Innovation through the EIA tender: a case of Copenhagen metro and the SDGs

This paper introduces a case where the SDGs have been integrated into the tender of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the construction of a new metro in Copenhagen, Denmark. The case gives insight into the impact that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can have on three phases of the EIA, namely i. pre-tender, ii. tender, and iii. post-tender process. By using the theoretical framework, ‘spaces for practice’ and action research, the study uses instances of collaboration between actors to understand how an EIA process responds to the introduction of new demands through the EIA tender. The study shows that incorporating SDGs as a part of the EIA tender can be a way of introducing innovations and new methodological approaches to EIA practice and reorienting conventional practices to provide greater opportunity for actor engagement, coordination, and negotiation, with the potential to drive EIA in more goal-orientated directions. In addition, the new spaces for stakeholder interactions have provided opportunities for collaborating on a commonly agreed approach towards SDG-integration, determining the appropriate scope of SDG relevance, and negotiating the role that SDGs should have in the forthcoming EIA process for the Copenhagen Metro project.