plaNext–Next Generation Planning

The seascape as an actor in the public acceptance of offshore wind farms

Luis Carlos de Medeiros Raposo — 2025-12-05

This study explores the role played by the seascape in the public acceptance of nearshore and offshore wind farms. The transposition of onshore wind farms to the sea has been defended as an alternative to mitigate resistance, assuming that, by locating them offshore, opposition would be halted. However, research indicates that this is a misconception, as offshore sites do not guarantee a problem-free solution for wind farms, and conflicts can persist even when wind parks are planned to be installed away from populated areas. The study discusses how the seascape can be perceived differently by various stakeholders and emphasises the importance of considering it as a key factor in the success of the planned exploration. The proposal of offshore wind parks along the coast of Portugal is used as a case study to analyse how it was received by different sectors of society. Findings reveal that stakeholders with strong ties to the seascape were not included in the decision-making process from the very start, which led to fierce opposition in areas where sea uses are deemed to be in conflict. It is therefore argued that the non-human agency of the seascape should not be ignored, since it can form relations. It is suggested that a comprehensive understanding of the seascape could help build better-informed decisions, as its environmental characteristics and functioning, and the social construct that is formed between different groups and the seascape, are capable of shaping the stakeholder group and influencing the social acceptance of an energy project.

Towards a heterogeneous data processing method to support planners in increasing climate resilience: An application on urban heat waves

Lucia Chieffallo — 2026-01-06

The urgency of addressing climate change-induced risks is internationally recognised. However, urban and territorial contexts do not yet appear ready to face this challenge. Based on the state of the art, this research proposes the definition of an innovative method for mapping heterogeneous data to support planners in increasing climate resilience. The application of the research project presented in this paper focuses on heat waves in the urban area of the Municipality of Lamezia Terme (Calabria Region, Italy). Taking into account climatic and non-climatic information, the results are useful for planners to identify priority areas and subsequently define an action plan containing appropriate adaptation measures.

Serial retrofitting as a bottom-up innovation for sustainability: Application of the multi-level perspective

Mirjam Sophie Mauel — 2025-12-18

Serial retrofitting represents a crucial advancement in urban sustainability, addressing cost increases, resource constraints, and labour shortages within the building sector. “Energiesprong Deutschland”, coordinated by the German Energy Agency (dena), is a pioneering initiative for the retrofitting of 1950s–1970s multi-family housing through cost- and time-efficient solutions utilising industrial prefabrication and standardised components.

Within the study, the role of serial retrofitting as a transformative innovation within the energy transition is assessed using Geels’ multi-level perspective, examining its establishment and potential for future system change within the context of the “Great Transformation”. The analysis reveals six interdependent feedback loops governing diffusion dynamics: performance monitoring, scalability dynamics, financial maturation, market co-evolution, market acceptance, and social acceptance.

Serial retrofitting remains positioned within the early diffusion phase of the multi-level perspective framework. The study identifies three targeted intervention pathways: regulatory harmonisation, cultural transformation within the construction sector and innovative financing mechanisms. To expedite regime reconfiguration, various measures are required at political, institutional, social, cultural, research, and market levels. Serial retrofitting offers a future-oriented solution for transforming the building sector in alignment with the political agenda. By combining integrated technical, economic, and social efforts, it promises significant contributions to the decarbonisation and sustainable development of the building stock.

