City of Dortmund

A Heat Transition Carried by the Local Community

Municipal heat planning connects technical infrastructure, political decision-making processes, economic interests and the population’s long-term heat supply. For Dortmund, a communication and participation strategy was to be developed that is technically precise, socially connective and usable over several years.

Task
Develop a communication and participation strategy for municipal heat planning — technically precise, socially connective and usable over several years

Solution
A multi-stage knowledge and participation process with 20 interviews, six workshops and market research, condensed into a five-stage dialogue architecture

Services
Participation design, workshop facilitation, qualitative research, communication strategy, information architecture, infographics

Participation as Method

The strategy was developed through an intensive participation process: 20 qualitative interviews, six workshops and supplementary market research were systematically combined. More than 30 stakeholders from administration, politics, the housing industry, energy supply, trades and civil society were involved. Each stage of consolidation was reflected back to participants — resulting in comprehensible, jointly supported decisions. The result is a multi-year communication strategy for the city’s heat transition.

Dialogue as a System

The resulting architecture guides target groups through five stages: creating attention, extending targeted invitations, enabling dialogue at eye level, providing information and orientation, and enabling and accompanying action. Neighborhood dialogues, a network for expert stakeholders, outreach counseling and a central topic website interlock — each format with a clear role in the overall system.