Energy Transition in the Nebular City: Connecting Transition Thinking, Metabolism Studies, and Urban Design

Griet Juwet,Michael Ryckewaert

doi:10.3390/su10040955

Abstract

Transforming urban infrastructures is an essential part of creating more sustainable urban regions. But rethinking these complex systems requires a better understanding of their spatial dimensions and their relation with urban morphology and spatial structure. This paper addresses that gap by examining different conceptualizations of technical infrastructure and space in science, technology and society studies (STS), transition thinking, urban metabolism studies, and urban political ecology, and draws connections with the spatial perspective of urban planning and design. It illustrates and tests these concepts through the case of energy transition in the Flemish region of Belgium. Transport and supply networks have played a crucial role in facilitating, structuring, and reproducing the region’s characteristic dispersed and energy-intensive urban landscape. Bringing different disciplinary perspectives together, the research broadens the conceptualization of the spatial dimension in transition thinking, and identifies useful concepts and design parameters for urban design to engage with the technical and socio-political complexity of transforming urban infrastructure. It reveals the energy transition as an inherently spatial project, and explores the spatially and socio-politically transformative potential of the transition towards a new energy system.

Highlights

Contemporary life is unimaginable without a continuous supply of energy
Others focus on contemporary transitions towards sustainability, studying how to understand and influence system changes based on innovation studies and complex systems theory [35,36,37,38]
The metaphor of urban metabolism studies (UM) recently became central in urban design (UD) debate and produced new approaches to visualizing and spatializing metabolic flows

Summary

Introduction

In the context of climate change and finite fossil fuel resources, existing energy systems need to be fundamentally rethought Such systemic challenges related to technical infrastructures become most visible in urbanized regions, but it is there that potential alternatives might take shape. This essential role of cities in (energy) infrastructure transformation is recognized and mobilized in international partnerships and policies such as Habitat III and the Covenant of Mayors [1,2,3]. The region is characterized by a dispersed built-up area, serviced by dense transport infrastructure, supply networks, and services This form of urbanization is increasingly recognized as fundamentally unsustainable for various reasons [16]. In the spatially fragmented landscape, available space for the integration of large new energy infrastructures is limited and contested

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Discussion

Conclusion