Place-based approaches to develop the foundations and diversities of energy geographies

Abstract

Although geographers are well-positioned to increase the impact and salience of critical, spatially centred and place-based scholarship about energy, highlight that energy geographies do not occupy a central position in climate scholarship, or within human geography, and suggest three pathways to bring energy geographies to the centre of the discipline. Taking a biophysically informed, experientially grounded, place-based perspective to expand on the positioning of energy geographies and justice, I argue that although energy geography may occupy a marginal position within both human geography and energy scholarship, its concerns often lie at the heart of understanding the drivers and dynamics of energy transitions. The practice of actively listening to students and clearly articulating our ideas to help them situate themselves within the subfield are crucial while also enabling energy geographers to refine and expand the conceptual and theoretical foundations of energy geographies. This pedagogical engagement fosters a more heterogeneous and inclusive scholarly community.

Introduction

Ptak et al. (2025) argue that, despite the positioning of energy geographers to increase the impact and salience of critical, spatially centred and place-based scholarship, energy geographers still do not occupy a central position in climate scholarship, or within human geography. They ask, ‘Why do energy geographies continue to occupy a marginal, if not peripheral, position in human-centered geography?’, and provide three pathways to move energy geographies from the periphery of the discipline to a more central position. They encourage geographers to situate their work within the subdiscipline, develop and bolster conceptual/theoretical foundations and innovations and to create cohesion and strength through heterogeneity. They argue there is insufficient attention to justice and call for the inclusion of those presently excluded and an examination of power relationships that academics hold.

Here, I offer a biophysically informed, experientially grounded, place-based perspective to expand on the positioning of energy geographies and justice to increase the centrality of energy geography along the pathways offered by the authors.

Place is understood as a meaningful location, the material setting for social relations, that combines physical, ecological, political, economic, social and psychological attributes (Devine-Wright & Ryder, 2024). Places have a relationship to humans and the human capacity to produce and consume meaning and place attachment (Walker, 2011).

Place-based approaches contrast with technocratic approaches (Hoicka et al., 2025a), which have traditionally dominated the energy sector and energy scholarship, mainly by engineering and economic disciplines (Sovacool, 2014). In praxis, this is seen in the tensions between monopolistic utilities and the citizens who are attempting to address energy consumption and production through democratization and participation in energy markets, a topic of importance for energy geographers. This tension is observed across the globe and underpins scholarships on decentralization, community energy, and increasingly, energy justice. Despite the dominance of technocratic approaches, opportunities have opened up for energy geographies’ strengths in praxis that are increasingly salient. These strengths offer the potential for significant contributions and insights to the study of energy and climate problems through relevant analytical frameworks, theories and concepts.

Pressures relating to climate change mitigation, access to energy, reliability and security of supply often drive change in energy systems and society (Araújo, 2014). I argue that these pressures establish a context in which the valuable insights offered by energy geographies become more prominent in energy scholarship. These biophysical and spatial pressures can lead to increased burdens and injustices, concerns that human geography approaches are suited to address. For example, to mitigate climate change, there is a drive to replace fossil fuel use with electricity, in many cases by replacing single occupant fossil fuel vehicles with single occupant electric vehicles, which would dramatically increase the size of electricity systems and the extraction of critical minerals and other resources (Dunlap et al., 2024; Riofrancos et al., 2023). As electricity demand increases, social and political conflicts and lack of mediating processes are reported as underlying factors that impede electricity grid expansion, leading to electricity brownouts and blackouts in once reliable electricity systems (Nelson, 2024). These increasing locational conflicts and challenges to the reliability of electricity grids and supply chains indicate the urgency for place-based approaches that address local assets, actors, space, labour, localized knowledge, and justice issues (Hoicka et al., 2025a). The implications of the expansion of mining, electricity infrastructures, and the potential for resulting injustices are topics that energy geographers are uniquely and well-positioned to make sense of.

Articulating our ideas with students

My path to becoming an energy geographer and a scholar of transformative energy justice has been influenced through dialogues with students about place-based energy transformations.

