IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ijurrs/v46y2022i5p766-783.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A TERRITORIAL PERSPECTIVE ON URBAN AND REGIONAL ENERGY TRANSITIONS: Shifting Power Densities in the Berlin‐Brandenburg Region

Author

Listed:
  • Benedikt Walker

Abstract

The interdependent development of subnational territories and energy transitions deserves greater attention. Territories demarcate spheres of influence, order relations of energy supply and demand, and offer opportunities and restrictions for local energy autonomy. Nevertheless, territorial perspectives on urban and regional energy transitions are conceptually underdeveloped. Drawing from political geography, this article presents a conceptual framework for understanding how subnational territories shape energy transitions and vice versa. This territorial perspective offers critical insights for research into the (urban) materiality of renewables, energy landscapes and uneven development. First, many cities will rely on renewable energy supply from rural territories to become carbon neutral, due to the low power densities of renewables. Second, governance actors mobilize territorial practices to create and disrupt relations between different energy landscapes. Finally, territorial boundaries are resources in governance processes and structuring elements of uneven development. I use the framework to analyze a case study of a wind energy conflict in three municipalities next to Berlin, which illustrates how Berlin's government asserts its territorial priorities and creates renewable energy hinterlands in a process I conceptualize as hinterlandization.

Suggested Citation

  • Benedikt Walker, 2022. "A TERRITORIAL PERSPECTIVE ON URBAN AND REGIONAL ENERGY TRANSITIONS: Shifting Power Densities in the Berlin‐Brandenburg Region," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 766-783, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:46:y:2022:i:5:p:766-783
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.13120
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.13120
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1468-2427.13120?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hodson, Mike & Marvin, Simon, 2010. "Can cities shape socio-technical transitions and how would we know if they were?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 477-485, May.
    2. Markus Leibenath & Gerd Lintz, 2018. "Governance of energy landscapes between pathways, people and politics," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 471-475, May.
    3. Christophe Sohn, 2014. "The Border as a Resource in the Global Urban Space: A Contribution to the Cross-Border Metropolis Hypothesis," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1697-1711, September.
    4. Edith Chezel & Olivier Labussière, 2018. "Energy landscape as a polity. Wind power practices in Northern Friesland (Germany)," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 503-516, May.
    5. Jonathan Rutherford & Olivier Coutard, 2014. "Urban Energy Transitions: Places, Processes and Politics of Socio-technical Change," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(7), pages 1353-1377, May.
    6. Broto, Vanesa Castán, 2017. "Energy landscapes and urban trajectories towards sustainability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 755-764.
    7. François-Mathieu Poupeau, 2020. "Metropolitan and rural areas fighting for the control of electricity networks in France. A local geopolitics approach to energy transition," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 38(3), pages 464-483, May.
    8. Fridgen, Gilbert & Keller, Robert & Körner, Marc-Fabian & Schöpf, Michael, 2020. "A holistic view on sector coupling," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    9. Clark, Thomas A., 2013. "Metropolitan density, energy efficiency and carbon emissions: Multi-attribute tradeoffs and their policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 413-428.
    10. Byron Miller & Samuel Mössner, 2020. "Urban sustainability and counter-sustainability: Spatial contradictions and conflicts in policy and governance in the Freiburg and Calgary metropolitan regions," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(11), pages 2241-2262, August.
    11. O'Sullivan, Kate & Golubchikov, Oleg & Mehmood, Abid, 2020. "Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    12. Bahers, Jean-Baptiste & Tanguy, Audrey & Pincetl, Stephanie, 2020. "Metabolic relationships between cities and hinterland: a political-industrial ecology of energy metabolism of Saint-Nazaire metropolitan and port area (France)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    13. Borjesson, Pal & Gustavsson, Leif, 2000. "Greenhouse gas balances in building construction: wood versus concrete from life-cycle and forest land-use perspectives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(9), pages 575-588, July.
