Energy project with TU Delft citizen participation approach nominated for Galjaard prize

The project "The energy transition as joint decision of the municipality and the mienskip of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân has been nominated for the Galjaard prize. TU Delft researchers Shannon Spruit and Niek Mouter contributed to this innovative citizen participation process. They used the Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE) method with an online platform where citizens could indicate their preferences for policy concerning energy.

The Galjaard Prize is awarded every year to an initiative in the field of public communication that meets the criteria: inspiring for colleagues, innovative in approach and impact in terms of results. The winner will be announced on October 29.

About the project
TPM researchers Shannon Spruit and Niek Mouter, in collaboration with the NPBO (Dutch Platform Citizen Participation and Government Policy) and Public Mediation, have designed and implemented an innovative citizen participation process. Together with citizens, six policy directions for energy policy of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân have been drawn up and presented through a Participatory Value Evaluation. This consists of an innovative online consultation method co-developed by TU Delft in which citizens are put in the seat of the policy maker and give policy advice. A total of 1,376 residents participated. The results of the PVE were then interpreted by a citizen forum of residents from the municipality and they wrote an advice for the city council. What makes this process innovative is that the local council had not previously imposed any restrictions on the residents who developed the six policy directions and that the citizens (and not the researchers) were responsible for the design of the PVE and the interpretation of the results.

More information can be found at: https://www.tudelft.nl/tbm/pwe/case-studies/energie-in-sudwest-fryslan/ (in Dutch).