Article | Open Access
Evidencing Changed Practices in Co‐Creation of Just and Inclusive Coastal Transitions
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Abstract: This article examines community-led interventions in six transition coastal labs through the lens of transition mechanisms. Coastal regions face entrenched governance structures that limit just and inclusive transformations, particularly where climate pressures, blue economy expansion, and fragmented governance intersect. Using a three-layered framework of recrafting, substituting, and disrupting practices, we analyzed data from a co-creation workshop, where transition coastal lab representatives and academic partners were asked to test and shape the framework, based on identified examples of changed practices across multiple domains of change: participatory methods, community–governance interactions, and community connectivity. The findings show that even modest shifts—such as expanded participation or new leadership—can hold transformative potential. We argue that the framework is a useful tool for systematically identifying the transformative potential embedded in bottom-up coastal empowerment initiatives. The findings highlight the value of locally anchored, co-created processes in cultivating just, inclusive, and sustainable coastal transitions.
Keywords: blue economy; coastal governance; co-creation; community empowerment; green transition; nature-based solutions; participatory methods; sustainability transition; transition mechanisms
Published:
Issue:
Vol 3 (2026): Empowerment and Blue Justice in Coastal Communities (In Progress)
© Konstantin Schjerlund Houbak, Rikke Becker Jacobsen, Kristen Ounanian, Janni Sørensen, Josefin Ekstedt, Diana Dushkova, Anna Antonov, Madeleine Gustavsson, Salina Spiering, Sílvia Gómez, Kristina Svels, Maria Hadjimichael, Gloriya Marinova, Olga Ivlieva, Maiken Bjørkan, Wesley Flannery, Alex Miller, Beulah Evelyn Lazarus, Beatriz Patraca, Viktor Eriksson, Sunniva Solnør, and Candice Pouget. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction of the work without further permission provided the original author(s) and source are credited.