From the energy transition to ecological conversion: the role of territorial structures between conflict and planning

Abstract

This paper critically examines the current territorialization processes of the energy transition, highlighting the growing gap between decarbonization targets and territorially integrated ecological conversion. Starting from the analysis of renewable energy infrastructure deployment in Italy, the paper shows how ongoing transformations are increasingly concentrated in rural, inland and marginal areas, generating significant pressures on landscapes. The contribution discusses the main critical issues related to these processes - including land consumption, ecological fragmentation, alteration of territorial structures and local conflicts - interpreting them as the outcome of a predominantly techno-economic approach to transition. In contrast, the paper proposes an ecological conversion perspective based on the recognition of territory as a complex relational structure and on the role of landscape as both an interpretative and design-oriented framework. Within this context, the ENSCAPE research project, developed by the University of Florence in collaboration with the regional heritage authority and the National Park of the Casentino Forests, aims to define territorial and landscape criteria for the integration of renewable energy systems. The paper particularly presents the experimental work carried out in the Alto Mugello area, based on the integration of GIS tools, structural landscape interpretation and territorial fragility analysis.