In the last decade, over 270 coal-fired power plants (111 gigawatts of capacity) across the United States have partially or fully retired. This number is as incredible for the American society as it is for the energy system. But what happens to the space these plants occupy in communities — as an employer, industrial site, economic producer, and cultural touchstone. This panel tells the community side of the clean energy transition story: what happens when fossil fuel plants shut down, and how do communities design their own futures?