2. Place in Transitions—Concepts for When it Matters: Essentially, Accidentally, Locus and Nexus

How much does place matter in transitions? And if it matters much, how to deal with it? This research essay explores the conceptual aspects of these issues. At the core is that transitions concepts and frameworks typically employ a functional systems perspective in which place and scale are implicit. The burgeoning literature on the geography of transitions and urban transitions provides many clues as to the aspects of place and scale that would be of conceptual import for transitions. When can a transition truly be considered of—rather than ‘merely’ occurring in, or to—a certain place? I argue that transitions can be considered to cover a spectrum ranging from accidentally place based—when place matters only because things need to happen somewhere—and essentially place based—when the transition dynamics are completely contingent on the local context, needs and aspirations. For transitions erring on the essential end of the spectrum, I argue, a systemic conceptualisation of place—which I call the locus—is useful, while the systems affected by the transitions, the nexus, can be conceptualised in the familiar ways. Locus and nexus are mutually embedded, and an analytical interface is found in the networks and interactions of actors.