Exploring the functions of place-based intermediation in the governance of sustainability transitions

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• Transitions need intermediation to enable place-sensitive governance. • This paper explores the case of a place-based, farmer-led transition intermediary. • Six place-based functions for transition intermediaries are identified. • Place-based transition intermediaries can support transition governance. • The potential of place-based intermediaries deserves policy attention. While literature on transition intermediation is burgeoning, the implications of a sensitivity to “place” in transition intermediation remain ill understood. In this paper, we empirically explore the dynamics of “place-based transition intermediation”, through a case study of the ‘Dune farmers’ in the Netherlands. The farmers initiated a collaboration that serves as a bottom-up, non-state intermediary organization. The case shows the opportunities and intricacies of transition governance through place-based intermediation. We articulate six functions of intermediaries used in such place-sensitive transition governance: (1) Empowerment through cultivating local identity; (2) Constructing place-based relational capital; (3) Developing regional innovative capacity in a place-based innovation system; (4) Stimulating place-based learning; (5) Concretizing transition governance; and (6) Representing place-based networks. We conclude that place-based intermediation deserves attention, both in research and policy, to improve transition governance and help accelerate place-sensitive transition processes towards sustainable futures.