Energy vulnerability in underprivileged neighbourhoods: a socio-spatial analysis through energy justice and spatial capital lenses in Ghent, Belgium

This research explores energy injustices in underprivileged urban neighbourhoods through the lens of spatial capital. Based on interviews and collective mapping workshops, it analyses two case neigbourhoods in Ghent, Belgium: a modernist social housing area and a dense former working-class neighbourhood. The research identifies markers of spatial capital that influence residents’ access to resources, opportunities, and barriers to participating in energy transitions. The findings show how socio-spatial inequalities amplify energy injustices, emphasising the critical need for place-based policies to foster an equitable energy transition. By focusing on neighbourhood-scale dynamics, the research moves beyond individualised explanations to expose structural barriers to just energy transitions.