By 2050, all homes in the Netherlands must be gas-free. The neighborhood approach is key: handling not individually but district by district. But what exactly does this approach involve? The PBL distinguishes three approaches (discourses) in the governments policy on the heat transition.
Accelerate, connect or delay?
Through a discourse analysis of government policy, the PBL identified three discourses about the neighborhood approach in the heat transition. The first discourse, making the heat transition feasible, focuses on removing homes from gas. The neighborhood approach is a way to accelerate this goal: addressing homes collectively creates scale. Other tasks are considered secondary benefits.
The second discourse, helping vulnerable residents forward, emphasizes connecting tasks. In this discourse, making homes sustainable is an opportunity to improve residents living conditions. Solutions lie in addressing various problems cohesively.
The third discourse, local embedding of the heat transition, emphasizes residents control over their neighborhoods appearance. Solutions to make the neighborhood sustainable should align with local residents wishes and needs. A careful process, or delaying, is necessary to accelerate the heat transition later.
Unconscious use of the term neighborhood approach poses a risk to the execution of the heat transition
The PBL study shows that not everyone means the same thing by neighborhood approach. This can lead to friction in execution. For example, when some professionals focus on removing homes from gas quickly, while others are connecting multiple tasks in the neighborhood. Reflecting on the why of the neighborhood approach is necessary to prevent confusion and improve cooperation among different professionals in the neighborhood.
Need for visibility on synergy and conflict between policy programs around the neighborhood approach
The government is tinkering with the neighborhood approach in the heat transition through various policy programs. This study shows that there is little focus on synergy and conflict between these different programs. The neighborhood approach can serve multiple goals but not everywhere and at the same time. Emphasizing one (getting off gas as quickly as possible) can affect achieving another (helping vulnerable residents forward). It is important that the government is aware of the different discourses about the neighborhood approach and explicitly links them. By being clear about which neighborhood approach is desirable where, the government can provide the desired support for the heat transition.