"All change please!" : challenges and opportunities of the energy transition

The annual meeting of the ARL's Junges Forum (forum for young professionals) on 6-8 October 2016 in Leipzig addressed various aspects of the energy transition - when, where, how and why? The Junges Forum, a platform for both academics and practitioners, met for three days of discussion about the complex transformation process of the energy transition, adopting various inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives. In presentations and discussion groups, they considered not only technical, legal and planning aspects related to infrastructure expansion and the management and structuring of the energy transition, but also its significance for spatial development. The focus of the annual meeting was selected in view of the current importance of the issue. The transition is a process intended to ensure a safe, environmentally friendly and economically successful future and as such involves a broad spectrum of social, planning and scientific challenges and opportunities that require more indepth consideration and analysis.