Inclusive cities and energy transitions: insights from the post-industrial city of Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a post-industrial city confronted with energy transitions and the inclusion of a large group of vulnerable citizens who do not participate in the labour market. This chapter discusses how the city of Rotterdam tries to realize a more inclusive energy transition and the challenges within this process. We combine literature from inclusive cities with that on urban energy transitions and justice and draw on an empirical case study of Rotterdam. We investigate two dimensions of inclusive energy transitions. Firstly, we explore energy inclusion, referring to initiatives to counter energy poverty and/or unequal access to renewable energy sources and retrofitting. Secondly, we show how energy transitions can, to a certain extent, contribute to economic inclusion by providing job opportunities to vulnerable citizens who have a distance from the labour market. The chapter ends with recommendations for Rotterdam and other cities that want to attain more inclusive energy transitions.