The main aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which the implementation of Cosmo City Project has accomplished the aims of housing policy. The main areas of housing policy which were explored are: partnerships, public participation, tenure security, and integration (spatial, institutional, economic, and social). In order for this study to be successful, primary data was collected from ten residents from Cosmo City, Cosmo Environmental Control Officer, and the Project Manager. A research questionnaire was administered to each of the identified respondents. In addition, secondary data was collected from books, journal articles and relevant policy documents. The analysis of findings used research questions as themes to ensure that the data collected respond to the objectives of the research. The findings of the study revealed that the implementation of Cosmo City achieved most of its objectives such as tenure security, environmental sustainability, spatial integration and institutional integration. However, economic and social integration were not achieved by the project. These findings led the researcher to conclude that an attempt by South African government to create socially and economically viable human settlements did not succeed in Cosmo City. This was due to lack of effective public participation. Consequently, it was recommended that there was a need to strengthen the capacity of the Local Authorities in terms of housing policy formulation and implementation. Again, thorough research on urban poverty and urban integration processes were to be clearly incorporated into housing policy.

Denna studie handlar om svenska kommuners arbete med att integrera ekosystemtjänster i stadsplanering. Fokus riktas mot drivkrafter och utmaningar i implementeringsarbetet. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med Kristianstad, Umeå och Gävle kommun. En ekolog och en person inom fysisk planering intervjuades från respektive kommun för att ge en samlad bild av kommunens ekosystemtjänstarbete i stadsplanering. Drivkrafter som identifierats hos kommunerna är Egna mål och förutsättningar, Externa samarbeten och Nationella mål. Utmaningarna som identifierats är Ekosystemtjänster som begrepp, Kommunikation, Exploatering och Värdering. Kommunernas perspektiv på drivkrafter och utmaningar ställs mot tidigare forskning. Myndigheten Naturvårdsverkets perspektiv på kommunernas utmaningar redovisas också. Studiens slutsatser är att ekosystemtjänster kan fungera som ett potentiellt verktyg till en hållbar stadsutveckling. Det finns delade tankar om ansvarsfördelning mellan kommun och myndighet. För att stödja kommunernas integrering av ekosystemtjänster i stadsplanering bör framtida forskning lyfta fram praktiska exempel på hur kommuner kan applicera detta utefter sina lokala förutsättningar. Kommuner behöver arbeta utifrån sin lokala kontext med ett holistiskt synsätt. De behöver även fortsätta att kommunicera och samarbeta inom och utanför kommunen för att öka kunskap om ekosystemtjänster i stadsplanering. / This study is about the integration of ecosystem services in urban planning in Swedish municipalities. There is a focus on the driving forces and challenges in the process of implementation. Semi-structured interviews was performed with the municipalities of Kristianstad, Umeå and Gävle. An ecologist and a physical planner were interviewed from each municipality to present an overall picture of their work with ecosystem services. The identified driving forces within the municipalities is Own goals and conditions, External cooperation and National goals. The identified challenges is Ecosystem services as a concept, Communication, Exploitation and Valuation. The perspectives on the driving forces and challenges was compared to previous research. The perspectives from the authority Swedish Environmental Protection Agency on the challenges were also presented in this study. The conclusions from this study were that ecosystem services may work as a potential tool for sustainable urban development. There are different views on distribution of responsibility between the municipalities and the authority. To support the integration of ecosystem services in urban planning within the municipalities, future research should highlight practical examples on how the they can integrate ecosystem services according to their local conditions. The municipalities should work according to their local conditions and from a holistic point of view. A progressive work must take place in form of communication and cooperation within and outside the municipalities to increase the knowledge about ecosystem services in urban planning.