Interdependence between Urban Processes and Energy Transitions: The Dimensions of Urban Energy Transitions (DUET) Framework

Abstract

This paper presents a framework to study the interdependence between urban processes and energy transitions – the Dimensions of Urban Energy Transitions (DUET) framework. The framework emerges from current debates about the need to incorporate systematically the spatial and political dimensions of urban energy transitions. We seek to develop a systematic framework that brings together well-established principles of transitions theory with insights from recent debates about how transitions unfold in urban contexts. Illustrated through a comparative meta-analysis of 29 case studies of urban energy transitions, the DUET framework provides an approach that considers simultaneously three dimensions of energy transitions: socio-technical experimentation, urban political processes, and socio-spatial (re)configuration. The three dimensions interact closely with each other and together enforce ‘transitions of cities’. From DUET framework, it argues that alignment between industry interests and territorial priorities is key to meaningful energy transitions.