From bungalows to garden cities: The architectural evolution of British-owned oil company towns in Iran (1901–1951)

Seyed Alireza Seyedi — 2026-01-12

Following the discovery of oil in southwestern Iran, an unprecedented form of settlement emerged in the region. The company towns of Masjed Soleyman (Masjid-i-Suleiman) and Abadan were built in dependence on the British-owned oil company APOC, later AIOC. The development of these cities between 1901 and 1951 reflects broader socio-political dynamics between the Company and local population. By considering both intra-company factors as well as national and international events, this research proposes a periodization aligned with shifts in the Company’s policies. It studies the architecture and urbanism of each period in accordance with the socio-political context. Initially, the settlements were temporary and, like the first infrastructure, extremely limited and rudimentary. However, with the expansion of oil operations, the settlements and infrastructure became more advanced. From the unprecedented juxtaposition of buildings for European staff, bungalows that bore traces of British colonial architecture, a complex structure emerged. Yet the peak of this complexity emerged with the further development of these settlements into garden cities, another hallmark of colonial architecture and urbanism, marking a transition from the mere adjacency of individual buildings to planned neighborhoods. The analysis conducted shows how these built environments functioned as identifiers and tools of class and racial segregation.

Conflicting agricultural territories and unsolved public problems: The case of Val di Non in Italy

Francesco Galli — 2024-07-01

Beginning with UN Agenda 2030, the European Commission has recently adopted many strategic policies, such as Farm to Fork, Biodiversity Strategy, and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). These documents set up important objectives to cope with environmental and climate challenges. The study uses a quantitative and qualitative research methodology to provide an empirical analysis of the land-use changes and landscape modifications in an important area of apple production in Italy, such as Val di Non in the Trentino Region. The aim is to reflect upon the gap between policy formulation and implementation through spatial planning. Recently, some of the most important Italian agricultural associations protested against the forced reduction of the use of pesticides set in place by new common policies. A closer look at our case study tells us that the local system of production is unlikely to change if territorial planning does not problematize the rising social demand for more sustainable policies and practices in agriculture. Some empirical implications suggest the need for planning tools capable of addressing social demand. In other words, creating conditions for mutual interaction between planning and practices to imagine new ways of living together in a territory of monoculture.

Designing infrastructure beyond the urban-rural divide: Comparative lessons for the European territorial palimpsest

Sophie Leemans — 2025-11-25

This article explores how insights from past and present North American infrastructure projects can inform the rethinking of infrastructure’s role in the transformation of European ‘dispersed territories’, i.e. low-density urban-rural configurations. Framed by the concept of the “territorial palimpsest”, this paper adopts a qualitative, comparative case study approach to examine how infrastructure design can mediate the urban-rural divide. Through diachronic analysis, it considers several twentieth-century infrastructural imaginaries and contemporary projects. While acknowledging the fundamental socio-political and spatial differences between North American urban sprawl and European dispersed territories, the selected cases offer critical insights into the role of infrastructure as a catalyst for socio-ecological and spatial change. Each case is examined through a common analytical lens to uncover how infrastructure is conceived and deployed. The paper concludes by distilling lessons for the European context, including the importance of integrating design ambition with feasibility, engaging with governance structures, embracing multifunctional and hybrid strategies, and re-evaluating existing conditions as opportunities. These insights aim to support a more adaptive and interdisciplinary understanding of infrastructure as a catalyst for resilient and inclusive spatial transformation beyond the traditional urban-rural dichotomy.

Editorial: Bridging gaps – urban planning for coexistence

Sophie Leemans — 2026-01-12

Today, urban planning attempts to address trans-scalar issues while dealing with the increasingly complex socio-environmental, economic, and cultural challenges that demand specific, innovative, sustainable, and inclusive solutions. The 18th AESOP Young Academics Conference, titled Bridging Gaps: Urban Planning for Coexistence, was organized and hosted by a group of PhD candidates at the Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) in March 2024. The conference was conceived as an open platform, designed specifically by and for early career researchers to engage with these challenges. It aimed to address the theoretical and practical gaps within urban planning, seeking ways to transform them into constructive dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities. In a world shaped by environmental crises, urban-rural tensions, socio-economic disparities, and the diverging relationship between academia and practice, the conference offered a unique and safe space for young academics, including master’s and doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and other early career scholars, to critically rethink urban planning as a tool for coexistence. Participants explored new ways to address these challenges and bridge the identified gaps in the planning discourse through their research, methodologies, and case studies.