    14. Mattes, Jannika & Huber, Andreas & Koehrsen, Jens, 2015. "Energy transitions in small-scale regions – What we can learn from a regional innovation systems perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 255-264.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Marcin Wójcik & Pamela Jeziorska-Biel, 2023. "Geographies of Energy: Key Issues and Challenges towards Spatial Justice Concepts," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-9, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jens Koehrsen, 2017. "Boundary Bridging Arrangements: A Boundary Work Approach to Local Energy Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-23, March.
    2. Köhrsen, Jens, 2018. "Exogenous shocks, social skill, and power: Urban energy transitions as social fields," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 307-315.
    3. Nochta, Timea & Skelcher, Chris, 2020. "Network governance in low-carbon energy transitions in European cities: A comparative analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Bradshaw, Amanda & de Martino Jannuzzi, Gilberto, 2019. "Governing energy transitions and regional economic development: Evidence from three Brazilian states," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 1-11.
    5. Antoine Fontaine & Laurence Rocher, 2024. "Cities looking for waste heat: The dilemmas of energy and industry nexuses in French metropolitan areas," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(2), pages 254-272, February.
    6. Frans Sengers, 2017. "Cycling the city, re-imagining the city: Envisioning urban sustainability transitions in Thailand," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(12), pages 2763-2779, September.
    7. Broto, Vanesa Castán, 2017. "Energy landscapes and urban trajectories towards sustainability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 755-764.
    8. Kivimaa, Paula & Boon, Wouter & Hyysalo, Sampsa & Klerkx, Laurens, 2019. "Towards a typology of intermediaries in sustainability transitions: A systematic review and a research agenda," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 1062-1075.
    9. Paula Kivimaa & Wouter Boon & Sampsa Hyysalo & Laurens Klerkx, 2017. "Towards a Typology of Intermediaries in Transitions: a Systematic Review," SPRU Working Paper Series 2017-17, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    10. Laurence Rocher, 2017. "Governing metropolitan climate-energy transition: A study of Lyon’s strategic planning," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(5), pages 1092-1107, April.
    11. Peris Njoroge & Amollo Ambole & Daniel Githira & George Outa, 2020. "Steering Energy Transitions through Landscape Governance: Case of Mathare Informal Settlement, Nairobi, Kenya," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-19, June.
    12. Jonathan Silver & Simon Marvin, 2017. "Powering sub-Saharan Africa’s urban revolution: An energy transitions approach," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(4), pages 847-861, March.
    13. Holley, Cameron & Lecavalier, Emma, 2017. "Energy governance, energy security and environmental sustainability: A case study from Hong Kong," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 379-389.
    14. Zhen Yu & David Gibbs, 2020. "Unravelling the role of green entrepreneurs in urban sustainability transitions: A case study of China’s Solar City," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(14), pages 2901-2917, November.
    15. Griet Juwet & Michael Ryckewaert, 2018. "Energy Transition in the Nebular City: Connecting Transition Thinking, Metabolism Studies, and Urban Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, March.
    16. Antoine Fontaine & Laurence Rocher, 2023. "Cities looking for waste heat: The dilemmas of energy and industry nexuses in French metropolitan areas," Post-Print hal-04156338, HAL.
    17. Julia Affolderbach & Christian Schulz, 2016. "Mobile transitions: Exploring synergies for urban sustainability research," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(9), pages 1942-1957, July.
    18. Webb, Janette, 2015. "Improvising innovation in UK urban district heating: The convergence of social and environmental agendas in Aberdeen," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 265-272.
    19. Joshua Kirshner & Vanesa Castán Broto & Idalina Baptista, 2020. "Energy landscapes in Mozambique: The role of the extractive industries in a post-conflict environment," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 52(6), pages 1051-1071, September.
    20. Kurt Berlo & Oliver Wagner & Marisa Heenen, 2016. "The Incumbents’ Conservation Strategies in the German Energy Regime as an Impediment to Re-Municipalization—An Analysis Guided by the Multi-Level Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:46:y:2022:i:5:p:766-783. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0309-1317 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.