A majority of Sweden’s population, about 80 %, lives in urban environments, and a majority of them live in residential complexes with shared residential yards. People spend a large part of their time in or around their home, which is why the outside environment and the green space in the area play an important part in a person’s well being. The green yard offers space for children’s activities, recreation, solitude, relaxation and gardening and gives the opportunity to learn and understand nature and its processes. The green yard also constitutes a part of the city’s factual green structure, informal green spaces that are not owned by the city and are therefore not included in the formal planning processes. The green residential yards also provide a number of ecosystem services such as climate regulation, purification of water and air and rainwater infiltration, all of which are of importance in the fight against climate change. The goal of this thesis has been to present the advantages an improved planning and maintenance of the urban green space and the residential yard in particular can offer. A number of important properties and functions that affect a yard’s functionality and how it is perceived are also presented and explained. The paper also aims to offer a better understanding of the garden’s role in improving the social conditions in the neighbourhood, and of the importance of involving the residents in planning and maintaining the green spaces. A number of case studies and analyses offer a more concrete perspective on the real world situations, and of successful refurbishment projects. Involving the residents in the formal planning and building processes has been proved to have positive effects on revitalising areas such as Gårdsten in Göteborg. Tenant involvement in open space management can lead to a positive spiral where people start caring for and identifying themselves with their neighbourhood, which can reduce the degree of stigmatisation and marginalisation.

The aim of this study was to analyse the role of the registered nurse in the management of pro re nata (PRN) medication in a care home (nursing) for older people. Studying PRN medication provides insights into the role of the nurse in care homes (nursing) who act as assessor, decision maker and evaluator in residents' care. It also provides a lens by which to explore how residents and their carers interact and participate in day-to-day care decisions about residents' health. The case study draws on ethnography. It is a multi-method study, using documentary and medication reviews, observations and interviews to answer the research questions. Thirty-four residents were recruited to the study and 60 care home staff. Findings showed that 88.2% of residents (n=30) were prescribed PRN medication and that all residents were on a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 7 medication. During each 28-day MAR sheet period between 35 and 44 PRN prescriptions were written. They contributed 12.7% of all medication prescribed, accounting for between 1.2 and 1.5 medication per resident. Nurses were found to administer PRN medication, but a finding of this study was that this activity could be delegated to carers who were identifying resident needs. There was some evidence of resident engagement but this was often a three-way process between resident, GP and family or resident, carer and nurse. A percentage of medication that could have been PRN were routinely prescribed. Observations also identified that nurses would decide not to administer routine medication in certain circumstances and that this was directly related to their assessment of the resident. The process of medication management was dominated by the regulations and governance processes of the care home. Observations and interviews found that care home staff recognised and affirmed residents' pain but did not take action for analgesia to be administered. They were familiar with the use of pain assessment tools for older people living with dementia and had received training in dementia care. Many of the staff were also able to interpret signs and symptoms of a resident's distress. Nevertheless, their preoccupation with meeting internal and external regulator standards was a barrier to addressing residents' needs. This is the first study that has looked at an aspect of medication management to understand how nurses and care home staff work for and with residents to moderate and address their health care needs. It suggests that additional training in aspects of medication management and resident assessment may not be able to address deeper seated issues of autonomy and how the nursing role is understood and enacted in care home settings.

This thesis explores the barriers to effective tenant involvement at an organisational level in housing associations by tracking, over a long period of time, the experience of tenants who get involved in the forums, panels and boards of housing associations. The focus of the research is the relationship between the tenants and the professional staff, in corporate environments where delivery of a user-focused service is purported to be the shared goal. The aim has been to explore with tenants and staff their experiences of trying to make tenant involvement work at a strategic level within the organisation. My research seeks (a) to unravel the methods used by the different actors to influence activities and outcomes, and (b) to examine their effects on the power balance in and between the groups of people in question. Clegg’s 1989 ‘Circuits of power’ theory is used to plot and analyse the processes involved in the transformation (or not) of power within the culture and practice of tenant involvement and the empowerment (or not) of the tenants who work with staff at the heart of these corporate cultures. In addition I use Somerville’s 1998 typology of empowerment to illustrate the potential for organisational change. I gather a wide range of material, using a detailed questionnaire, 17 case studies plus a further three of national level involvement initiatives, and an analysis of 112 Housing Corporation and Audit Commission inspection reports (from 2003 and 2008). To this I add my own experience as a participant observer in a range of settings over the period. This thesis is intended to shed some light on why the same barriers continue to exist and why so many involved tenants and their housing associations are still struggling to make involvement really make a difference at this level, despite a decade of intensive regulations and inspection of involvement activities.