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Science-Society-Interfaces: Knowledge Systems and Co-Creation in Environmental Local Governance

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 2517

Special Issue Editors

European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER), Emmy-Noether-Straße 11, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
School of Public Policy and Administration and the Department of Geography, University of Delaware, 298J Graham Hall, Newark, DE 19716, USA
European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER), Emmy-Noether-Straße 11, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Jurija Gagarina 11, 87-100 Toruń, Poland

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Global environmental challenges demand transformations in local governance systems in urban and rural areas and complex, multi-level approaches integrating different social and political actors, tools, and processes. This includes the creation of socio-technical interfaces such as new communication and participation platforms and intermediary institutions. Those interfaces can potentially improve processes of local knowledge co-creation, cooperation, and citizen participation in local environmental governance.

For this Special Issue, we invite contributions regarding local knowledge co-creation (e.g., citizen science, co-creative research design) responsible research and innovation (RRI) and the integration of different knowledge systems into local environmental governance. Both conceptual papers and case studies are welcome. They should reflect on the opening up of science, experts systems, data infrastructures, digital tools, planning, and policy making, with a focus on local environmental governance. Papers addressing the integration of citizen-science-based knowledge and the empowerment of citizens/local stakeholders for participation in knowledge creation are especially welcome. A specific focus will be knowledge co-creation on the urban Food-Water-Energy Nexus. Specific questions can, e.g., be: How can knowledge co-creation and participation work regarding complex interlinkages of socio-technical and environmental systems and how can these approaches can help in enhancing local visibility and understanding of crucial global environmental challenges?

Ms. Pia Laborgne
Prof. Dr. João Porto de Albuquerque
Prof. Dr. Andrea L. Pierce
Dr. Jochen Wendel
Prof. Dr. Michał Wróblewski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Knowledge co-creation
  • Governance
  • Nexus
  • Citizen participation
  • Citizen science
  • Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS)
  • Sustainable cities
  • Sustainability transitions
  • Urban Living Labs
  • RRI
  • Citizen empowerment

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Citizens or Consumers? Air Quality Sensor Users and Their Involvement in Sensor.Community. Results from Qualitative Case Study
by Michał Wróblewski, Joanna Suchomska and Katarzyna Tamborska
Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11406; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132011406 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1619
Abstract
This article presents the results of the qualitative research conducted on Polish users of the Sensor.Community network. Different types of motivation behind the decision to engage in the collection of air quality data are discussed. Users’ motives have been found to result predominantly [...] Read more.
This article presents the results of the qualitative research conducted on Polish users of the Sensor.Community network. Different types of motivation behind the decision to engage in the collection of air quality data are discussed. Users’ motives have been found to result predominantly from the concern for the health and safety of their loved ones, as well as the need to control air quality (and ultimately the quality of life) in their immediate environment (home and neighbourhood). Users do not display civic behaviour such as working for the local community. Three factors have been proposed to explain this status quo. First, the motives related to health and safety, as opposed to motives behind seeking a resolution to an environmental problem at the local level, may contribute to the solidification of individualistic attitudes. Second, Sensor.Community is organised in a way that does not promote a greater involvement from the network organisers in the development of the initiative and retention of users. Instead, the network focuses predominantly on the technical aspects of operation. Third, users have no sense of agency as, in our opinion, they remain largely unaware of the value of the data they collect. Full article
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