Framing the just transition objective in the context of periurban territorial development and planning. A literature review

Just transition is an emerging policy issue that is gaining increasing attention among scholars and practitioners. This concept refines sustainability policies by introducing critical questions of equity, with a strong place-based dimension. The objective of the just transition is to decarbonize the economy while protecting jobs, industries, and communities at risk. It is therefore a highly relevant concept for spatial and territorial reasoning. However, the geographic literature on the just transition is still young and fragmented, and significant difficulties arise in adopting a place-based approach to it. Territorialisation appears to be partial, resulting from insufficient attention to the appropriate scale needed to effectively integrate development and transition objectives. Therefore, the article examines the implementation of the European Just Transition Mechanism in Italy and identifies the peri-urban as a promising scale at which to frame and operationalise the objectives of the just transition. As a result, it argues that focusing on peri-urban areas is ethically and politically necessary, as it responds to the demand for spatial, social, and environmental justice, addresses structural development challenges, and activates a transformative potential that would otherwise remain unrecognised.