1,720,967 research outputs found
Co-shaping smart cities : participation inequalities in civic crowdsourcing
No full textThis paper studies participation divides on civic crowdsourcing platforms in a smart city context, hybrid applications of distributed urban innovation management, and new modes of digital citizenship, often applied to co-shape future urban environments. However, the emergence of new participatory instruments also brings new digital inequalities, as their adoption is not distributed equally. Hence, from an explicitly interdisciplinary perspective, this article explores the role of civic engagement, digital inequalities, and opinion leadership in understanding differences in participatory behavior on such platforms. Using a regression model (N = 178), this study shows that participation differences on civic crowdsourcing platforms are explained by opinion leadership and political engagement, but not by community engagement, traditional digital inequalities. This reveals that such platforms are used most by those who were already participating and have high levels of expertise, which sheds a light on the potential empowerment of such platforms and its democratic implications
Neighborhood hotspot and community awareness: The double role of social network sites in local communities
Full text linkExploring entrepreneur-intermediary interactions regarding user orientation : evidence from Living-labs-as-a-service projects
No full textThe development and psychometric testing of the expressive and instrumental online neighborhood network uses scale (ONNUS)
Full text linkThe current study presents an instrument to measure online neighborhood network (ONN) uses from a social capital perspective. Prior studies have provided tentative evidence that ONNs, developed on social media platforms, can be a means for residents to develop social capital. However, to investigate this claim, a quantitative measurement instrument tailored to group- instead of ego-centered networks, is necessary yet currently lacking. A multi-phase method was applied to develop and test the psychometric properties of our instrument. Drawing upon existing literature, we conceptualized two types of ONN uses: expressive and instrumental uses. Both constructs were subsequently operationalized in a series of research steps. The construct validity (both exploratory and confirmatory), criterion and theoretical validity, and internal consistency of the instrument were tested on a sample of ONN users (n = 668) in Flanders (Belgium). The findings showed that the designed instrument is valid and reliable for assessing ONN uses. As such, the means are provided for investigating the role of ONNs in neighborhood relationship and social capital development, discern between different types of ONN users, and to assess the quality of ONNs with respect to the neighborhood's social life from a policy perspective
Like Stones in The River: Understanding The Nature of Boundary Objects in Participatory Futures Workshops
No full textAcknowledgements Ellen Anthoni & Khushboo Balwani from BrusselAVenir and all participants of the workshops
Transitioning to energy efficient housing : drivers and barriers of intermediaries in heat pump technology
No full textSince the Paris Agreement of 2015, 195 countries, including Belgium, have committed themselves to keep the earth from becoming warmer than 1,5 ◦C since pre-industrial levels. By building and renovating in a more sustainable way, greenhouse gasses can be contained. Previous studies already demonstrated the influence and decisive role of the individual homeowner in energy retrofitting. Recent research highlights that energy efficient renovations are not a solo slim game by the homeowner itself, but a collaboration between various intermediaries and the homeowner. By conducting in-depth interviews, with a focus on the installation of heat pump technology, we identified a series of drivers and barriers that intermediaries experience when installing heat pumps. These drivers and barriers where structured and analyzed according to the “Alphabet theory framework”. As a result, this paper provides four concrete propositions that can be applied by policymakers that face similar challenges in the transition to climate neutral buildings: (1) Intermediaries should be aided and supported in recommending heat pumps to private homeowners, (2) Inform, guide, and sensitize intermediaries about up-to date heat pump installations, (3) Sensitize homeowners by providing non-complex information in a centralized and accessible place, (4) Facilitate knowledge transfer between intermediaries who offer their services to the same consumers, transcending time
A qualitative analysis of the value creation of Urban Living Labs
No full textOver the past decade, Open Innovation (OI) literature has extended its scope beyond strictly economical contexts to the context of societal value creation. This has given rise to the notion of distributed knowledge as a driver for sustainable innovation development. Over the past 15 years, the concept of Urban Living Labs (ULLs) has gained popularity to put social OI into practice. Hence, this concept is often applied in urban environments to support transition processes that try to tackle so-called wicked problems. However, a fuzzy understanding of this ULL concept still exists, due to an unclear understanding of its value creation mechanics. Therefore, this paper aims to both conceptualise and gain a better understanding of how ULLs are instrumentalised and create value. This is studied from the perspective of “ecosystem stakeholders” that participate in ULL projects. These insights are obtained through a case study with a multimethod qualitative research approach. The main data sources are a series of 20 semi-structured key-informant interviews, four focus groups, and participatory observation. The results show that the value creation for the participating stakeholders can be summarised in two main clusters: (1) the ULL as a way to build and strengthen the capacities of participating stakeholders; and (2) the ULL as a way to facilitate purpose driven fulfilment in urban transition processes
- …
