City of the Future Dresden: Accompanying research on sub-project "Sustainability Untertakings – City of the Future for one day (NU!)”

As part of the project “Zukunftsstadt Dresden” eight citizens' projects are to be carried out to investigate how citizens, administration, industry and academia should work together so that cities can develop sustainably. As part of the subproject "Sustainability Undertakings – City if the Future for one day", which is scientifically supervised and supported by the Chair of Sustainability Management and Environmental Accounting, two pioneering companies (tjg: theater junge generation, Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH) are supposed to operate one day in a year as if they were already part of the sustainable city of the future with the aim to develop a playful and creative process for the transformation into a sustainable organization.

The research accompanying the transformation experiment aims to answer the following research questions: How can sustainability be integrated into the current business model of the companies? What are drivers and barriers for the transformation of the companies towards more sustainability? What effect do experiments have on learning and change processes at different levels in the company?

Based on these research questions, the accompanying research of the transformation experiment pursues two goals:

1. Analysis of the implementation potential of sustainability transformations in companies

By combining qualitative (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative research methods (such as assessing environmental figures based on corporate documents and data) prior to the experiment, the compatibility the existing business model with an ideal sustainable business will be demonstrated. The data obtained will also help to highlight drivers and barriers to learning and change processes both at the meso level (entire company) and at the micro level (managers, employees).

2. Evaluation of the effectiveness of transformation experiments in companies

Through the repeated implementation of qualitative and quantitative research methods, the effects of the transformation experiment on the meso and micro level will be systematically recorded. The aim is to evaluate to what extent transformation experiments can be drivers for learning and change processes in companies or help to overcome existing barriers.

Leadership

Prof. Dr. Edeltraud Günther

deputy leadership

Dr. Anne-Karen Hüske

Cooperation

Further research teams at TUD for part projects of City of the Future Dresden:

TU-Dresden, Wissensarchitektur Laboratory of knowledge architecture
TU-Dresden, Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy
TU-Dresden, Chiar of Traffic and Transportation Psychology

Term

08/2019 to 06/2022

Financing

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)