Socio-Spatial Impacts of Energy Transitions

Abstract

Since the first discovery of oil in the North Sea, oil exploration and development operations have transformed the economic, social and physical geography of Scotland in general and Aberdeen in particular. Intimacy of Aberdeen to the major oil fields of the North Sea changed the city into an administrative and service city. Since then, Aberdeen has become a major base for the entire North Sea oil operations. This created new growth centres and revitalised stagnant economy of Aberdeen. But, the booming economy of oil did not last for a long time. The recent downturn of North Sea oil activities and decommission of oil and gas rigs has been changing the life of the city towards another transition. Taking Aberdeen as the main case study, this paper studies the socio-spatial consequences of the transformation of the city from a fishing port city into the “Capital of Oil”, and recently to the “Capital of Energy”. It investigates the extent to which development of offshore activities in the North Sea has affected urban development of Aberdeen; and how it has reshaped economic, social and physical structure of the city from the early 1970s to this day.