangements in selected Swiss cantons and we will assess their capacities to bring forth functions of sustainable governance with reference to the analytical framework. To do so, we will conduct interviews with key actors in the public administration as well societal actors. We will analyze the data using methods of qualitative content analysis. Finally, and employing the method of process tracing, we will capture the formation of sustainability governance arrangements in the selected cases.With the project, we add innovative knowledge to the sustainability governance literature in mainly four respects. First, it establishes an informed notion of the governance functions of the sustainable state. Second, it provides empirical knowledge on sustainable transformation processes within the state along the studied Swiss cantons. Third, it illuminates the role of key sustainability actors in transforming governance. Fourth, the project adds practical, socially robust knowledge to improve the capacities for sustainability governance in Swiss cantons. Participation, Democracy and Sustainability in Urban Governance (Dissertation) Research Project | 2 Project MembersAbstract is in preparation. UtilitEE: Utility Business Model Transformation through human-centric behavioral interventions and ICT tools for Energy Efficiency Research Project | 3 Project MembersUtilities are facing political pressure to reduce the energy end use by their customers and GHG emissions. Consumers on the other hand, are empowered by the proliferation of IT interfaces and multiplication of channels. Their expectations for everything-anytime-anywhere interaction are redefining the nature of (energy) services. The advent of smart building technologies for energy efficiency reveal a mega-trend on the evolution of consumer choices and highlight the need for addressing their requirements for user-friendly, meaningful and actionable communication. Faced with these realities, business as usual is no longer an option for energy utilities. They must seek new sources of revenues by introducing bundled building energy management service packages including energy efficiency, smart controls and automation. The UtilitEE project will provide a customer-oriented Behavioural Change Framework (Energy-as-a-Service delivery approach via an open ICT ecosystem integrated into the building with off-the-shelf sensors). It focuses on discovering, quantifying and revealing energy-hungry activities and conveys meaningful feedback to engage users into a continuous process of learning and improvement. UtilitEE will leverage well-known behavioural models/ theories and standardized operational rating/ certification methods. It will also incorporate human-centric intelligent control features that use occupant comfort profiles and supportively control HVAC and lights so as to minimize energy waste, while always keeping occupants comfortable and preserving a healthy indoor environment. The framework will be validated in real-life conditions by a large population of residential and commercial consumers and aims to reduce energy use by ~30%. Validation activities will also explore future business models and go-to-market strategies for utilities. A holistic roadmap and business plan for the exploitation and replication of project results will be delivered. Mobility decisions in the context of a sustainable develop-ment - depedencies and potentials of influence (Dissertation) Research Project | 2 Project MembersThe proposed doctoral thesis aims at improving the understanding of the dependencies regarding environmentally sound mobility behaviour as well as long-term and short-term mobility decisions. The former are understood as strategic decisions with effect on a longer period, such as residential choice, car purchase, or public transport subscriptions. The latter are decisions on concrete trips, i.e the choice of destination, transportation mean or route, often predetermined by the former long-term mobility decisions. Based on a deeper understanding of mobility decisions, it's planned to come up with dependencies of values, attitudes, needs, and surrounding conditions on sustainable mobility decisions, in order to formulate recommendations for well-adjusted sustainable policies. In detail, the following research questions could be focused on: How can long-term and short-term sustainable mobility decisions be operationalized ? Are there indications for behavioral changes towards sustainability oriented mobility decisions, triggered by specific, target-group adjusted policies ? How do people react to incremental changes of the political framework in order to foster a more sustainable mobility behavior In what way do values influence mobility decisions, on the short and long term, of citizens, professional experts and politicians? Could « value-education / reflection» move forward sustainability in the transport sector ? 1234 1...4
