Ecological transition as a spatial planning imperative: reorienting policy and practice for sustainable territories

Ecological transition has emerged as one of the most pressing and multidimensional paradigms in contemporary planning discourse, especially within the European context. As an umbrella concept, it reframes urban and territorial development through ecological, spatial, and socio-political lenses. Far from being a purely environmental agenda, ecological transition intersects with broader questions of governance, equity, and long-term resilience. Within this evolving framework, spatial planning is increasingly tasked with bridging strategic ambitions and operational capacities across multiple scales. A wide range of strategies and policy tools has been mobilised under this framework, including green and blue infrastructure, ecosystem services, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and nature-based solutions. These approaches, while promising, often reveal significant implementation gaps and uneven integration into mainstream planning. This section, through case studies, explores how ecological transition is interpreted and operationalised through planning, highlighting the institutional and territorial conditions that influence its effectiveness.