Sustainability & Spatial Governance

Supporting stakeholders in making informed decisions, based on a better understanding of current and future challenges, the underlying systems and dynamics, and strategic goals and choices. That is the aim of SSG.

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The Sustainability & Spatial Governance (SSG) research group provides governance, spatial planning and policy support to stakeholders involved in sustainability transitions in the (urban) environment. We focus mainly on the public sector, working on assignments for urban, regional, national as well as European governments. SSG supports stakeholders in making informed decisions, based on a better understanding of current and future challenges, the underlying systems and dynamics, and strategic goals and choices.

Our mission

SSR provides action perspectives to public and private parties for the major societal developments and challenges of sustainability transitions. We do this from broad and in-depth knowledge and in connection with the complex stakeholder field. This is how we give direction to the society of the day after tomorrow.

Questions we help answer

  • As a city, how can you fulfil the goal of being climate neutral by 2030?
  • What will our energy system look like in 2050 and how is this linked to other transitions in the field of mobility, health and circularity?
  • What innovation capacity and governance do you need as a city to fulfil the ambitions of the sustainability transition?
  • What does the European ‘Green Deal’ mean for policy in the Netherlands and the region?
  • What can we in the Netherlands learn from the heat transition in other countries?

Core activities

  • Conducting policy analysis and impact assessment
  • Designing and evaluating decision-making processes
  • Developing future scenarios and monitoring tools
  • Applying data-driven and quantitative analyses
  • Providing legal analyses
  • Promoting co-creation and policy experiments
  • Bringing stakeholders together around an innovation challenge (orchestrating innovation)

Approach

The research group works frequently and intensively with parties inside and outside TNO to fulfil our mission. This enables us to link policy and strategy to the latest technological developments and scientific insights. Our goal is to bring our clients and their stakeholders together and to offer a joint perspective for action, thus helping to advance the sustainability transition.