TrAnsformative StädTische Ernährungsprojekte: Was bewährt sich wo und wie? (TASTE) Research Project | 2 Project MembersDie Debatte über eine nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Weiterentwicklung von Agrarsystemen in der «Fläche» wird seit vielen Jahren breit und konstruktiv geführt. Die Erreichung der SDGs im Zusammenhang mit Ernährungssystemen hängt aber massgeblich auch vom Verhalten der Akteure - Bürger*innen und Verbraucher*innen. Produzent*innen, Händler*innen, Policy-Maker - in Städten ab. Dementsprechend ist seit Kurzem eine verstärkte Hinwendung der wissenschaftlichen und politisch-praktischen Aufmerksamkeit in Richtung städtischer Ernährungssysteme zu beobachten. In städtischen Kontexten haben sich in den letzten Jahren zahlreiche neue (staatliche, zivilgesellschaftliche und privatwirtschaftliche) Initiativen und Projekte formiert, die ihrem Selbstverständnis nach zu einer nachhaltigkeits-orientierten Transformation urbaner Ernährungssysteme beitragen möchten. Dazu gehören etwa alternative Formen der städtischen Nahrungsmittelerzeugung (urban farming bzw. gardening), neue Formen der Zusammenarbeit von lokalen Erzeugern und Verarbeitern, aber auch Food Sharing-Initiativen. Die Projekte in diesem Bereich sind sehr divers, kaum systematisch erfasst und hinsichtlich ihrer transformativen Potentiale nur ansatzweise verstanden, geschweige denn einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit bekannt. Das Projekt zielt auf die Erfassung, das Sichtbarmachen und die kommunikative Verbreitung besonders erfolgreicher Projekte zur Transformation städtischer Ernährungssysteme in der Schweiz. Es schafft die Möglichkeit, dass städtische Ernährungsakteure (in Stadtverwaltungen, Zivilgesellschaft und Wirtschaft) von positiven Beispielen lernen und Handlungskapazitäten im Hinblick auf die Ausgestaltung und Umsetzung nachhaltigkeitsorientierter Ernährungsprojekte im städtischen Kontext aufbauen. Im Rahmen des Projekts fokussieren wir auf Ernährungspraktiken in vier grossen (Basel, Zürich, Lausanne, Bern) und vier mittelgrossen (Biel, Chur, Schaffhausen, Schwyz) Schweizer Städten. Während die Klärung besonders erfolgreicher Projekte im Rahmen der Solution Initiative selbst erfolgen wird, wird es aller Voraussicht nach um Projekte in den folgenden Bereichen gehen: 1) Produktion: Alternative städtische Lebensmittelproduktion vor allem in kooperativen Formaten (z.B. Urban Farming, Urban Gardening, Aquaponic) 2) Verarbeitung: Neue Formen der Lebensmittelverarbeitung in städtischen Kontexten (z.B. Umstellung auf Lebensmittel mit kleinerem ökologischen Fussabdruck in Grossküchen, kooperative Küchen, lokale Wertschöpfung) 3) Verteilung: Neue Formate des städtischen Vertriebs von Lebensmitteln (z.B. städtische Tafeln, Lebensmittelkooperativen, Foodsharing-Projekte)
Trinationale Kooperationsplattform für Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen, Einrichtungen Sozialer Arbeit und nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Unternehmen Research Project | 4 Project MembersTRICOP aims to build a cooperation platform that connects sustainability initiatives, businesses and social work institutions, opening up spaces for trinational cooperation and innovation. There are numerous possibilities for networking, such as linking urban gardening with day centres for people with mental illnesses or marginalized groups such as refugees. TRICOP is conceived as a trinational study and cooperation project of the University of Basel and the EH Freiburg and is funded by the Intercantonal Coordination Office at the Regio Basiliensis (IKRB) as representative of the Swiss Confederation within the framework of the New Regional Policy and the Canton of Basel-Landschaft. This project is realized through various student project at the EH Freiburg and the University of Basel. Specifically, through different seminars and workshops students learn different skills to research and identify various cooperation potentials, using literature/internet research, interviews or focus groups. Accompanying this, concrete cooperations are initiated by contacting actors, setting impulses for trinational cooperations and, as far as possible, consolidating them within a cooperation platform. The aim of the project is that the online platform functions as a networking/communication and search platform through which potential cooperation partners can be found and networked.
Mapping Sustainability in Swiss Nutritional Guidelines Research Project | 5 Project MembersOur modern food system is fundamentally undermining the environment, health, and social justice. It is multifaceted, with many actors and contested interests. When it comes to consumption, the voices become even more diverse, as diets are highly personal and related to many factors such as culture, affordability, taste, and environment. Individuals and organizations might want to look for reliable and clear guidance on how to better consume. Nutritional Guidelines can be influential instruments to offer such direction. Not surprisingly, the context of these guidelines might not be uniform and lead to varying diet stories, especially in the case of sustainability. Considering this context, in our research project, we propose to map sustainability in the existing Swiss Nutritional Guidelines (NGs) to clarify questions such as: What are the dominant NGs in Switzerland? How arethey approaching Sustainability? What are the trade-offs and synergies that are rising from different dimensions within NGs? Our research aims are the following: (1) To review the NGs in Switzerland and asses them through five dimensions: economic, social, environmental, health and governance; (2) To analyse the emergent key trade-offs and synergies within these dimensions; (3) To engage with stakeholders to complement the findings; (4) To generate a Sustainable-Diet Map.
