Climate protection targets call for a transition towards sustainable energy systems based on energy saving, more energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. The options for energy strategies are ...highly shaped by local and regional spatial contexts like urban, suburban or rural areas or small towns embedded in rural or suburban areas. Both energy efficiency and renewable energy potentials are determined by these spatial contexts, so taking them into consideration leads to more realistic energy strategies. Therefore, integrated spatial and energy planning is an important field of action in order to reach Sustainable Development Goal 7—clean and affordable energy. In this conceptual paper, the ideas and basic principles of integrated spatial and energy planning are introduced, and it is discussed, how this concept might help not only to reach the energy transition but might also support further sustainable development goals. The paper is based on research results gained from Austrian experiences.
Living conditions and development perspectives are influenced by territorial inequalities. In this study, an assessment of long-term local and regional resilience was conducted in order to understand ...the structural strengths and weaknesses in spatial development in Austria. To gain new insights into the known development patterns, a new resilience-oriented assessment was conducted. A growth-oriented assessment was carried out in parallel to provide a reference for interpreting the results. A set of criteria corresponding with each of the two assessment approaches was applied to obtain quantitative results. To determine the spatial dependency of the values’ characteristics, spatial statistics was applied. The reinterpretation of existing data and comparison of the results revealed a new level of insight into regional development and made it possible to determine the level of resilience of a region or municipality. The resilience could be evaluated relatively, by comparing the resilience of different spatial units within the study area. Similarities and differences between the results of the two approaches were revealed and discussed. The outcomes confirmed that the growth-oriented perspective is too narrow and further approaches are necessary in order to assess the sustainability and resilience of the local and regional spatial structures and development.
Zusammenfassung
Das Offene Technologielabor (Otelo) ist ein themenoffenes Treffpunktkonzept, welches gemäß dem Konzept nach Oldenburg (1989) den Dritten Orten zugeordnet werden kann. Die Besonderheit ...des Otelo-Konzepts liegt darin, dass es die Förderung von Innovation und Kreativwirtschaft in ländlichen Gemeinden und deren zukunftsfähige wirtschaftliche und soziale Entwicklung zum Ziel hat. Otelo wird seit 2010 auf Vereinsbasis und vorwiegend in Österreich umgesetzt. Bisher wurde jedoch noch nicht empirisch erfasst, welche Rolle die Offenen Technologielabore – und somit der Einsatz des Konzepts der Dritten Orte – für die kommunale Entwicklung einnehmen können und in welchem räumlichen Kontext Otelo-Aktivitäten eingebettet sind. Die vorliegende Betrachtung zu 2 Zeitpunkten (Januar 2016 und September 2019) zeigt, dass Otelo sich vor allem zur Erweiterung des kommunalen Kultur- und Erholungsangebots, zur Standortaufwertung sowie zur Förderung von Initiativen, welche einem auf Wachstum fokussierten Wirtschaftssystem Alternativen einzubringen versuchen, eignet. In seiner Umsetzung hat sich gezeigt, dass sich Otelo vor allem in urbanen und regionalen Zentren sowie ländlichen Gemeinden im Umland von Zentren bewährt. Während Dritte Orte bisher vor allem im Kontext der Privatwirtschaft beschrieben wurden, bietet dieser Beitrag Orientierung zur Eignung und zu den Limitationen der Anwendung dieses Konzepts in der Kommunalentwicklung.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Albania and Kosovo have invested considerable efforts to tackle present regional sustainability challenges on a research-based and strategic level. This ...happened through their traditional role as a provider of research and education. Additional activities fostering HEIs as a driver for sustainable regional development and innovation have been initiated as part of their third mission. However, customized education approaches were missing in order to fulfill specific regional demands of different research and learning projects in collaboration with regional actors. This paper explores the recently finished project “Connecting Science-Society Collaboration for Sustainability Innovation—ConSus” which focuses on the efforts of HEIs in Albania and Kosovo to tackle present regional sustainability challenges in both countries. An analytical framework regarding collaborative learning opportunities towards sustainable regional development and innovation has been drafted based on five key elements (capacities of HEIs in regional development, planning, learning and implementation theory, and action research). This framework has been applied to analyze the learning activities of the ConSus project. As a main finding, customized education approaches in the contexts of sustainable development (SD) and collaboration of scientific and regional actors are important elements to cope comprehensively with real-world problems.
River systems have undergone a massive transformation since the Anthropocene. The natural properties of river systems have been drastically altered and reshaped, limiting the use of management ...frameworks, their scientific knowledge base and their ability to provide adequate solutions for current problems and those of the future, such as climate change, biodiversity crisis and increased demands for water resources. To address these challenges, a socioecologically driven research agenda for river systems that complements current approaches is needed and proposed. The implementation of the concepts of social metabolism and the colonisation of natural systems into existing concepts can provide a new basis to analyse the coevolutionary coupling of social systems with ecological and hydrological (i.e., ‘socio-ecohydrological’) systems within rivers. To operationalize this research agenda, we highlight four initial core topics defined as research clusters (RCs) to address specific system properties in an integrative manner. The colonisation of natural systems by social systems is seen as a significant driver of the transformation processes in river systems. These transformation processes are influenced by connectivity (RC 1), which primarily addresses biophysical aspects and governance (RC 2), which focuses on the changes in social systems. The metabolism (RC 3) and vulnerability (RC 4) of the social and natural systems are significant aspects of the coupling of social systems and ecohydrological systems with investments, energy, resources, services and associated risks and impacts. This socio-ecohydrological research agenda complements other recent approaches, such as ‘socio-ecological’, ‘socio-hydrological’ or ‘socio-geomorphological’ systems, by focusing on the coupling of social systems with natural systems in rivers and thus, by viewing the socioeconomic features of river systems as being just as important as their natural characteristics. The proposed research agenda builds on interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity and requires the implementation of such programmes into the education of a new generation of river system scientists, managers and engineers who are aware of the transformation processes and the coupling between systems.
