On the Road to a Resilient Limburg: Join the Conversation!

On June 4th, the moment had arrived: Time for the first event of the Transition Platform. And not just any event, but one entirely focused on the resilience of Limburg. 

What shocks might our province face, and are we prepared for them? How resilient are we as a province? After a brief but powerful panel discussion, attendees explored various potential shocks facing Limburg. 

The morning flew by. 

During the panel discussion, Antwerp’s zone commander, Bert Brugghemans, guided the audience through the world of crisis management. He emphasized that it’s a real step forward that the region is engaging in a strategic dialogue about future shocks. In his experience, this happens too rarely. A discussion about the region’s resilience and how to strengthen it certainly deserves attention, as something needs to change—we are not shock-resistant enough yet. 

Bert advises not only to attach a risk analysis to these types of explorations but also to consider the positive aspects and consequences of shocks. Shocks make systems stronger and bring new opportunities. 

Frank Boons, professor of political economy and sustainability and director of the Maastricht Sustainability Institute, emphasizes that the time for merely exploring gradual changes in sustainability sciences is over. We need to develop more knowledge about what shocks can mean in the context of sustainability transitions. Shocks can both accelerate and hinder transitions. As scientists, we must better understand the mechanisms behind this, so we can also better identify the levers for change.  

In recent months, together with people from the Limburg Safety Regions, researchers, government representatives, and civil society organizations, we have reflected on shocks and their implications for our living environment. It has become clear that more tools are needed to get a better grip on these complex shocks.   

Nik Baerten from Pantopicon, a futurist and designer of the so-called Shock Box, launched this box during the event. The Shock Box is a collection of many conceivable future shocks that might impact our living environment, accompanied by stimulating work materials to systematically explore the consequences of these shocks. 

People from the Limburg Safety Regions had already tested the Shock Box beforehand. 

As Gregory Zautsen (innovation manager at the Limburg North Safety Region) pointed out, the box forces you to think about less obvious scenarios, engaging in dialogue with each other. Using the box opens your eyes to the consequences you may or may not be prepared for, even as Safety Regions. These kinds of exercises highlight which strategic gaps need to be filled and with whom you should engage in conversation. 

The leaders of the Transition Platform, Erwin de Bruin (Municipality of Maastricht) and Nicole Rijkens (Maastricht Sustainability Institute), look back positively on this first event. “The evaluation filled out by all attendees shows that we have addressed a very important topic and that the strategic dialogue around this issue should continue.” 

Our region is particularly suited for putting these ideas into practice; especially a border province like Limburg, which may face shocks that are beyond our control but could have a significant impact on our territory (and vice versa).  As Bert Brugghemans also agrees, “It’s great that science and practice are being explicitly linked through this platform; we also want to do this in Antwerp. It would be a real shame if scientific insights didn’t make their way into society—that would be a missed opportunity."