‘Community, Energy and Planning’ is one of the first courses I taught. The university is situated in the largest city, Toronto, in the most populated and growing region in Canada, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. ‘Community energy’ often focuses on the local scale and the control of locally produced renewable energy by local people. It quickly became apparent from our place-based experiences that the application of community renewable energy as local was unlikely in this intensely urban context as it was unclear if there was space to situate enough local energy to meet local demand. Our class discussion centred on how cities could decarbonize biophysically: if renewable energy is less dense than fossil fuel and nuclear energy, where would it come from and who would own and operate it? There was little literature that directly explored this question, although it seemed like a critical question for an energy geographer. This initiated research projects with graduate students to investigate the biophysical and governance relationships between cities and regions in energy transitions (Hoicka et al., 2021a; Regier et al., 2025). It led to the conclusion that ‘urban energy transitions are simply impossible without rural energy transitions’ (Naumann & Rudolph, 2020: 97) and that a transformation of regional landscapes for energy transitions creates the potential to amplify injustices in rural communities (Regier et al., 2025).

Reflective of energy scholarship, the initial readings were dominated by male authors. As a diverse group of students in a diverse city, we began to identify readings authored by scholars from traditionally excluded communities. I discovered a range of perspectives that challenged my thinking and widened my knowledge of energy planning outside of my comfort zone.

Two students, one of Indigenous ancestry, the other working in an Indigenous organization, asked me to supervise research about Indigenous participation in community energy projects. Because I was not knowledgeable about reconciliation, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), colonial governance structures, or inherent rights to traditional lands, this endeavor resulted in a series of discussions and collaborations in which a path of learning opened up about the relationship between these topics and community energy (Hoicka et al., 2021b; Savic & Hoicka, 2023).

Collectively, these experiences were turning points in orienting my scholarship. Having previously studied the diffusion of innovations, I resituated my research programme in energy geographies and transformative energy justice.

I moved to a new institution in British Columbia, a province located on many unceded lands of First Nations where the university is more focused on reconciliation. I rooted my new research program in identifying and understanding the spatial distribution of impacts and benefits resulting from renewable energy transitions. My research team began a study for a coalition of First Nations and organizations and learned more deeply about the application of UNDRIP to electricity sector transformations (Hoicka et al., 2025b). I actively learned from students, colleagues and research partners the value of deepening my listening and relational approaches, that take practice over time to develop and strengthen. I looked for new techniques and resources for teaching, leading to the incorporation of concepts of sacredness in spaces, sitting in a circle for dialogue and discussion and crafting in class. The textbook ‘Sacred Civics’ describes ‘Sacred’ as it

relates to a sense of connection between people and with nature, a shared sense of purpose and meaning that flows from that, and which translates to a shared sense of how to coexist: living better together in the shared space of cities. People, land, and nature in all forms, are considered sacred, worthy of merit, and having agency (Engle et al., 2022: 3–4)

The book explores the sacredness of cities, social infrastructures and Indigenous teachings. It was incorporated into my ‘Sustainable Cities' classroom and was contrasted with readings focused on technocratic planning approaches, such as how to reduce our emissions from transportation. What emerged were ideas about how to create sacred spaces to reduce our reliance on single passenger vehicles. Students argued for the incorporation of neighbourhood bodegas (small, local, walkable neighbourhood stores), in safe walking distance from homes, to eliminate the need to drive to the store for small items. They argued to make public transportation and active transportation a sacred space, so that people want to get out of their cars and ride transit, walk or ride a bicycle. Perhaps this inspired a new generation of energy geographers to employ place-making approaches to imagine and create public transit and active transportation as sacred spaces that people wish to occupy.

Conclusion

The practice of actively listening to students and clearly articulating our ideas to them helps students situate themselves within the subdiscipline of energy geography. This also enables energy geographers to refine and expand the conceptual and theoretical foundations of energy geographies. This pedagogical engagement fosters a more heterogeneous and inclusive scholarly community. Although energy geography may occupy a marginal position within both human geography and the broader social sciences, its concerns often lie at the heart of understanding the drivers and dynamics of energy transitions. As such, energy geographers are well positioned to address the emerging and urgent challenges facing global energy systems.