The energy transition is increasingly being recognized as structurally relevant in the transformation of regions. In particular, regions characterized by fossil energy generation or energy-intensive production must develop cross-sectoral energy systems and spatial backdrops that go far beyond the 'self-sufficiency' in the electricity sector that has been primarily perceived by the public to date. The availability of climate-neutral energy supply is also moving into the public debate as an economic locational advantage ('Tesla effect', battery production, Intel relocation).

Climate protection, structural change and international competitiveness require an acceleration of the transformation of the energy sector. This acceleration can only succeed in the long term if the basic democratic structure is not weakened by negative narratives, but strengthened by positive identification, acceptance of responsibility and participation. The current planning culture does provide for democratic participation opportunities. However, it unintentionally favors negative narratives: In preparation procedures for regional and land use plans, citizens can submit individual “objections” in the formal public participation processes. However, it has not yet been possible to submit consents and positive design concepts that have been developed by citizens in a collectively legitimized, communicative process. Accordingly, negatively defensive but not positively formative arguments can be taken into account in the authorities' internal consideration process; no overall spatial concepts, but only particular concerns and interests. The assessment process thus unintentionally promotes negative emotions among those affected, negative narratives can become entrenched and disproportionately define the social representation of the energy transition, suggesting negative social norms. So far, this has particularly affected the expansion of wind energy; further areas of conflict are emerging and are to be expected as the energy transition and the associated transformation intensify.

Due to the formal objections of public participation, positive contributions for the justification of so-called 'soft' consideration criteria and decisions as well as overall spatial planning concepts remain largely unconsidered. The resulting weakness of the concepts is a frequent reason for the judicial annulment of regional and land use plans and a significant factor in delaying the energy transition and transformation of regions.

In addition to psychology, the interdisciplinary project team is made up of landscape architects from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and ethnologists from the Center for Interdisciplinary Regional Studies at MLU Halle-Wittenberg. The overarching goal is to derive transferable options for action to accelerate the energy transition and regional transformation processes. To this end, four sub-goals are being pursued. These are

a) Acceptance factors of regional energy transition projects are recorded in depth and accompanying narratives are analyzed and location and structural criteria are translated into holistic, legible spatial backdrops and images in order to derive communicative starting points,

b) analyzing socio-economic effects of the energy transition in regions of structural change, regional returns and financial participation opportunities and their relevance to acceptance,

c) developed and implemented approaches for the creative involvement of citizens in informal planning procedures, which are designed to accompany the formal planning procedures and can contribute significantly to planning security and acceleration through conflict framing and communicative action,

d) the contribution of the dialogs and citizen concepts to the development of positive narratives and perceptions, social norms, attitudes and willingness to act on the regional transformation for the energy transition is evaluated.