Display omitted
•River systems have been massively transformed and are socio-ecohydrological systems.•A socio-ecohydrologically driven approach provides insights into coevolutionary processes.•Social metabolism and the colonisation of natural systems are underlying concepts.•Four research clusters analyse the transformation and coupling of society and nature.•Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches support the operationalization of the research agenda.
Resilience has become a prominent concept to understand system vulnerabilities and flexible ways of adapting to crises. Recently, it gained importance in discussions about the possible peak in oil ...production (peak oil) and its consequences, which might affect economic performance, social well-being and political stability, and thus also the energy transition to a low-carbon economy. The paper presents a new way of measuring resilience as absolute resilience related to a best practice-model of a resilient society. The resilience model is grounded in explicit theoretical assumptions. All indicators are justified by theoretical and empirical arguments. We present a case study of Austrian municipalities and broader-scale spatial types, which were defined according to their degree of urbanization. The mean resilience of Austrian municipalities is moderate, the difference between resilience values of municipalities is small. Significant differences between spatial types exist. Higher resilience is displayed by less urbanized types due to a higher share of agricultural activities and a more favorable level of GDP per capita. Austria has considerable latitude to improve resilience. Corresponding policies should target resilience components with the lowest values first. A sole focus on regionalization is not recommended. These conclusions are applicable to OECD countries in general.
•Mean resilience of Austrian municipalities towards peak oil is moderate.•The difference between resilience values of municipalities is small.•Significant differences in resilience between spatial types exist.•Higher resilience is displayed by less urbanized types.•Policies should target resilience components with the lowest values first.
This article introduces a modified calculation model of the ecological footprint for energy planning. The original footprint model can only evaluate energy savings, but not the substitution of fossil ...through renewable energy carriers. With the modified calculation model, energy savings as well as substitution potentials can be described. The examination of case studies where this model has been applied in energy planning led to the identification of strengths and weaknesses of the modified calculation model which are discussed subsequently. Hence it follows that the modified calculation model is suitable for energy planning processes from analysis to decision making. Used as a communication tool the model shows whether the principles of sustainable development are being realized on different levels of energy planning.
Zusammenfassung
In der Bewirtschaftung von Niederschlagswasser setzt sich in den letzten Jahren ein Trend in Richtung dezentraler, flexibler Lösungen und grüner Infrastruktur durch, um besser an ...künftige Herausforderungen wie den Klimawandel oder die Urbanisierung angepasst zu sein. Bei der Erweiterung oder Neuerschließungen von Siedlungsgebieten wird zunehmend der Erhalt des natürlichen Wasserhaushalts angestrebt. Hier fällt es vergleichsweise leicht, dezentrale Maßnahmen wie Versickerung oder Retention entsprechend dem Stand der Technik und Forschung vorzuschreiben bzw. umzusetzen.
Innerhalb bestehender Stadt- und Siedlungsstrukturen ist eine vertiefte Auseinandersetzung mit Bebauung, Flächennutzung und Flächenwidmung erforderlich, um mögliche geeignete Standorte für die Niederschlagswasserbewirtschaftung zu identifizieren. Es wird eine Methode aufgezeigt, um auf Basis bestehender amtlicher Daten räumliche Strukturtypen aus Sicht der Siedlungswasserwirtschaft abzugrenzen. Diese dienen als Basis, um flächenbezogen innerhalb des Bestands Potenziale und Restriktionen für die Niederschlagswasserbewirtschaftung zu identifizieren. Die hier entwickelte Methodik kann einen Beitrag zur fundierten Entscheidungsfindung für die Auswahl und Umsetzung von dezentralen Maßnahmen der Niederschlagswasserbewirtschaftung leisten.
This paper explores opportunities for universities to contribute to local and regional development processes, apart from classical knowledge transfer within education and lifelong learning. In order ...to draft an analytical framework for the university-society relationship in regional development processes, we introduce three theoretical frameworks: planning, learning, and implementation theory, as well as shift the research perspective from university to regional development processes. The elaborated framework is applied to two case studies in Austria: the Montagsakademie, an initiative of the Karl-Franzens University in Graz, and PlanVision, an energy research project between the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and the Town of Freistadt. From the analysis can be concluded that knowledge provision is not enough to establish the university as a change agent. In order to reach this effect, “ownership” of knowledge within local and regional communities has to be achieved. This ownership affects the level of values (shared visions and objectives concerning sustainable development) and the level of facts (addressing the skills for implementation and action) and can best be attained through joint knowledge generation. Universities that want to act as change agents have to thoroughly consider collaborative ways of research and education in informal learning environments so that knowledge demand, knowledge transfer and knowledge generation can be negotiated and jointly determined between local and regional societies and universities.
PDF
