Editors: Mengyixin LI, Liang Li, Qi Huang
In 2023, the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change marked the first global consensus under the Paris Agreement, calling for nations to transition away from fossil fuels and ramp up renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and biomass in a more equitable, orderly, and rational manner. In this context, this special topic is dedicated to examining the role of “landscape” as an essential approach for systemic design and innovation. It delves into how multi-scale energy landscapes can activate the potential of sites in the global resource transition, forge robust connections between energy infrastructure and local planning systems, maximize the spatial benefits and positive effects of renewable energy, and mitigate impacts of energy infrastructure on both the natural world and ecological systems.
During the 1990s, Western European countries, notably Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, pioneered the integration of energy transition into societal development, emphasizing the transformation of local and regional landscapes through an energy transition perspective. Energy landscapes inherently reflect varied types of renewable resources and their complex, ongoing development process across physical, social, ecological, and economic dimensions. Recently, energy landscapes have gained significant attention within the interdisciplinary filed, with research and practices covering topics of post-industrial city and coal-mining region regeneration, ecological restoration of industrial wastelands, and renewable energy infrastructure construction. Additionally, discussions around the recognition and aesthetic value of energy landscapes, and initiatives for reducing carbon footprints are growing in importance. China’s energy landscape transformation also faces significant challenges, including the impact of renewable energy developments on ecosystems, biodiversity, landscape quality, and issues of social fairness and public acceptance. Addressing these challenges necessitates cross-national, interdisciplinary research and collaboration among scholars on various topics related to energy landscape policies, laws, and regulations, technological and industrial advancements, aiming to refine the theoretical and practical foundations of energy landscape transformation in urban-rural spatial development and landscape planning and design.
