Energy justice through mapping: exploring distributive aspects in citizen mapping assignments

Major recurring themes in energy transitions revolve around questions of energy justice: how ills and benefits are distributed, how processes of energy choices are organized and who is recognized as a legitimate voice in these choices (and how) (Jenkins et al., 2016). In this research, we aim to apply the concept of energy justice and broaden it, by involving citizens in these considerations of justice. In participation trajectories in the energy transition in the Netherlands, citizens are frequently asked to distribute technical aspects in relation to the spatial quality of their region. A current omission in these mapping assignments are socio-economic factors, which is potentially problematic considering that economically disadvantaged regions, neighborhoods and individuals are at higher risk in relation to social, technical, and financial burdens (Jenkins et al., 2016; Walker & Day, 2012). Cartographic reflections should not focus exclusively on a physical rendering, but that it should raise questions involving the rendering of social significance, possibly by looking at areas traditionally quite alien to its fields, such as the language of technical and visual arts (Casti, 2015). Therefore, we make use of mapping assignments in deliberative sessions, charting how groups of citizens discuss and design aspects of energy justice. By doing so, we answer the question: ‘What is the role of distributive mapping assignments during a deliberative session with local stakeholders and citizens to create a more just energy transition?’. During several deliberative sessions at different locations, citizens living in the Province of Overijssel in the Netherlands are asked to reflect on interactive regional maps to discuss the energy transition in their own region. Through the three tenets in energy justice (i.e., distributive, procedural, recognition, Jenkins et al., 2016) we analyze how citizens use elements of justice to design a just energy transition.