CODALoop is a EU-funded research project and a joint venture of different academic and non-academic partners in three countries, The Netherlands, Austria and Turkey and four cities, Amsterdam, Graz, Leibnitz and Istanbul. CODALoop Amsterdam is active in two neighborhoods, the Indische Buurt and Buiksloterham.
There is a tremendous urgency to reduce energy consumption to guarantee quality of life for future generations. In the light of the weak results of behavioral approaches and top-down investments on infrastructures for energy efficiency, such as grid management, smart meters and the like, innovative approaches to tackle this issue are required. CODALoop Amsterdam is a research project which uses a sociological approach and explores the extent to which social interactions, at the level of the neighborhood, are able to activate ‘energy consciousness’.
What is the goal of the project?
CODALoop Amsterdam aims to explore:
The role that energy-related data and information (from ‘hard’ data such as in energy footprint calculators, statistics, etc. to ‘soft’ data such as personal experiences, stories, etc.) can play in moderating the aforementioned social interactions.
The role that space, both physical (in face-to-face interactions) and virtual (through an online forum) can have in enabling the co-creation of new energy-related meanings.
Through this exploration, this research aims to contribute to a paradigm shift within the field of energy research and social science, which focuses not only on reducing energy consumption but also on reducing energy needs.
What is the result of the project?
CODALoop stands for COmmunities who discuss, share and co-create energy-related DAta/information. In the CODALoop platform, these discussions, sharing and co-creation processes take place in Loops. Loops between individuals and their community and between communities and the policy level. Though these Loops new meanings of energy are expected to emerge and inform innovative energy policy approaches.
CODALoop is a research project that runs from 2016 until 2019. Findings and implications for energy policy will be disseminated in the last year of the project.
Who initiated the project and which organizations are involved?
The CODALoop Amsterdam team from the University of Amsterdam (Urban Planning Department) initiated the project and is the project coordinator. The rest of the academic and non academic partners are the following:
The Netherlands
Academic partners:
- University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) - Project Coordinator
- Technical University of Delft (TU Delft)
Non-academic partners:
- Amsterdam Economic Board
- Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) (Public-private organization)
- Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Nederlands Planburau voor de Leefomgeving - PBL) - (Government research Institute)
- Nudge (Social Enterprise)
Austria
Academic partners:
- Graz University of Technology (TU Graz)
Non-academic partners:
- City of Graz (Local Government)
- City Lab Graz (Research and innovation platform)
- Energie Steiermark (Energy company)
- HORN CONSULT (Eco-Management Consultancy)
Turkey
Academic partners:
- Yildiz Technical University (TU Yildiz)
Non-academic partners:
- District Municipality of Kadikoy, Istanbul (Local Government)
- Yurtici Kargo (Logistics Firm)
- PlusOneMinusOne (P1M1) (Software programming firm)
What is the next step?
At the moment, CODALoop is working with the local communities in Buiksloterham and in the Indische Buurt. The CODALoop Amsterdam team organizes monthly meetups and facilitates online forums in both neighborhoods to continue the discussions on line.
What can other cities learn from your project?
Other cities and neighborhoods in Amsterdam can learn from the mechanisms analysed in CODALoop to activate ‘energy consciousness’, as well as from the policy advice.
