The role of case studies in transdisciplinary research in the field of energy efficiency in urban neighborhoods

This research is located in an interdisciplinary graduate school, differing correspondingly in the professional orientation of the participants as well as the supervisors and associated departments. The subject of “Energy... [ view full abstract ]

This research is located in an interdisciplinary graduate school, differing correspondingly in the professional orientation of the participants as well as the supervisors and associated departments. The subject of “Energy Efficiency in the District” deals with discourses on a sustainable development by technical, structural and spatial, economic, legal and social issues and their interrelations. Its aim is to find a transdisciplinary answer to the overarching question: Which system innovations and structures are necessary to achieve a widespread implementation of measures of energy efficiency in different districts? An advisory board of partners from the field ensures the applicability of the research topics and continuously introduces transdisciplinary questions into the research projects. The work focuses on public and private governance at the local level which enables the achievement of an energy efficient development. It deals with competences of municipalities in urban neighborhoods under problematic conditions. The article will give an insight into the methodological approach of transdisciplinary research and the reflection of results in practice. The disciplinary orientated literature is limited to the general and isolated analysis of the impact of energy efficiency and governance. However a specific dynamic can be identified in practice, as the implementation of energy efficiency measures at the local scale is already in progress. An approach based on a case study research offers the advantage of being able to derive practical findings for theory building (cp. Blatter et al. 2007: 129). In doing so, a complex, current object of investigation is examined in its real context. The case study shows a part of the design of a development process and offers the possibility of a detailed insight into a specific case (cp. Mayring 2016: 42; cp. Yin 2014: 2). An inductive procedure allows conclusions about general parameters of the research object. From an exemplary description of the individual case and its comparison with other case studies, generalizable results in the sense of the research subject are derivable. It generates knowledge from its own point of view in order to derive general and transferable rules (cp. Flyvbjerg 2011: 304). The aim is an inside view into the practice for transferable results. For this purpose, this research uses a multistage empirical approach. Two studies outline the framework conditions with importance for the field. Subsequently, the identified research object is analyzed using case study research. What opportunities arise from a transdisciplinary research approach using case studies? How can the results feed the practical experience? The work tries to give an outlook on the transferability of the findings and their implementation in a general process of energy efficiency. It is not about the assessment of the specific case, but about its importance for transferable research results. By transferring experience from practice to science, the perspective is being extended from purely disciplinary research to integrative cross-cutting issues. The cases are municipal urban development companies and their potential for energy efficiency in the municipal practice. The focus lies on their organizational and procedural structure.

Keywords: case study research/ transdisciplinary research/ energy efficiency/ urban governance