Roles, responsibilities and capacities: Theorizing space, social practice, and the relational constitution of energy demand in and beyond Manchester

In a new journal article Dr Torik Holmes introduces a novel relational-space-inspired approach for exploring how cities become energy demanding sites over time. Urban energy transitions have increasingly formed a central topic of research over the past two decades. This is, in part, because 'modern urbanised societies are massively dependent on energy' - cities are understood to account for close to '75% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 75% of energy consumption'. Strategic vehicles. It is also because cities are understood to form 'strategic vehicles' and 'critical stakeholders in the development of responses to climate change', with local authorities, organisations, communities and activism groups involved in managing and/or trying to steer systems of provision (for example transport, electricity, waste, etc), patterns of consumption (for example to do with travel, land use, heating) and climate action (for example through localised policies and direct action). Scholars from various disciplines and research traditions have accordingly sought to examine the socio-technical dynamics of urban energy transitions. To date, a present and future-oriented interest in transitions in context and in action permeates much urban energy transitions research.