Abstract   This papers aims to discuss the potentiality of tourism and recreation in Stockholm by developing its waterfronts. Waterfronts neighbourhood of south side of Kungsholmen has been taken as a case study which has lots of potentiality to develop in terms of tourism and recreations. Urban waterfronts planning and redevelopment is currently a civic interest which consists of both challenges as well as opportunities. It has adapted different significant in different urban cultures. Waterfronts by the side of Kungsholmen are unique and valuable resources of Stockholm. However, most of the waterfronts recreation grounds are not well designed and located or not properly linked with the nearby tourist destinations. The goal of the study is to create good quality recreation space along the waterfronts of the south side of Kungsholmen and connect them with the central tourist spots of Gamlastan. The study has done through literature reviews of overseas examples to formulate the performance criteria that help to evaluate the existing quality of waterfront recreation development and to formulate the urban design guidelines. The study will take a macro level study on the entire waterfronts area.

In most developing countries, forest resources are a major source of livelihood for forest dwellers. Forests provide fuel wood, farm products, meat, timber and plants of high medicinal value, including Prunus africana. The collection of medicinal plants is also an important source of cash income for some forest communities, and widely relied on to cure illnesses (Poffenberger, 1993). Because of this, the poor forest dwellers in particular are forced to exert pressure on their surrounding environment to make ends meet. Indiscriminate exploitation of forest resources has cost some forest dwellers dearly as they are now experiencing marked reduction of wildlife, forest cover, soil fertility and most importantly water supply, which is a key to life. Prunus africana has a very high economic and medicinal value locally as well as internationally. The exploitation of this species is a very profitable activity in most parts of Africa where it occurs, including the Mount Cameroon region. In recent years, most youths and young men in the Mount Cameroon region have seemingly become less interested in their usual income generating activities (farming, hunting, etc.) because of reduced productivity and have taken up Prunus harvesting as their major source of income. Increase in demand for this species by the French pharmaceutical company (Plantecam), weak institutional capacity to control exploitation, uncontrolled access into the forest, scramble for diminished stock by legal and illegal exploiters, destruction of wild stock by unsustainable practices, and insufficient regeneration of the species in the past have almost driven this species to extinction in certain parts of Cameroon and made it severely threatened in others. Prunus africana is presently threatened with extinction in the entire Mount Cameroon region. In response to this, the Mount Cameroon Project (MCP) and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MINEF) helped some communities (Bokwoango and Mapanja) in the Mount Cameroon region to form Prunus africana harvesters’ unions with the aim of preserving the resource and improving the socio-economic benefits. The principal aim of the Bokwoango Prunus africana harvesters’ union is to ensure sustainable exploitation of Prunus africana while saving money for important development projects for individual members, their families and the entire community. This piece of work highlights the different facets of Prunus africana management in Cameroon in general and the Bokwoango community in particular. The study examines the socio-economic impact of Prunus africana management in the Bokwoango community and shows specifically the management role played by the Bokwoango Prunus africana harvesters’ union to reduce the rate of exploitation of Prunus africana and also to ensure benefit sharing of the earnings from sales of Prunus bark. It at the same time brings out the constraints encountered by harvesters as well as the opportunities that can make the union become more viable to the socio-economic development of the Bokwoango community. Results of this study show that for the short period that the Bokwoango Prunus africana harvesters’ union has existed, the socio-economic changes in this community are encouraging if one compares the present situation with that before the formation of the union. Most importantly, there has been increased awareness on the great need to conserve not only the threatened Prunus africana species but also other threatened plant and animal species in the region through sustainable hunting, harvesting and regeneration. Some proposals are made for efficient natural resource management and improvements on livelihood through alternative income generating activities. The study ends with recommendations for policy and institutional reforms as well as suggestions for further research in sustainable management of Prunus africana.