Research proposal for the analysis of the SHEDS for Zurich Research Project | 3 Project MembersThe project aims at a comparative analysis of the Swiss Household Energy Demand Survey (SHEDS) from Zurich's perspective. SHEDS is an online survey designed and implemented by researchers from SCCER CREST. In phase I, an exploratory study compares patterns of differences in energy demand and consumption behaviour between households living in Zurich city with other parts of Switzerland, namely 1) Households in Zürich canton (KZH), excluding SZH and Winterthur; 2) Households in the 8 major Swiss cities other than SZH namely, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Luzern, Winterthur, Biel/Bienne, and St. Gallen; and 3) Households from the rest of Switzerland, i.e. all excluding groups 1-3 above. The analysis is based on group mean comparisons and generic OLS regressions applied to a panel data set extracted from four waves of the SHEDS from 2016 to 2019, including around 1'200 households in Zurich City and in total about 22'000 observations across the German and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. The objective is to analyse a wide scope of variables characterizing household demand in three main energy fields (electricity, mobility and heating) as well as a selection of related psychological factors such as intentions and norms. Phase II builds on the exploratory findings of Phase I. The main objective of Phase II is to identify meaningful differences that characterize the energy demand of households in Zurich compared to other cities/cantons. The econometric methods allow to: 1) decompose potential differences according to four groups of determinants thus linking them to various underlying mechanisms, and 2) identify the distribution of these differences across a selection of relevant population segments based on a selection of moderating factors. The project's focus is on two primary energy domains namely, electricity and private mobility. In order to provide an adequate comparative inference, it is required that the Zurich subsamples (treatment groups) are "matched" and compared with their comparable counterparts (control groups) in the rest of Switzerland. Therefore, in Phase II, we conduct a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to identify the optimal matching groups that can be compared with each household in Zurich. The "Zurich" effect will then be estimated as the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATET).
Smart-BEEjS / Human-Centric Energy Districts: Smart Value Generation by Building Efficiency and Energy Justice for Sustainable Living Research Project | 3 Project MembersSmart-BEEjS (Human-Centric Energy Districts: Smart Value Generation by Building Efficiency and Energy Justice for Sustainable Living) is a Horizon2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network - project. It encompasses a consortium of 8 universities and research centres, supported by 16 non-academic entities, in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. 15 PhD researchers will be working towards a PhD degree in the field of Positive Energy Districs (PEDs) that can generate local decentralised and innovative energy ecosystems, placing the consumer at its centre. The EU has used the Strategic Energy Technology Plan to transfer power to consumers (https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/set-plan_progress_2016.pdf), by decentralising the energy ecosystem to the local district-level. One of the targets of the plan is to establish "100 positive energy districts by 2025 (baseline 2015) and 80% of electricity consumption to be managed by consumers in 4 out of 5 households". In particular, PEDs are local developments and networks of homes, workplaces and traffic systems which, together, generate more energy than is consumed. The PhD positions are funded for a three years period and are supported by a supervisory. The project will train the 15 students using an innovative doctoral training programme that incorporates deep training in their individual subjects, with the ability to understand and engage with the needs of citizens and communities, the needs and opportunities available from scientists in different disciplines. In addition, they will have the opportunity to work through a collaborative research programme with those who produce the technologies necessary for PEDs, and work with the policymakers who can facilitate these new and exciting opportunities to generate new knowledge, influence and promote the development of PEDs.
Governance of Risk and Sustainability Research Project | 2 Project MembersAs ultimate threat to human existence, risks have been key objects for governmental interventions in the Anthropocene. Departing from technocratic models of risk assessment and management, this research project problematizes a depiction of risks as natural processes «out there» that can be assessed and managed. It rather suggests an analysis of risk governance within shifting human-environment relations - with facts and values about risks being co-produced within social and institutional networks. The following questions are at the core of this project: How is knowledge around risks (and security) produced in situated practices? How are choices and decisions around risks made and legitimized? And, how does the uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that characterize risks affect the ways they are governed and contested? Addressing these questions through theoretically-inspired empirical research on risk governance in Switzerland, this research project aims at contributing to a critical and reflexive engagement with and of an advancing «risk society».
