Few studies have investigated staying intentions and house attachment of residents who are confronted with physical damage to their dwelling in a risk area. This paper examines whether and how homeowners who are confronted with human-induced risks and the consequences of gas extraction in the Dutch Groningen rural earthquake region are attached to their damaged dwellings and why they stay. A content analysis was performed on 92 published interviews with homeowners of damaged dwellings. Additionally, three semi-structured interviews were held with key journalists and a homeowner. The results show that the homeowners’ staying intentions are interrelated with their house attachment; moreover, their awareness of their house attachment arises precisely because of the damage. We identify five subdimensions of physical and social house attachment, related to family history, heritage, (agricultural) business, personal refurbishment, and cohabiting family members, which make homeowners want to stay. The family history is especially mentioned by mid-to-later life homeowners, while some younger homeowners emphasize social house attachment to their children.We conclude that a homeowner's decision to stay in a damaged dwelling is a continuous cycle of reconsideration and renegotiation, punctuated by potential new risks and damages influencing the house attachment and staying intentions. Based on the found dimensions of house attachment, policymakers in risk areas could apply different approaches to homeowners in case of damage repair, rebuilding, or relocation plans, as homeowners - even those with damaged dwellings - may prefer to stay.
Ever since the recognition of the causality between earthquakes in the Region Groningen (The Netherlands), gas production and the ensuing damage to houses and buildings in that area, government faces big challenges in policy-making. On the one hand liability for damages must result in fast and effective repair of houses and buildings and in safety safeguards for the infrastructure. On the other hand public trust in governmental institutions in the Earthquake area Groningen has to be restored.As a result of the advice of the Commission ‘Sustainable Future North East Groningen’ a comprehensive package of measures called ‘Trust in restoration, Restoration of trust’ (‘Vertrouwen op herstel, Herstel van vertrouwen’) was announced in which public-private partnerships were introduced for the purpose and in favor of the economic perspective of the region, including the establishment of local initiatives on sustainable energy, damage repair and guaranteeing a confidential approach by the government.Multiple actors are involved in the execution of this package of measures, since the competence of decision-making lies at State, regional and local level. Together with the emergence of public-private partnerships this all results in a very complex case of multi-level governance and policy-making.The central research question this article addresses is whether public-private partnerships contribute in a legal and effective manner to policy-making following the package of measures ‘Trust in restoration, Restoration of trust’ in the Energy Port Region Groningen.
This paper describes innovation in existing and future Master’s degree education in renewable energy at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (Hanze UAS). Interrelationships between research and industry are significant within this education. Clearly illustrated by development of the Energy Transition Centre (EnTranCe), this facility at Hanze UAS uses open innovation to accelerate the application and functionality of technology. Enabling consumers to become producers (prosumers) is central to the approach to energy transition in Groningen. The city is located next to the largest natural gas field in Europe. As the fuel most suited to balancing the intermittent character of renewable energy sources, it is central to the technical approach at Hanze UAS. With the coming of the Energy Academy Europe and inclusion of Hanze UAS within the European Renewable Energy Research Centres Agency, Groningen is an international partner in education and perfectly positioned to innovatively assist energy transition.
The pipelines are buried structures. They move together with the soil during a seismic event. They are affected from ground motions. The project aims to find out the possible effects of Groningen earthquakes on pipelines of Loppersum and Slochteren.This project is devised for conducting an initial probe on the available data to see the possible actions that can be taken, initially on these two pilot villages, Loppersum and Slochteren, for detecting the potential relationship between the past damages and the seismic activity.Lifeline infrastructure, such as water mains and sewerage systems, covering our urbanised areas like a network, are most of the times, sensitive to seismic actions. This sensitivity can be in the form of extended damage during seismic events, or other collateral damages, such as what happened in Christchurch Earthquakes in 2011 in New Zealand when the sewerage system of the city was filled in with tonnes of sand due to liquefaction.Regular damage detection is one of key solutions for operational purposes. The earthquake mitigation, however, needs large scale risk studies with expected spatial distribution of damages for varying seismic hazard levels.
This top-up project is related to the on-going RAAK MKB-project SafeGo (Seismic Monitoring, Design And Strengthening For thE GrOningen Region) . SafeGo combines knowledge of SMEs in the earthquake region of Groningen with innovative solutions and demonstration of technologies, to improve the process of seismic strengthening of houses. Innovative methods and approaches for monitoring and strengthening of structures are tested and further developed in SafeGo In the monitoring part of the project, SafeGo combines soil data, structural data and the sensor data to reach conclusions for the reasons behind observed damages in buildings. Fraeylemaborg, a castle-museum in Slochteren dating back to the 14th century, is used as a testbed. Various sensors are used for monitoring accelerations, tilt and water pressure. In the strengthening part of the project, masonry walls were built and strengthened by the participating SMEs. These walls are placed on the shake table and tested with real earthquake vibrations. A shake table is an accurate laboratory equipment which simulates earthquakes. Majority of the tasks in SafeGo are related either to the site or to the laboratory, which are environments outside of the school. Although an intensive student participation was initially planned, this was not achieved due to COVID19 crisis and the series of mobility restrictions, neither in the monitoring nor in the shake table testing parts of the project. This top-up project aims to transfer the knowledge and create interaction with the students for the SafeGo project. Visitation to the monitored building and presentations to the students on the monitoring system, visitations to the shake table laboratory and interactive events are planned within this project.
