TY - JOUR

T1 - Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science

T2 - practice, principles, and challenges

AU - Lang, Daniel J.

AU - Wiek, Arnim

AU - Bergmann, Matthias

AU - Stauffacher, Michael

AU - Martens, Pim

AU - Moll, Peter

AU - Swilling, Mark

AU - Thomas, Christopher J.

N1 - Special feature: "Sustainability science: bridging the gap between science and society"

PY - 2012/2

Y1 - 2012/2

N2 - There is emerging agreement that sustainability challenges require new ways of knowledge production and decision-making. One key aspect of sustainability science, therefore, is the involvement of actors from outside academia into the research process in order to integrate the best available knowledge, reconcile values and preferences, as well as create ownership for problems and solution options. Transdisciplinary, community-based, interactive, or participatory research approaches are often suggested as appropriate means to meet both the requirements posed by real-world problems as well as the goals of sustainability science as a transformational scientific field. Dispersed literature on these approaches and a variety of empirical projects applying them make it difficult for interested researchers and practitioners to review and become familiar with key components and design principles of how to do transdisciplinary sustainability research. Starting from a conceptual model of an ideal-typical transdisciplinary research process, this article synthesizes and structures such a set of principles from various strands of the literature and empirical experiences. We then elaborate on them, looking at challenges and some coping strategies as experienced in transdisciplinary sustainability projects in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. The article concludes with future research needed in order to further enhance the practice of transdisciplinary sustainability research.

AB - There is emerging agreement that sustainability challenges require new ways of knowledge production and decision-making. One key aspect of sustainability science, therefore, is the involvement of actors from outside academia into the research process in order to integrate the best available knowledge, reconcile values and preferences, as well as create ownership for problems and solution options. Transdisciplinary, community-based, interactive, or participatory research approaches are often suggested as appropriate means to meet both the requirements posed by real-world problems as well as the goals of sustainability science as a transformational scientific field. Dispersed literature on these approaches and a variety of empirical projects applying them make it difficult for interested researchers and practitioners to review and become familiar with key components and design principles of how to do transdisciplinary sustainability research. Starting from a conceptual model of an ideal-typical transdisciplinary research process, this article synthesizes and structures such a set of principles from various strands of the literature and empirical experiences. We then elaborate on them, looking at challenges and some coping strategies as experienced in transdisciplinary sustainability projects in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. The article concludes with future research needed in order to further enhance the practice of transdisciplinary sustainability research.

KW - Transdisciplinary studies

KW - Transdisciplinary sustainability research

KW - Design principles

KW - Challenges

KW - Evaluation

KW - Challenges

KW - Design principles

KW - Evaluation

KW - Transdisciplinary sustainability research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84857046502&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11625-011-0149-x

DO - 10.1007/s11625-011-0149-x

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 7

SP - 25

EP - 43

JO - Sustainability Science

JF - Sustainability Science

IS - SUPPL. 1

ER -