The sustainabilization of the state. Forms, Functions and Formation of Sustainability Governance in Swiss Cantons Research Project | 3 Project MembersThis project builds on emerging practices of states to establish institutional capacities for coping with commitments related to sustainable development on the one hand, and on existing scientific claims demanding that states have to transform themselves in order to play a decisive role in sustainability governance on the other hand (e.g. claims on policy integration, participation etc.). We want to capture this perceived and claimed "differentness" theoretically and by analyzing the states' concrete endeavors to sustainabilize themselves. Accordingly, the project strives for contributing to an improved understanding of the self-transformation of the political-administrative system toward sustainability.Hereby, the project builds on the results of an explorative pre-study. To substantiate this preliminary work, we will approach the overall question on three levels. First, we look at the generic aspects of "sustainabilization" on a conceptual level. We especially want to elaborate a framework of the sustainable state with regard to its own internal and external governance functions. Second and based on the according conceptual basis, we will empirically analyze the practical efforts of sustainabilizing Swiss cantonal administrations. An important reason for choosing the subnational level is that the pre-study revealed a diversity of already developed practices. Hence, the framework could be applied to different cases and an informative comparison can be established. Third, the project includes a practice-oriented level by collaborating with cantonal representatives in an accompanying focus group not only to disseminate research results, but also to ensure a mutual learning process between the practitioners and the research team. The latter builds on the dialogue between scholars and sustainability administrators from Swiss cantons already established in the pre-study.The scientific part is composed of a theoretical part and an empirical part. We first develop an analytical framework of the sustainable state, based on a critical discussion of concepts from transition, sustainability, and governance theory. The empirical part will be guided but what we take to be a new and innovative framework. Based on a documentary analysis to reveal existing forms of the sustainable state in all Swiss cantons, we will select distinct cases for further in-depth inquiries. We will employ a qualitative case study approach to investigate the working of sustainability governance arrangements in selected Swiss cantons and we will assess their capacities to bring forth functions of sustainable governance with reference to the analytical framework. To do so, we will conduct interviews with key actors in the public administration as well societal actors. We will analyze the data using methods of qualitative content analysis. Finally, and employing the method of process tracing, we will capture the formation of sustainability governance arrangements in the selected cases.With the project, we add innovative knowledge to the sustainability governance literature in mainly four respects. First, it establishes an informed notion of the governance functions of the sustainable state. Second, it provides empirical knowledge on sustainable transformation processes within the state along the studied Swiss cantons. Third, it illuminates the role of key sustainability actors in transforming governance. Fourth, the project adds practical, socially robust knowledge to improve the capacities for sustainability governance in Swiss cantons.
Participation, Democracy and Sustainability in Urban Governance (Dissertation) Research Project | 2 Project MembersAbstract is in preparation.
UtilitEE: Utility Business Model Transformation through human-centric behavioral interventions and ICT tools for Energy Efficiency Research Project | 3 Project MembersUtilities are facing political pressure to reduce the energy end use by their customers and GHG emissions. Consumers on the other hand, are empowered by the proliferation of IT interfaces and multiplication of channels. Their expectations for everything-anytime-anywhere interaction are redefining the nature of (energy) services. The advent of smart building technologies for energy efficiency reveal a mega-trend on the evolution of consumer choices and highlight the need for addressing their requirements for user-friendly, meaningful and actionable communication. Faced with these realities, business as usual is no longer an option for energy utilities. They must seek new sources of revenues by introducing bundled building energy management service packages including energy efficiency, smart controls and automation. The UtilitEE project will provide a customer-oriented Behavioural Change Framework (Energy-as-a-Service delivery approach via an open ICT ecosystem integrated into the building with off-the-shelf sensors). It focuses on discovering, quantifying and revealing energy-hungry activities and conveys meaningful feedback to engage users into a continuous process of learning and improvement. UtilitEE will leverage well-known behavioural models/ theories and standardized operational rating/ certification methods. It will also incorporate human-centric intelligent control features that use occupant comfort profiles and supportively control HVAC and lights so as to minimize energy waste, while always keeping occupants comfortable and preserving a healthy indoor environment. The framework will be validated in real-life conditions by a large population of residential and commercial consumers and aims to reduce energy use by ~30%. Validation activities will also explore future business models and go-to-market strategies for utilities. A holistic roadmap and business plan for the exploitation and replication of project results will be delivered.
Mobility decisions in the context of a sustainable develop-ment - depedencies and potentials of influence (Dissertation) Research Project | 2 Project MembersThe proposed doctoral thesis aims at improving the understanding of the dependencies regarding environmentally sound mobility behaviour as well as long-term and short-term mobility decisions. The former are understood as strategic decisions with effect on a longer period, such as residential choice, car purchase, or public transport subscriptions. The latter are decisions on concrete trips, i.e the choice of destination, transportation mean or route, often predetermined by the former long-term mobility decisions. Based on a deeper understanding of mobility decisions, it's planned to come up with dependencies of values, attitudes, needs, and surrounding conditions on sustainable mobility decisions, in order to formulate recommendations for well-adjusted sustainable policies. In detail, the following research questions could be focused on: How can long-term and short-term sustainable mobility decisions be operationalized ? Are there indications for behavioral changes towards sustainability oriented mobility decisions, triggered by specific, target-group adjusted policies ? How do people react to incremental changes of the political framework in order to foster a more sustainable mobility behavior In what way do values influence mobility decisions, on the short and long term, of citizens, professional experts and politicians? Could « value-education / reflection» move forward sustainability in the transport sector ?
