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Spaces of transformation: energy transition, social innovations and cultural perspectives

RuR Call for Papers for a Special Issue
Abstract illustration showing overlapping human silhouettes in orange and teal merging into houses, a wind turbine, and a power line on a light blue background. A small note on the left indicates that the image was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Logo of the journal “Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning.” The words “Raumforschung” and “Raumordnung” are in blue and red capital letters, with a small red box highlighting the word “und.” Below, the English subtitle “Spatial Research and Planning” appears in blue.

The energy transition is considered one of the key challenges of the 21st century. It requires far-reaching transformations in the areas of energy production, use and infrastructure, which also touch social, cultural and spatial dimensions. In this context, cultural dimensions refer to deeply embedded socio-cultural structures, for example, planning cultures, understood as institutional arrangements consisting of formal and informal routines, norms, and values that shape local planning processes, as well as to conflict cultures, in which divergent governance styles and normative expectations are negotiated in spatial decision-making, and finally, to energy cultures, which encompass the collective practices, beliefs, and institutionalized interpretations through which energy production and consumption are culturally embedded and socially meaningful . At the local level in particular, it is clear that the implementation of the energy transition depends not only on technological innovations, but also on the way in which these are anchored in specific social and cultural contexts . In the current debate, it is increasingly recognised that planning cultures, local governance structures, participation and acceptability are decisive in determining whether and how global goals of the energy transition can be translated into practice. 

This special issue in the Journal Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning (RuR) addresses these aspects and invites you to take a look at the diverse interactions between local, regional, national and also global visions, local realities and cultural dynamics.

The aim of this special issue is to better understand and shape the role of cultural, social and spatial dynamics in the regional and local implementation of the energy transition. It will bring together theoretical and empirical contributions that present innovative perspectives and case studies. Contributions with European case studies are explicitly welcome in order to broaden the perspective and highlight cross-border dynamics. Particular attention will be paid to the integration of transdisciplinary approaches that contribute to practice-oriented solutions and recommendations – with benefits for science, politics/planning practice and society alike. Innovative methodological approaches, in particular mixed methods approaches and spatially sensitive qualitative methods, are explicitly welcome.

Full Call for Papers (PDF)

Please send us a 300-word paper proposal in English or German by 31 October 2025. Initial feedback and notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent before 1 December 2025. The deadline for submission of full papers for peer review is 1 March 2026.