”Det kommunala planmonopolet” gör att kommunerna är viktiga aktörer i utmaningen att minska energianvändning och klimatpåverkan inom bebyggelse- och transportsektorerna, vilka står för en övervägande del av landets totala energianvändning. Den största potentialen i kommunernas planering och reglering av ny bebyggelse ligger i möjligheten att påverka bebyggelsens lokalisering och täthet, vilket har betydelse för resandets omfattning och val av transportsätt. Plan- och bygglagen (PBL) ger kommunerna vissa möjligheter att påverka energianvändningen och energitillförseln för ny bebyggelse, men de är tämligen begränsade. Variabler som mikroklimat och stadstyper med låg omslutningskvot påverkar bebyggelsens energianvändning i ett byggnadsfysiskt perspektiv, men ur ett administrativt perspektiv spelar detta ingen roll sedan energikraven i Boverkets byggregler sedan några år tillbaka ställer krav på hela byggnadens energiprestanda och inte på enskilda byggnadsdelar. Om byggreglernas krav istället skulle gälla byggnadens energianvändning i ett livscykelperspektiv skulle detta ge en mer rättvis bild samtidigt som planeringsfrågor som placering av bebyggelse och samt stadstyper skulle påverka energianvändningen. Vidare efterfrågas riktlinjer för hur användningen av elektricitet i bebyggelsesektorn ska miljöbedömas samt en statlig samsyn om elens roll ibland annat uppvärmnings- och transportsektorerna. Den stora effektiviseringspotentialen i bebyggelsesektorn finns dock i den befintliga bebyggelsen, vilket inte kan styras med vare sig markanvändningsreglering enligt PBL-planeringen eller Boverkets byggregler – det är fastighetsägarnas ansvar. Men planering kan omfatta så mycket mer än bara reglering. PBL:s organisation och krav på samrådsprocesser gör den kommunala planeringen till en viktig utvecklingsarena där såväl fastighetsägare som andra aktörer kan bjudas in att delta. Istället för ett traditionellt tvingande uppifrånperspektiv skulle den kommunala planeringen i högre grad kunna inta ett underifrånperspektiv och arbeta mer positivt och visa på möjligheterna att minska energianvändningen och få en mer hållbar energitillförsel, frågor som är bra både ur ett miljö- som ekonomiskt perspektiv. Planeringen skulle vidare behöva bli mer strategisk och genomförandeinriktad. I forsknings- och utvecklingsprogrammet Uthållig kommun fysisk planering har nya planeringsmetoder och -verktyg introducerats i fem kommuner, med syfte att integrera energi- och hållbarhetsaspekterna i den kommunala fysiska planeringen. En studie av den introducerade arbetsmetodiken visar att det går bra att kombinera rationella och kommunikativa planeringsmetoder och -verktyg. Det breda och inkluderande tillvägagångssättet har lett till att de deltagande har ökat sin kunskap om och sett större samband mellan planering, energi, bebyggelse och transporter, men även ökad förståelse för andra aktörers synsätt och kompetenser. Studien visar att såväl rationellt tänkande och expertkunskap som lokala, vardagliga erfarenheter och kunskaper är viktiga i planeringsprocessen. Det behövs kunskap om såväl processledning som sakkunskaper om exempelvis energi och miljöpåverkan. / Uthållig kommun

Land use change constitutes a primary driving force in shaping social-ecological systems world wide, and its effects reach far beyond the directly impacted areas. Graph based landscape ecological tools have become established as a promising way to efficiently explore and analyze the complex, spatial systems dynamics of ecological networks in physical landscapes. However, little attention has been paid to making these approaches operational within ecological assessments, physical planning, and design. This thesis presents a network based, landscape-ecological tool that can be implemented for effective use by practitioners within physical planning and design, and ecological assessments related to these activities. The tool is based on an ecological profile system, a common generalized network model of the ecological infrastructure, graph theoretic metrics, and a spatially explicit, geographically defined representation, deployable in a GIS. Graph theoretic metrics and analysis techniques are able to capture the spatio-temporal dynamics of complex systems, and the generalized network model places the graph theoretic toolbox in a geographically defined landscape. This provides completely new insights for physical planning, and environmental assessment activities. The design of the model is based on the experience gained through seven real-world cases, commissioned by different governmental organizations within Stockholm County. A participatory approach was used in these case studies, involving stakeholders of different backgrounds, in which the tool proved to be flexible and effective in the communication and negotiation of indicators, targets, and impacts. In addition to successful impact predictions for alternative planning scenarios, the tool was able to highlight critical ecological structures within the landscape, both from a system-centric, and a site-centric perspective. In already being deployed and used in planning, assessments, inventories, and monitoring by several of the involved organizations, the tool has proved to effectively meet some of the challenges of application in a multidisciplinary landscape.