Urban heat transitions policy; Zooming in on Dutch natural gas-free neighbourhoods

Abstract

Heating transitions, where residential and industrial heating demand transitions away from fossil fuels, are an essential part of sustainability transitions. Thus far, the focus on heating transitions is neglected in policy studies, even though policy interventions are not only understood as essential, but also difficult to implement. In this article we seek to understand how policy can support the heating transition in countries with high distribution of natural gas in household consumption. By aligning transition typologies, consisting of a discussion of transition paths and innovation frames, with policy intervention points to existing literature on policy studies of heating transitions, we identify lessons learned and factors necessary for rapid heating transitions. This allows us to understand which type of transition is best stimulated through which intervention point. We then applied this framework to the Dutch natural gas phase out package, to test and validate the framework, as well as identify policy gaps and failures for the Dutch context. Here we were able to highlight important policy gaps and identified potential failures for policy effectiveness. This framework may be used in future studies and by policymakers to understand policy gaps and potential failures, supporting the (re)design of policy packages.