Understanding
value alignment.

National policies for energy, circularity and preventive public health express different public values. These values can reinforce one another, but they can also create tensions when policies are put into practice. WP1 examines which values appear in these policies, how they relate across transitions, and how policymakers respond to concerns emerging at regional and local levels.

Research approach

We combine computational analysis of policy documents with value-network mapping, interviews and comparative case studies. This allows us to examine both the values formally expressed in national policy and how they are interpreted and addressed during implementation.

Planned outputs

Two policy briefs will bring together the findings: one maps values, tensions and complementarities across the three transitions; the other offers a framework for recognising and responding to emerging values in policymaking.

Regions connect national ambitions with local action. They bring together public authorities, businesses, knowledge institutions and communities, each with different responsibilities and priorities. WP2 investigates how regional missions and intermediary organisations coordinate these actors and address tensions between energy, circularity and preventive public health.

The research asks how public values are interpreted at regional level, and how regional agendas can improve alignment both between governance levels and across transitions.

Research approach

Through document analysis, interviews and workshops, we examine how regional missions are developed and coordinated. Where possible, action research allows us to work alongside policymakers and intermediary organisations as they develop their agendas.

Planned outputs

The work will provide insights into how intermediaries navigate competing values, alongside guidance for defining regional missions that account for the relationships between multiple transitions.

Transitions come together in everyday decisions about neighbourhoods, buildings and infrastructure. A municipality, housing developer, utility provider and resident may approach the same project with different values and expectations. WP3 examines how these differences shape local decisions, working with transition practices in Twente and Utrecht.

We investigate which value tensions arise, what they mean for actors’ roles and responsibilities, and how local organisations navigate requirements and priorities from regional and national levels.

Research approach

We study local cases through interviews, document analysis and observation over time. Following planning, development and asset-management decisions helps us understand how values are negotiated in practice, and which approaches help actors address several transitions together.

Planned outputs

Findings will inform an open Action-Inspiration Library of practices and strategies for addressing value tensions. Developed with contributions from practitioners, it will make examples accessible for use and adaptation in other local contexts.

Working across transitions requires organisations and individuals to understand their own values as well as those of others. WP4 investigates how they develop shared strategies, and how reflection on values can strengthen their ability to contribute to change.

The research connects public values with organisational priorities and personal concerns. It asks how collective strategies develop over time, what enables people to act, and which tools help participants work through differences and make decisions together.

Research approach

Using research through design, we co-develop, test and refine tools with consortium partners. These tools are explored in the policy, regional and local settings studied in WP1–3. Interviews, questionnaires and participants’ reflections help us assess how they support dialogue, collaboration and action.

Planned outputs

The work will produce practical, research-informed tools for reflecting on values and developing collective strategies. These will support individuals, teams and organisations in identifying how they can contribute to multiple transitions.