From tension to transformation in Dutch heat transitions: Leveraging time, transparency, and relationships

Neighborhood-level transitions from fossil-based heating to sustainable alternatives are central to Dutch climate policy, yet progress remains slow, especially in socio-economically vulnerable areas. While a growing body of research examines challenges in heat transitions, existing research often examines actors in isolation. This overlooks the interdependencies and interactions that shape collective neighborhood transitions, limiting understanding of why actors respond as they do, how tensions arise, and why collective approaches frequently stall. This paper addresses this gap by adopting a relational perspective to neighborhood heat transitions, informed by institutional logics and acceptance literatures. By drawing on qualitative data from Dutch neighborhood heat transition initiatives, the study analyzes how actors' meaning systems, norms, and patterns of reasoning shape interactions and generate tensions around participation, privatization, funding, urgency, and the neighborhood-level approach. The analysis identifies two mechanisms through which stagnation emerges: (1) misaligned meaning structures that hinder shared problem definitions and agreement on solutions, and (2) limited attention to interpersonal dynamics, such as trust, emotional responses, and interpersonal engagement, which amplifies conflicts and undermines cooperation. The paper proposes three leverage points for advancing collective heat transitions: fostering substantive transparency about constraints and trade-offs; investing in relational quality across actor groups; and using time deliberately to support both substantive and interpersonal alignment. The study contributes a relational understanding of how stagnation emerges in collective transition processes and offers practical guidance for strengthening neighborhood heat transitions, emphasizing that progress depends not only on technical solutions but on aligning meaning systems and nurturing relationships.