10 Serious Games in Sustainable Land Management
197
During the first session in the Eastern Corridor, the participating decision-makers
were presented with the results generated from the integrated land use and transport
model as a first step, which was intended to aid them in relating to the scenario on
a more personal basis. Through (custom-produced) newspaper articles, they got an
impression of how rising energy prices might influence daily life. A report presenting
statistics relating to the development scenario—a regional monitor—presented them
with key facts and figures in a familiar format to relate to the scenario on a more
professional and planning-oriented level. In the second step, the decision-makers
identified likely effects on their respective municipality, and were then asked to
devise actions and measures to counter the (adverse) consequences of rising energy
prices.
On the regional level, participating decision-makers were split into two groups
according to their regional affiliation or corridor. One group represented the Eastern
Corridor; the other the Western Corridor. The project took different methodological
approaches to each region in the serious game, varying in the number of sessions
and therefore also in the depth of analysis of the effects for each participating municipality. This paper concentrates on explanations about the serious game within the
“East” group, which had more sessions and a longer and therefore deeper phase
of analysis. This gave participants more time to analyse the effects of rising energy
prices on their own municipality and identify the resulting areas in which there would
be a need to act. In the Western Corridor, the first phase of identifying such areas
as well as the depth of analysis and time for developing appropriate policies was
shorter. The results from both corridors are summarised in the following section.
10.9 The Resulting Policy Agenda
After two iterative cycles of the serious game, each decision-maker came up with
proposals on how to minimise the negative effects of rising energy prices by 2030. The
actions and policies developed by each decision-maker were clustered and labelled
according to the general direction the measures implied. Depending on the municipal classification (e.g. small town with a rural context or larger city) for which each
decision-maker acted, there was no consensus among stakeholders about the general
direction that the proposed measures took, and in some cases they were even contradictory. But in some areas, they also complemented each other. An overview of the
direction of measures and strategies the municipal representatives came up with is
given in Table 10.1.
When taking a closer look at the various measures that decision-makers chose, it
is remarkable that they largely come from five policy fields:
• Housing
• Transport
• Energy
• Technical and social infrastructure
• Comprehensive approaches.
197
During the first session in the Eastern Corridor, the participating decision-makers
were presented with the results generated from the integrated land use and transport
model as a first step, which was intended to aid them in relating to the scenario on
a more personal basis. Through (custom-produced) newspaper articles, they got an
impression of how rising energy prices might influence daily life. A report presenting
statistics relating to the development scenario—a regional monitor—presented them
with key facts and figures in a familiar format to relate to the scenario on a more
professional and planning-oriented level. In the second step, the decision-makers
identified likely effects on their respective municipality, and were then asked to
devise actions and measures to counter the (adverse) consequences of rising energy
prices.
On the regional level, participating decision-makers were split into two groups
according to their regional affiliation or corridor. One group represented the Eastern
Corridor; the other the Western Corridor. The project took different methodological
approaches to each region in the serious game, varying in the number of sessions
and therefore also in the depth of analysis of the effects for each participating municipality. This paper concentrates on explanations about the serious game within the
“East” group, which had more sessions and a longer and therefore deeper phase
of analysis. This gave participants more time to analyse the effects of rising energy
prices on their own municipality and identify the resulting areas in which there would
be a need to act. In the Western Corridor, the first phase of identifying such areas
as well as the depth of analysis and time for developing appropriate policies was
shorter. The results from both corridors are summarised in the following section.
10.9 The Resulting Policy Agenda
After two iterative cycles of the serious game, each decision-maker came up with
proposals on how to minimise the negative effects of rising energy prices by 2030. The
actions and policies developed by each decision-maker were clustered and labelled
according to the general direction the measures implied. Depending on the municipal classification (e.g. small town with a rural context or larger city) for which each
decision-maker acted, there was no consensus among stakeholders about the general
direction that the proposed measures took, and in some cases they were even contradictory. But in some areas, they also complemented each other. An overview of the
direction of measures and strategies the municipal representatives came up with is
given in Table 10.1.
When taking a closer look at the various measures that decision-makers chose, it
is remarkable that they largely come from five policy fields:
• Housing
• Transport
• Energy
• Technical and social infrastructure
• Comprehensive approaches.