About the Project
In DUST we aim to hear the voices of the least engaged communities who will be most affected by transitions towards a more sustainable future. We are all part of sustainability transitions, and our collective action is needed to create a more sustainable future for all.
What is DUST about?
In Europe, and across the world, major changes are being made to our industries. As we move away from polluting processes such as coal mining and harmful material production, there is a need to recognise the voices of communities that are dependent on such industries. This requires a shift in the way that our policies are designed and an expansion of who is "in the room".
The European Union (EU) – in collaboration with national, regional, and local governments - seeks to bring its policies closer to citizens through place-based approaches to sustainability transitions. By working with citizens in the design of these approaches, the aim is to increase their ownership of policies and rebuild their trust in democratic institutions. However, these approaches are often limited in their ability to meaningfully reach vulnerable and less engaged communities and represent them in citizen engagement actions.
If sustainability transition policies and plans are to succeed, they must address the specific situations in different locations and include communities that are the most vulnerable in the face of the transitional challenge. The DUST project explores how strategies supporting sustainability transitions in key European regions can be made more fair. We support the delivery of place-based policies for just sustainability transitions that enhance citizen participation and trust in democratic governance.
Where do we Work?
8 Case-Study Regions
Our research is applied in 8 case study regions where we explore the factors that encourage or limit citizen participation. By working with a range of stakeholders in each region, we develop a deeper understanding of how policies have been implemented in each place and how regional identities are changing as sutainability transitions take place.
4 Regional Experiments
We organise experiments with new tools and methods for citizen engagement in 4 of the case study regions (where just sustainability transitions pose the greatest challenges). In these regions we work closely with the least-engaged communities to help them to imagine positive futures for their regions and connect these to decision-makers.
What is our Approach?
Over the course of three years, DUST dives into citizen participation in the design of policies relating to sustainability transitions through a number of work packages.
Following work package 1 that focuses on the design of the project, work packages 2 and 3 explore actions related to just transition policies in each case-study region, to understand how citizen participation has been performed, what experiences citizens have had, and how sustainability transitions are seen in case study regions. This enables the project to understand where things can be improved.
In work packages 4 and 5, experiments are organised to test the potential of a hybrid format that combines digital tools for collecting citizen feedback with methods that create designs for the future based on the perspectives of the least-engaged communities. This process explores how citizens' desires for the future can be turned into actionable strategies for the design and development of policy.
Work package 6 connects the different stakeholders we interact with and organises two-way exchanges of information, where networks are built to better understand the situations in our case study regions and to share the learnings from DUST with communities, academics, and policymakers.
Over the course of three years, DUST dives into citizen participation in the design of policies relating to sustainability transitions through a number of work packages.
Following work package 1 that focuses on the design of the project, work packages 2 and 3 explore actions related to just transition policies in each case-study region, to understand how citizen participation has been performed, what experiences citizens have had, and how sustainability transitions are seen in case study regions. This enables the project to understand where things can be improved.
In work packages 4 and 5, experiments are organised to test the potential of a hybrid format that combines digital tools for collecting citizen feedback with methods that create designs for the future based on the perspectives of the least-engaged communities. This process explores how citizens' desires for the future can be turned into actionable strategies for the design and development of policy.
What Methods do we Use?
We use a range of different methods in DUST to promote effective and longlasting changes to the involvement of citizens in policymaking relating to sustainability transitions. Take a look at the methods we use in our case-study research, our regional experiments, and our communicative dimension by clicking on the bubbles below…
Communicative Dimension
Regional Experiments
Case-Study Research
What is our Timeline?
Where do we Work?
8 Case-Study Regions
Our research is applied in 8 case study regions where we explore the factors that encourage or limit citizen participation. By working with a range of stakeholders in each region, we develop a deeper understanding of how policies have been implemented in each place and how regional identities are changing as sutainability transitions take place.
4 Regional Experiments
We organise experiments with new tools and methods for citizen engagement in 4 of the case study regions (where just sustainability transitions pose the greatest challenges). In these regions we work closely with the least-engaged communities to help them to imagine positive futures for their regions and connect these to decision-makers.