How Could People and Communities Contribute to the Energy Transition? Conceptual Maps to Inform, Orient, and Inspire Design Actions and Education

Abstract

Energy Transition (ET) is crucial for sustainable development, impacting inclusive prosperity and social justice. Knowledge development, innovative solutions, and awareness actions become crucial as energy systems transform. ET necessitates behavioural and cultural changes involving individuals in responsible decision making. The active engagement of all societal actors, including people and communities is essential. The article is authored by a university research team specializing in Design for Sustainability, Service Design, and Design for Experience, and it addresses two central research questions: (i) how can individuals and communities contribute to ET? and (ii) how can design theories, methods, and expertise contribute to generating knowledge and solutions for ET? The research employs a multidisciplinary literature review and case study analysis. It is structured into two main sections. The first section examines ET, drawing upon European Union (EU) official documents and academic literature to outline its values, objectives, actors, initiatives, and challenges, focusing on the role of citizens and communities. The second section explores the design’s contributions, summarizing relevant philosophies and solutions aligned with ET goals, challenges, and bottlenecks. Conceptual maps were created to address the knowledge gap on ET objectives and guidelines, providing design-oriented reference knowledge and principles. The purpose of the research is to define a conceptual framework made up of maps to guide researchers, designers, and design educators in understanding the complexity of ET and to inspire their intervention proposals.