Citizen Participation and Knowledge Support in Urban Public Energy Transition-A Quadruple Helix Perspective

Climate change, energy transition needs and the current energy crisis have prompted cities to implement far-reaching changes in public energy supply. The present paper seeks to map out the conditions for sustainable energy provision and use, with a particular view to the role of citizens in a quadruple helix context. Citizen participation is often seen as a sine qua non for a successful local or district energy policy in an urban area but needs due scientific and digital support based on evidence-based knowledge (using proper user-oriented techniques such as Q-analysis). The paper sets out to explore the citizen engagement and knowledge base for drastic energy transitions in the city based on the newly developed diabolo model, in which in particular digital tools (e.g., dashboards, digital twins) are proposed as useful tools for the interface between citizens and municipal policy. The approach adopted in this paper is empirically illustrated for local energy policy in the city of Rotterdam.

Automated summary

Climate change, energy transition needs, and the current energy crisis have led cities to implement significant changes in public energy supply. This paper aims to identify the conditions for sustainable energy provision and use, focusing on the role of citizens in a quadruple helix context. Citizen participation is considered crucial for successful local or district energy policies in urban areas, but it requires scientific and digital support based on evidence-based knowledge. The paper explores citizen engagement and knowledge base for drastic energy transitions in cities, using the diabolo model and proposing the use of digital tools as an interface between citizens and municipal policy. The empirical illustration of this approach is demonstrated through a case study of local energy policy in Rotterdam.