Xabier Barandiarán, Natalia Restrepo and Álvaro Luna
This paper aims to examine through a case study how the creation of collaborative spaces between local stakeholders can foster decision-making and collective development of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine through a case study how the creation of collaborative spaces between local stakeholders can foster decision-making and collective development of projects that improve the governance of tourism destinations and their sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper focuses on the analysis of a case study based on the Etorkizuna Eraikiz (Building the Future) programme developed in the Gipuzkoa region located in the Basque Country, Spain. The programme is based on a strategy that seeks to institutionalize a new model of collaborative governance in the long term through the co-design of public policies involving stakeholders of the territory. Through the description and analysis of the results achieved so far, the paper presents the implications of this public programme for the design of policies.
Findings
Etorkizuna Eraikiz emerges as a model to develop an exercise of active experimentation. The analysis of this collaborative governance process has derived in practices and agendas promoted by a variety of agents within the region. The programme has important implications for the formulation of public policies in the field of tourism through the creation of formal interaction spaces and the implementation of projects in support of tourism development (Tourist Eco-tax and information and communication technology tools).
Originality/value
This paper provides a contemporary approach to the practices in governance within the context of tourism. This case study may be of interest to practitioners and researchers to adopt destination governance practices through the creation of collaborative spaces between local stakeholders. These practices can foster decision-making and the collective development of projects that impact and lead to better governance of tourism destinations and their sustainability.
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This chapter explores if alternative participatory co-creation approaches have the potential for deploying an emancipatory urbanism that is able to contest the urban dynamics of…
Abstract
This chapter explores if alternative participatory co-creation approaches have the potential for deploying an emancipatory urbanism that is able to contest the urban dynamics of (digital) capitalism. It does so by focusing on the Barcelona case. Barcelona fully embraced a “smart citizen” approach in 2011 to become a European referent in smart urban strategies. However, in 2015, with the arrival of a new municipal government, Barcelona has situated itself contesting the “smart city” and at the forefront of alternative possibilities with its “technological sovereignty” strategy. This shift aims to remake the smart city agenda for citizens through the advancement of the right to information and guarantees to open, transparent, and participatory decision-making through new digital and platform technologies. The chapter argues, first, that “technological sovereignty” has been instrumental in re-politicizing the notions of (smart) citizenship and technology, deploying initiatives aimed at regaining public control on data and citizens participating in policy-making. Second, Barcelona’s technological sovereignty strategy, though framed as locally and bottom-up, is based on a global comprehension and diagnosis of the global dynamics of digital capitalism. However, sometimes, there still remains an over-optimistic stance concerning digital technology. Thus, for any alternative to the neoliberal smart city, it is necessary to decenter the debate from the technologies themselves or the local, and recognize that any emancipatory strategy is also about acknowledging that technology-led solutions are not autonomous of broader relations of production and complex political economy geographies.
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Xabier González Laskibar, Gaizka Insunza Aranceta and Izaskun Alvarez-Meaza
In a context of growing concern about the environmental and social crisis, education for sustainability has emerged as a key educational approach to address these challenges…
Abstract
Purpose
In a context of growing concern about the environmental and social crisis, education for sustainability has emerged as a key educational approach to address these challenges. University education plays a crucial role in training professionals who are aware of and committed to sustainability. This study aims to examine the impact of the socio-professional characteristics of university professors on the awareness and implementation of sustainability in teaching and research.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the academics’ statements through a survey to describe the degree of awareness and implementation of sustainability at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and evaluates the influence that certain socio-professional variables can have on their commitment to sustainability. For this purpose, the paper proposes the use of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques.
Findings
The research reveals that UPV/EHU is in the first phases of implementation of sustainability, indicating a low overall implementation. Therefore, it is proposed to promote internal awareness about sustainability, promote teacher training, integrate sustainability competencies in academic programs and promote research in areas with less scientific production related to sustainability, with emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and gender equality to achieve greater integration of sustainability in the university. In the case of the UPV/EHU, the sustainable development champions fulfill the profile of a female professor, with full-time dedication and whose disciplinary area is a minority.
Research limitations/implications
This research has an individual framework and a static nature, and the results should be interpreted only in their context. Future research should have a national framework, a longitudinal nature and a broader range of university institutional agents. Another limitation of this methodology is the question coding process (Likert scales), which opens a wide range of subjectivity for the researcher.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that measures the degree of implementation of sustainability at the UPV/EHU with the aim of specifying its efforts in the implementation and promotion of sustainability.