Socio‐economic factors and citizens' practices, enabling positive energy districts. Challenging 'silo thinking' for promoting PEDs

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Yoo, H.K., Nguyen, M.-T., Lamonaca, L., Galanakis, K. ORCID: 0000-0002-1320-2475 and Ackrill, R. ORCID: 0000-0002-0739-1812, 2020. Socio‐economic factors and citizens' practices, enabling positive energy districts. Challenging 'silo thinking' for promoting PEDs. Nottingham: Smart‐BEEjS Consortium.

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Abstract

Executive Summary:

Collaboration between disciplines, sectors, institutions, and communities is essential for the successful planning and implementation of Positive energy districts (PEDs). However, silo thinking, defined in this document as the disregard of other groups’ viewpoints or interests, poses a barrier to effective collaboration. Based on a review of existing literature, multiple factors were identified that could potentially cause silo thinking in the context of PEDs. First, differences in beliefs and ideologies create silos across disciplines, stakeholders, and communities. Divergent goals across sectors hinder collaboration between departments of the government. Misconceptions and prejudice present barriers in communication between citizens and the government. Furthermore, a lack of consideration for local culture and history may prevent collaboration between different cities and obstruct governments from engaging local innovations. Silos between disciplines and sectors are difficult to overcome because the long tradition of these silos means people are inexperienced in coordination across the boundaries of their own discipline or sector, making coordination more costly.

In the planning and implementation of PEDs, systems thinking is a key change in mindset that allows problem solving in the presence of interdependencies between different groups. Systems thinking can be incorporated in education, mid‐management training, and work culture. Experts, researchers, and higher‐level governance institutions can incorporate this type of holistic thinking to take a nexus approach or multidisciplinary approach in policy framing. As useful as it may be, in practical application, the systems approach can be obstructed by existing boundaries of organisations. Thus, the government also takes a primary role in facilitating coordination of different entities, by devising coordination bodies within the government and channels of communication with the public, as well as encouraging networks among businesses. Finally, citizens and grassroot organisations can be empowered by these government efforts and more actively engage in actions for PEDs.

Item Type:

Research report for external body

Description:

Commissioning Body: European Commission

Creators:

Yoo, H.K., Nguyen, M.-T., Lamonaca, L., Galanakis, K. and Ackrill, R.

Contributors:

Name	Role	NTU ID	ORCID
Galanakis, K.	Editor	NBS3GALANK	orcid.org/0000-0002-1320-2475
Batel, S.	Editor	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Ackrill, R.	Editor	EPO3ACKRIRW	orcid.org/0000-0002-0739-1812