Speakers
Description
In the face of interlinked socio-ecological challenges, energy transitions are increasingly framed not merely as technical undertakings but as urban projects that reshape spatial, social, and political relations. This paper examines the case of Cureghem, one of the most socio-economically vulnerable and culturally diverse neighborhoods in the Brussels Capital Region, through the lens of spatial justice. Drawing on findings from the PED4ALL project (JPI Urban Europe, PED Call II), it critically engages with the governance, design, and implementation of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), highlighting their role in redistributive and participatory energy transitions.
Through a co-directed engagement process with local residents and organizations, this research unpacks the interplay between socio-technical interventions and the lived realities of Cureghem’s inhabitants. It identifies key tensions that shape energy transitions in fragile urban environments: 1) navigating institutional frameworks that often fail to accommodate fragmented, informal, and rapidly changing urban fabrics; 2) balancing economic incentives with broader socio-ecological imperatives, particularly regarding the uneven distribution of benefits among different community groups; and 3) reconciling individual household energy needs with pre-existing, yet often overlooked, collective dynamics of energy practices.
By framing PEDs as urban projects embedded in complex socio-ecological assemblages, this paper argues that energy transitions must move beyond technocratic solutions to embrace more inclusive, multi-scalar, and justice-oriented approaches. The Cureghem case offers broader insights into how spatial planning and policy-making can support just energy transitions that foreground participation, redistribution, and ecological sustainability in marginalized urban territories.
| Keywords | just-energy-transition; spatial-justice; Positive-Energy-Districts; socio-ecological-urbanism; participatory-processes |
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