TRUST delivers new knowledge and innovative theatre-based tools for participatory processes to better accommodate diverse personal narratives and situated experiences in urban sustainability transitions.
Local governments are pivotal for implementing the sustainability agenda as they are in a unique position to engage people with different backgrounds, knowledge, and sentiments.
However, in processes of transformation, efficient methodologies to accommodate personal narratives, situated experiences and desires in disparate groups of citizens are lacking in both theory and practice. Yet, such methodology is critical in bringing often conflicting views to bear and foster mutual understanding and acceptance that will bring about robust action towards sustainable transformations.
In response, TRUST innovatively deploys forum theatre to prototype and provide proof of concept of new participatory arenas that can help urban governance better accommodate ‘knowledge pluralism’, meaning the many different perspectives, values, interests and tensions that condition transformation processes.
Using Nesodden municipality as a pilot case, the results of the pilot testing and prototyping is the development of a mentor programme for implementing the methods and arenas developed in TRUST in municipalities across Norway.
