New publication: Exploring the narratives from eco‑villagers through a place‑based transformative learning approach by Pisters et al.

Siri Pisters is PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, she was appointed as Early Stage Researcher at the National Resource Institute of Finland (LUKE) at the research project Eco-villages and sustainable living of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE. ‘Inner change and sustainability initiatives: exploring the … Read more

New publication: Linking spatial planning and place branding strategies through cultural narratives in places by Grenni et al.

Sara Grenni is PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, she was appointed as Early Stage Researcher at the National Resource Institute of Finland (LUKE) at the research project Sense of Place of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE. Linking spatial planning and place branding strategies through … Read more

New @SUSPLACE publication: Prefigurative Post-Politics as Strategy: The Case of Government-Led Blockchain Projects by Husain et al.

Omer Husain is PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group at Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, he was appointed at the research project Place-based Policies of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE. ‘Prefigurative Post-Politics as Strategy: The Case of Government-Led Blockchain Projects‘ by Syed Omer Husain, Dirk Roep and Alex Franklin was … Read more

New @SUSPLACE publication: The role of local energy initiatives in co-producing sustainable places by Soares da Silva et al.

Diogo Soares da Silva is PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group at Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, he was appointed at the research project The Energetic Society of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE. ‘The role of local energy initiatives in co-producing sustainable places‘ by Diogo Soares da Silva and Lummina G. … Read more

New @SUSPLACE publication: Operationalising transformative sustainability science through place‑based research: the role of researchers by Horlings et al.

Lummina Horlings is Prof. Socio-spatial planning, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, and co-coordinator of the SUSPLACE project; contact: l.g.horlings@rug.nl ‘Operationalising transformative sustainability science through place-based research: the role of researchers’ by Lummina Horlings, Marta Nieto-Romero, Siri Pisters and Katriina Soini is the 5th open access article published as part of the Special Feature: … Read more

Children’s Book | Once Upon the Future | Foreword by Susanne Moser

About two years ago we embarked on a mission to transform our research learnings into children’s stories. We wanted to write a book about hope and leadership that could inspire readers to bring positive change in their surroundings, reconnect with their environment and bond with their communities.

After a couple of training events, various rounds of writing and re-writing, dozens of meetings and fruitful collaborations with writing coaches, editors, an illustrator and a graphic designer, as well as lots of teamwork, mutual support, and hope, the book is almost finished.

New @SUSPLACE publication: Co‑created visual narratives and inclusive place branding by Catia Rebelo et al.

Catia Rebelo is PhD-candidate at the Sustainable Places Research Institute of Cardiff University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, she was appointed at the research project Place Ambassadors of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE. ‘Co‑created visual narratives and inclusive place branding: a socially responsible approach to residents’ participation and engagement‘ by Catia Rebelo, … Read more

New publication | Transformative roles of people and places: learning, experiencing, and regenerative action through social innovation | by Abid Mehmood et al.

This paper discusses the transformative role of people and the places which they inhabit. It advocates the richness and multiplicity of actors and understandings to drive sustainable place-shaping practices. Grounded in the interdisciplinary place-based conceptualisation of social innovation, the paper aims to progress a holistic conceptual framework which integrates the active processes of learning, experiencing, and regeneration to tackle the complex challenges of sustainability.

This article is the third to appear in the Sustain Sci. Special Feature: Exploring the Transformative Capacity of Place-Shaping Practices , edited by SUSPLACE.

New publication: Place-Based Policies for Sustainability and Rural Development: The Case of a Portuguese Village “Spun” in Traditional Linen by Alessandro Vasta et al.

Alessandro Vasta is an external PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, he was appointed as Early Stage Researcher at the University of Aveiro at the research project Regrounding of Practices of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE.

New publication: The inner dimension of sustainability transformation: how sense of place and values can support sustainable place-shaping, by Sara Grenni et al..

Sara Grenni is an external PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, she was appointed as Early Stage Researcher at the National Resource Institute of Finland (LUKE) at the research project Sense of Place of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE.

This article is the second to appear in the Sustain Sci. Special Feature: Exploring the Transformative Capacity of Place-Shaping Practices , edited by SUSPLACE.

How to become an everyday superhero

everyday superhero (noun) :
1) a person that develops superpowers in order to bring change in the places she cares about
2) [becoming an ~] : the desired outcome of reading the anthology “Once Upon the Future. Everyday Adventures that Change the World”

Once out in the world, we hope that our book will inspire its young and not-so-young readers to develop and exercise the everyday superpowers needed to change their little corners of the world for the better. If, in the meantime, you want to start changing the world by making a children’s book on sustainability, here are a couple of superpowers we found useful:

New publication: Historical commons as sites of transformation. A critical research agenda to study human and more-than-human communities by Marta Nieto Romero et al.

Marta Nieto Romero is an external PhD-candidate at the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University. From April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, she was appointed as Early Stage Researcher at the University of Aveiro at the research project Managing the Commons of the MSCA ITN programme SUSPLACE.