The roads, trains and electricity grid are congested, and drinking water is becoming scarcer. At the same time, there are not enough workers to solve all these infrastructure problems. Certainly not if we continue to try to absorb the increasing pressure on all’infrastructure. It is time to question the ever-growing demand, says Vincent de Gooyert, researcher in sustainability transitions (Radboud University). It is not supply that needs to become smarter, but demand.
De Gooyert leads a research project, SPINES, for which he, his colleagues and an impressive list of social partners received a grant of 1.2 million euros from science financier NWO and Next Generation Infrastructures at the beginning of June. The grant was awarded as part of the "Responsible Transformations" programme, which funds consortia of scientists and social partners working on new, responsible solutions to the challenges facing Dutch infrastructure.
Not everything is possible
Responsible and sustainable are essential terms for De Gooyert. ’There is a lot that needs to be done in terms of sustainability, nitrogen, labour shortages and digitisation. The starting point is often: how can we continue to meet demand? Are there innovations that could stretch supply a little further? We look at it differently: shouldn’t we question this ever-growing demand? Isn’t it time to say that not everything is possible? That is the core of our proposal.’
De Gooyert knows that this is quite controversial. He cites proposals from the past, such as road pricing or a rush-hour charge, which would make driving on the busiest routes and at the busiest times more expensive. Or a fairly recent proposal to further increase the price difference between train tickets during peak and off-peak hours. It didn’t happen: ’The Netherlands would be in uproar if something like that were proposed. No politician is willing to speak out in favour of it. And I think they should."
Who has what role?
De Gooyert has a background in system dynamics, a field that deals with the complexity of systems. One of the questions in this field is: who has what role? Who do you need to get on board to bring about change?
What strikes De Gooyert in the world of infrastructure, which he has been studying for years, is how infrastructure managers themselves see their role. ’They are quick to say that it is up to politicians to decide whether there should be limits. "We are just engineers. If politicians ask us: we want to drive cars and have as little traffic as possible, then we try to make that happen. We’re going to solve it." That mentality is currently prevailing. And we want to investigate whether there is another way."
Sometimes, however, an infrastructure manager will say that the pie is running out. That is very responsible, but there are snags, according to De Gooyert. ’It’s quite strange that Vitens, a Dutch drinking water company that receives money for every cubic metre of water it sells, places advertisements in the newspaper during prolonged droughts asking people not to fill their swimming pools and not to water their gardens. If consumers listen to this, Vitens will receive less money. Money that they could invest in more sustainable solutions, so that we can better maintain the balance between supply and demand in the future.’
The SPINES research project should therefore become a platform for participating researchers and infrastructure partners to experiment and share experiences. What if you could also contribute to an investment fund by saving money? What if you passed on the costs of pollution and social costs? Are there any incentives other than price incentives? And also: how do we keep all’infrastructure accessible to everyone?
New standards
And then there is the consumer and how they think about infrastructure. De Gooyert has been studying so-called tipping points for some time: ’Before a new standard emerges, there is a tipping point somewhere. If between 10 and 40 per cent of the people concerned start thinking differently, you get an inkblot effect and a new standard emerges. So the question is: how do you get around 25 per cent of consumers willing to use the infrastructure in a different way, willing to adjust their demand?’
This is also where the government has a role to play. On the one hand, it can give infrastructure managers room to experiment, but on the other hand, it must also ensure that access to public transport, motorways and electricity remains affordable for everyone - not just for the 25 per cent of people who can set the tipping point in motion.
For De Gooyert, it is clear that we will have to start thinking differently. ’If we stick to the idea that everything must always work, we are closing our eyes to reality. That is not how you solve problems.’
It is not a cheerful message, but nevertheless: ’If we don’t just talk about optimisation and efficiency, and put sustainability and fairness at the centre, I don’t know if that is only bad news.’
Researchers at Radboud University are working on the SPINES project in collaboration with the following social partners: Biggelaar Groep, Port of Rotterdam Authority, Vitens, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, Alliander, Green Metropolitan Region Arnhem-Nijmegen, Vialis, ConnectR.
