A Scene-Based Analysis of the Vidzeme Transition Arena for Sustainability Transitions

Abstract

The world requires systematic methods that will help organizations achieve sustainable development during their transition from current to future states. The current situation has led to increased adoption of new governance systems that unite social elements, natural resources, economic factors, and institutional structures through formal participation methods. The Transition Arena approach addresses this requirement through its method, which unites system and actor analysis with visioning, back-casting, pathway development, and pilot experimentation within specific geographical and time-based limits. The combination of these elements creates systemic transformations that improve policy consistency and enable different sectors to work together. The research investigates the Vidzeme Transition Arena through the SCENE framework to evaluate its role as a strategic tool for sustainability transitions, while analysing social, human-nature, and economic and institutional changes within a bioregion setting. The case builds on the application of the Transition Arena methodology to the organic food transition to support the development of the Gauja National Park bioregion in Vidzeme. The program began operations in 2023 through system and actor analysis, then progressed to co-creation and visioning workshops in 2024, and then conducted pilot actions from 2024 through 2025. The process required three essential elements: developing a common long-term plan with ten-year goals, using back-casting techniques, and specifying implementation strategies. The SCENE-based analysis reveals essential system stocks, including stakeholder networks, organic farming capacities, and governance structures, and it also shows active knowledge transfer and organic food implementation in public dining programs and in policy coordination. The pilot initiative demonstrates how small-scale experiments can become lasting components of the Bioregion Action Plan and the Vidzeme Sustainable Food Strategy 2035. The Transition Arena serves as a core system that links niche activities to sustainable development projects that deliver benefits for all residents in the area.