Development of a participatory planning approach for energy sustainability at a local government level

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Planning for a sustainable energy future is a necessity, but doing so, especially at a local government level, is complex. A sustainable energy future requires systemic changes to the current energy landscape, which requires a collective understanding of many perspectives, multiple objectives and interrelated variables within an environment faced with many uncertainties and risks. To deal with the complexity at a local government level, stakeholder involvement is non-negotiable. This study developed a participatory planning approach for local energy sustainability by answering the following research question: What should a participatory planning approach at a local government level entail to enable a move towards a sustainable energy future? The research comprised a single instrumental qualitative case study, conducted with Hessequa Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa, combined with a literature review of public participation, collaborative governance, participatory approaches, and problem-structuring methods. The identified research objectives were addressed through three published papers in peerreviewed journals. A synthesis of planning and decision-making literature shows that a participatory approach should facilitate mutual understanding of the problem, incorporate all stakeholders’ values and, ultimately, provide better trust in and acceptance of future decisions. The research elicited success factors that can inform the development and implementation of a participatory planning approach (research objective 1). An investigation of how renewable energy forms part of the strategy of a local government concluded that renewable energy plays a role in the strategic objectives of local government, although it has not been explicitly discussed as a main priority during the development of the municipal Integrated Development Plan and strategy (research objective 2). In addition, participatory processes formed an integral part of the strategy formulation, but limitations were identified. To overcome some of these limitations, a visualised strategy is proposed for effective communication with the public (research objective 3). The final research objective focused on the development, application, and evaluation of a participatory approach to plan for local energy sustainability, namely EDAS: to Explore, Design and Act for Sustainability. The research showed that EDAS could be a way forward for local governments and other institutions to plan for local energy sustainability; however, more work is needed at a local level to enhance public and stakeholder participation and to improve the EDAS approach for institutionalisation (research objective 4). The findings from this study contribute to the research fields of public administration, stakeholder participation, soft operational research, and energy sustainability. The research provides a novel participatory approach, namely EDAS, to plan for local sustainability and through application provides a solid case study of a local municipality in its journey towards sustainable energy. It is recommended that more research be conducted on applying and evaluating the EDAS approach in other local government contexts as well as in public enterprises.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Beplanning vir toekomstige volhoubare energie is ʼn noodsaaklikheid, maar ʼn ingewikkelde proses, veral op plaaslike regeringsvlak. Toekomstige volhoubare energie verg sistemiese veranderinge van die huidige energielandskap, wat gesamentlike begrip van talle perspektiewe, veelvuldige doelstellings en onderling verbonde veranderlikes behels in ʼn omgewing wat talle onsekerhede en risiko’s in die gesig staar. Die betrokkenheid van belanghebbendes is ononderhandelbaar ten einde die kompleksiteit op plaaslike regeringsvlak te hanteer. In hierdie studie is ʼn deelnemende beplanningsbenadering vir plaaslike energievolhoubaarheid ontwikkel deur die volgende navorsingsvraag te beantwoord: Wat moet ʼn deelnemende beplanningsbenadering op plaaslike regeringsvlak behels om die oorgang na toekomstige volhoubare energie in die hand te werk? Die navorsing het ʼn enkele instrumentele kwalitatiewe gevallestudie, uitgevoer met Hessequa Munisipaliteit in die Wes-Kaapse provinsie van Suid-Afrika, tesame met ʼn literatuuroorsig van openbare deelname, samewerkende staatsbestuur, deelnemende benaderings en probleemstruktureringsmetodes behels. Die geïdentifiseerde navorsingsdoelstellings is deur drie gepubliseerde artikels in eweknie-beoordeelde vaktydskrifte uitgevoer. ʼn Sintese van beplannings- en besluitnemingsliteratuur toon dat ʼn deelnemende benadering wedersydse begrip van die probleem in die hand moet werk, alle belanghebbendes se waardes moet insluit, en uiteindelik beter vertroue in en aanvaarding van toekomstige besluite moet verseker. Die navorsing het suksesfaktore aan die lig gebring wat die ontwikkeling en implementering van ʼn deelnemende beplanningsbenadering (navorsingsdoelstelling 1) kan rig. ʼn Ondersoek na die manier waarop hernubare energie deel van die strategie van ʼn plaaslike regering vorm, het bevind dat hernubare energie ʼn rol in die strategiese doelstellings van die plaaslike regering speel, alhoewel dit nie uitdruklik as ʼn hoofprioriteit in die ontwikkeling van die munisipale Geïntegreerde Ontwikkelingsplan en -strategie (navorsingsdoelstelling 2) bespreek is nie. Hierbenewens het deelnemende prosesse ʼn integrale rol in strategieformulering gespeel, maar beperkings is geïdentifiseer. Ten einde enkele van hierdie beperkings te oorkom, word ʼn gevisualiseerde strategie vir doeltreffende kommunikasie met die publiek (navorsingsdoelstelling 3) voorgestel. Die laaste navorsingsdoelstelling het gefokus op die ontwikkeling, toepassing en evaluering van ʼn deelnemende benadering om vir plaaslike energievolhoubaarheid te beplan, naamlik EDAS: “Explore, Design and Act for Sustainability”. Die navorsing het getoon dat EDAS ʼn weg vorentoe kan wees vir plaaslike regerings en ander instellings om vir plaaslike energievolhoubaarheid te beplan, maar verdere werk is egter op plaaslike vlak nodig om deelname deur die publiek en belanghebbendes te bevorder en die EDAS-benadering vir institusionalisering te verbeter (navorsingsdoelstelling 4). Die bevindinge van die studie dra by tot die navorsingsgebiede van publieke administrasie, belanghebbende-deelname, sagte bedryfsnavorsing en energievolhoubaarheid. Die navorsing bied ʼn nuwe deelnemende benadering, naamlik EDAS, om vir plaaslike volhoubaarheid te beplan en bied deur toepassing ʼn grondige gevallestudie van ʼn plaaslike munisipaliteit se reis na volhoubare energie. Verdere navorsing oor die toepassing en evaluering van die EDASbenadering in ander plaaslike regeringskontekste asook in openbare ondernemings word aanbeveel.Doctora