I found myself with a group of professionals on a rooftop terrace in Amsterdam early in the morning, for a breakfast network meeting organised by Weatherproof (formally known as Rainproof), They are a network founded by Waternet (the organisation in Amsterdam that ensures that we have clean drinking water), who are becoming more and more grounded in the organisation of the municipality of Amsterdam, as a part of the Climate Adaptation Program. While talking about heat stress in our country, we were surprised by a rainbow after heavy rain and cold wind. The urgency of the topic was all around us in this way.
The location of this meeting was very inspiring. This roof is not just a place for meetings but the initiators created a RooftopPARK. In this way, they want to show people what role roofs can play in greening cities. And above all, this can be done a lot faster. https://roefamsterdam.nl/
Next to great food, there was also food for thought…
Behaviour is more than urgency and intention
Reint Jan Renes (University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam) explained in his talk that behaviour is more than urgency and intention. He told us about the ‘false consensus’ we have on the urgency of the changing climate. As a society, we agree in broad terms that something needs to be done but we don’t agree on what to do exactly. When it comes to taking action in your own life people find that more difficult. We all have different motivations and barriers and live in different environments. Understanding this complexity is essential before you can contribute as a professional to behavioural change. Look at what people are doing now and what they need to change and where the tension is. This is complex and individual. And next to all of this policy plays a crucial role. Which system changes do they need in regulations? That’s what the conversations need to be about, not only telling people through campaigns what the desired behaviour is.
The role of Design Research
Design research can contribute to this understanding of the complexity of human behaviour. Our vision on participation is to embrace complexity. Our Streetlab method is doing exactly what Reintjan emphasizes. To contribute to change, we need to understand the people who need to change–what they feel, their confusions, fears and their daily lives. Mapping what system changes are needed to accommodate this change, and understanding the social environment will also help. As Reintjan said, we have a general consensus that we need to change in order to become Climateproof, but it’s too easy to just tell people what they need to do individually if you don’t look at what they do now and all the factors that are holding them back to do things differently. And which system changes they need from governments to change behaviour. In our work with the municipalities of Amsterdam and London, we talk to citizens in neighbourhoods about change, and how they and the community in the neighbourhood can play a role in this. To make the city a nicer place to be for everyone and ready for the future.
Want to learn more about our Streetlab method? Read here. Or listen to our podcast about deepening participant engagement
Want to learn more about the power of design in the work we do together with WDCD and our reach network around Climate Urgency? Read it here
To be continued!
Paulien Kreutzer