Toward a State-led, Market-Enabled Commons: Positioning Urban Civic Energy in East Asia
Journal
Urban Affairs Review
Journal Volume
60
Journal Issue
4
Start Page
1272
End Page
1287
Date Issued
2024-07-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Empirical studies on energy democracy (ED) tend to presume boundaries among community energy (CE) practices, corporate operations, and state leadership. This research note identifies three features underlying existing literature: an implicit binary thinking of state and society, the understated market influence, and a lack of urban features that enable ED functioning through spatial means. I therefore propose urban commons (UC) as a complementary framework to interrogate the interplay among the state, society, and market operations in CE research and practices. I examine how ED informs CE operations in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, identifying a set of limitations to which UC can respond. Some latest thinking on UC and a body of strategies proposed by key interlocutors were discussed. I then propose “state-led, market-enabled commons” as a conceptual framework to account for urban civic energy initiatives in East Asia.
Subjects
community energy
energy democracy
renewable energy cooperatives
urban commons
Type
journal article