Roads, the electricity grid, drinking water: various areas of infrastructure in the Netherlands are creaking at the seams. Supply can barely keep up with demand, but it keeps trying. Is there another way of thinking about this? By influencing demand, for example? This question is central to the SPINES research project, which is receiving 1.2 million euros from science financier NWO and Next Generation Infrastructures. SPINES is being carried out by a consortium of researchers and social partners, led by Vincent de Gooyert, a researcher in system dynamics at Radboud University.
comes from the knowledge and innovation programme "Responsible Transformations". This programme funds research consortia of scientists and public-private partners working on new solutions to the challenges facing Dutch infrastructure.
Infrastructure connects our country and society within and beyond our borders. Infrastructure managers therefore bear a great responsibility for the economic and social well-being of the Netherlands. In view of the major transitions we are facing, such as climate, energy, and circularity, this research program aims to guide these transitions through the scientific development and testing of new approaches for infrastructure managers. The projects focus on developing an integrated vision for the future and what this requires from infrastructure and infrastructure managers.
SPINES: new strategies to steer infrastructure demand
The project SPINES: Cross-sectoral strategies for shaping infrastructure demand , led by Vincent de Gooyert (Radboud University), helps infrastructure managers to develop cross-sectoral strategies for shaping infrastructure demand, replacing the traditional ’predict-and-provide’ paradigm that is not future proof. Societal challenges like climate change, energy transitions, and resource scarcity require a shift in how infrastructure governance is understood and applied. Drawing from the disciplines engineering, planning, innovation, and transition studies, we explore the dynamics between infrastructure governance, policymaking, and end-user behaviour to identify how infrastructure managers can proactively shape infrastructure demand to achieve more fair and efficient use and provision of infrastructure capacity.
Researchers at Radboud University are collaborating on this project with the following social partners: Biggelaar Groep, Port of Rotterdam Authority, Vitens, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, Alliander, Green Metropolitan Region Arnhem-Nijmegen, Vialis, ConnectR.