The future of spatial energy planning: A shift toward social learning and participatory visioning

Abstract

Participatory planning is increasingly used to address complex challenges such as deciding where and how the energy transition should be implemented. Yet it remains unclear what people learn through participatory planning processes and how this learning shapes collective outcomes. This study examines social learning in a participatory regional visioning process in Knonauer Amt, Switzerland. Using surveys conducted before and after the process, we compare changes in the perspectives of participants ( N = 46) with those of non-participating regional residents ( N = 703). Participants' perspectives on spatial planning and the energy transition became more closely aligned than those of the wider regional population, although substantial differences remained. Despite these differences, the process produced a shared regional vision. The findings show that people do not need to agree on everything to move forward together. Participatory visioning can create a shared direction even when differences remain.