Energy justice in innovative living spaces: Examining positive energy districts and ecovillages in Europe

Energy transitions play a crucial role in addressing today's social, economic, and ecological challenges. However, recent studies show that energy transitions may reproduce current injustices and potentially create new injustices. To address the equitable distribution of benefits and burdens which may arise with energy-related innovations, energy justice has become a key issue in energy transitions research. This article focuses on how innovative living spaces (ILS) – namely Positive Energy Districts and ecovillages in Europe – address energy justice. These two forms of ILS represent top-down (Positive Energy Districts) and bottom-up (ecovillages) sustainability solutions. So far, their respective potentials and shortcomings in terms of energy justice and what we can learn from them are insufficiently understood. Based on an exploratory qualitative multiple case study, this article addresses this gap. To study energy justice in ILS, we extend the dominant theoretical discourse on energy justice to include energy of human, animals, plants, and ecosystems, as well as understanding animals, plants, and ecosystems as stakeholders of energy transitions. The results suggest that although both forms of ILS are currently niche developments, both are promising approaches to improve energy justice. At the same time, our analysis highlights the complexity of implementing energy justice on the local level. Design (bottom-up, top-down), emphasis (ecological solutions, energy technologies) and (non)intentionality affect energy justice in ILS. Our empirical insights suggest that ILS can inspire other residential areas to reflect on energy justice issues, and closer cooperation between Positive Energy Districts and ecovillages may contribute to creating more awareness for energy justice. • Ecovillages and positive energy districts (ILS) address energy justice. • Design, intention and emphasis affect ILS' impact direction on energy justice. • Geography and legislation are crucial to the agency of ILS regarding energy justice. • Knowledge transfer between ILS and other actors may enhance energy justice.