POLYPHONIC CITIES
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attention must also be paid to the question of how the parties are going to do things together, and the basis for this is the formulation of common values.
संघर्ष
conflict/conflict
Certainties in uncertain situations PG: Another pitfall is the problematic development of our political culture. Leaders feel the need to project that they have their processes in order, but at the same time seem less and less able to realise what needs to be done. With energy transitioning, the Netherlands is now in last place in Europe. The distance between perception and reality is becoming so great that meaningful discussions with participants outside the government is becoming increasingly complicated. MK: There are also examples to the contrary – look at the reaction to the coronavirus. It was clear that immediate action had to be taken while a lot of data was still missing. This was quickly and widely recognised and, subsequently, rules of the game were introduced and widely supported. I think this is an exemplary approach that translates well into the processes of uncertainty in energy transitioning. Nobody knows what technological developments will be, and if a situation is uncertain and complex, you have to work on relational certainty, and on mutual trust. PG: Serious factual expertise is also needed, though. People agree on the terms of energy transitioning but have no idea of the actual scope of the task. That increases the importance of the relational side, but factual knowledge is still essential from the very beginning for the process of creating a vision.
ⵜⴰⴼⴹⵓⵍⵉⵜ
nieuwsgerigheid/curiosity
VFS_Cahier 1_FINAL.indb 47
conflict/conflict
འཁྲུག་རྩོོད།
Pragmatic learning MK: The relational approach boils down to a form of joint, pragmatic, and informed practical research that starts from the present, and which questions our assumptions. Collaborative fact-finding plays a crucial role in this. In my view, municipalities should also take the lead in setting up a process by which participants can discover what external or self-developed knowledge they jointly rely on. A tested framework of jointly formulated values is also needed to define a vision for concrete plans. Projections of the future change under the influence of new knowledge, but common values are much more stable, providing an assessment framework with which to make a practical choice between various options. Such an approach can break through the risk-averse reflexes of municipalities precisely because it is extremely practical. PG: I’m reluctant to expect everything from processing instruments. It’s also important to bring knowledge and skills back to these governmental bodies; we really need to invest in the municipal apparatus that can cope with these challenges. MK: Governments must have sufficient knowledge, but don’t have to be knowledge authorities themselves. However, they are the primary partner for organising a process that creates confidence in certain expertise, and on the basis of these, sustainable choices can be made on complex issues. There’s a need for instruments that do not yet exist – our existing framework of standards also need to be revised. How do you revalue space? What actually is space? PG: Indeed. If we retain all the certainties of the past, we won’t get there. Not even a little bit.
Ability for rapid change PG: At the same time, it turns out that in reality, a lot more is possible than anyone thought. In Rotterdam, a car city, Westblaak is now being converted into a park! It’s very interesting to see that this kind of thing can turn around in such a short period of time. MK: Amsterdam really needs a crisis for this – it’s now happening with the collapsing quay walls in the city centre, giving a tremendous boost to the redevelopment of the Red Light District. PG & MK: A good crisis is indispensable for a number of issues – whatever else you can say about the corona crisis, the ability to change quickly seems to have been tapped into!
16/06/2020 14:02