Transdisciplinary spaces for co-production: facilitating climate action in smaller municipalities through creating transformation knowledge

Smaller municipalities face numerous challenges in pursuing climate action, including the modernization of public buildings. Since buildings account for around 30% of CO 2 emissions, they offer significant leverage. Structural barriers like limited funding and a lack of qualified personnel often hinder implementation – even when awareness, political will, and clarity on potential measures exist. This highlights that systems knowledge (facts) and target knowledge (norms and values) are insufficient without transformation knowledge (action-oriented knowledge). This article explores how small municipalities can develop transformation knowledge through co-production processes. Using a longitudinal study, we demonstrate the importance of trusted spaces for open dialog and scientific support to translate ideas into practical solutions. Transdisciplinary approaches, such as the three-phase model, are shown to effectively empower municipalities. By collaboratively developing tailored solutions, municipalities can overcome barriers and engage in impactful climate action, as demonstrated in a case study of municipalities in the German state of Hesse.