Examining the role of public participation and design in planning sustainability transitions

Crofts, Kimberley T.

Examining the role of public participation and design in planning sustainability transitions

Crofts, Kimberley T.

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2024

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Crofts, Kimberley T.
dc.date.accessioned	2025-05-13T04:41:31Z
dc.date.available	2025-05-13T04:41:31Z
dc.date.issued	2024
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187345
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	This research explores the role of public participation in planning the phase-out of coal mining in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales and uses this inquiry to suggest practical opportunities for designers in supporting participation in sustainability transitions. This thesis argues that without addressing structural barriers to participation, the public will continue to have limited influence over transition agendas, and decisions will continue to be made that benefit status quo actors such as fossil fuel companies. The research makes several contributions to rectifying this exclusion. First, through experimenting with place-based modes of public participation oriented towards policy, it shows how local knowledge might be integrated with technoscientific expertise to expand the evidence base on which transition decisions are made. Second, it reveals that a sensitivity to the socio-political factors that determine transition pathways is critical for knowing how public contributions can have the most impact. Finally, by field testing roles for designers in transitions, the research builds a practical understanding of how designers can support the growth of civic capacity within regional energy transitions.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/187345/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2024 Kimberley T. Crofts
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Examining the role of public participation and design in planning sustainability transitions	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

This research explores the role of public participation in planning the phase-out of coal mining in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales and uses this inquiry to suggest practical opportunities for designers in supporting participation in sustainability transitions. This thesis argues that without addressing structural barriers to participation, the public will continue to have limited influence over transition agendas, and decisions will continue to be made that benefit status quo actors such as fossil fuel companies. The research makes several contributions to rectifying this exclusion. First, through experimenting with place-based modes of public participation oriented towards policy, it shows how local knowledge might be integrated with technoscientific expertise to expand the evidence base on which transition decisions are made. Second, it reveals that a sensitivity to the socio-political factors that determine transition pathways is critical for knowing how public contributions can have the most impact. Finally, by field testing roles for designers in transitions, the research builds a practical understanding of how designers can support the growth of civic capacity within regional energy transitions.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187345