Best practices for Restoration Ecology have been largely derived from case studies. Novel Ecosystems is an approach that has the possibility of providing the field of restoration research with both structure and a road map for ecological recovery. In December 2015, Ontario Parks will be ceasing the lease of approximately 122 ha of farmland within Boyne Valley Provincial Park. My thesis aims to bridge the gap between social and ecological systems and build a resilient restoration project at Boyne Valley Provincial Park. My approach integrated the best case scenarios from each the social and ecological aspects to determine a restoration plan. From the social aspect, I chose the method photo-elicitation to bridge the communication gap between myself, the researcher, and the interviewees. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six major stakeholders including a farmer who is currently leasing land within Boyne Valley Provincial Park, a frequent hiker of the Ontario Parks’ trail system, an academic researcher for Ontario Parks, and three Ontario Parks’ personnel to understand the different landscape preferences of stakeholders within Boyne Valley Provincial Park. From the ecological aspect, I examined the success of restoration for the first year after a fall planting in terms of species richness and percent cover for all species, including native species (planted and not planted) and non-native species across three fields with different initial conditions. To test which species should be used as the initial ground cover after farming has ceased, I looked at the survivorship and growth of five species: Danthonia spicata, Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Monarda fistulosa and Penstemon hirsutus. My recommendations for restoration at Boyne Valley Provincial Park include implementing the restoration efforts at a smaller scale to start. The remaining fields should continue to be farmed until restoration can commence or mowed at least four times a year before seeds are formed. Open communication should continue between all stakeholders. Soil preparation should include tilling the soil prior to planting only if the land was left abandoned (e.g. old-field). A plant composition survey should be conducted prior to restoration – more particularly in hay fields - to determine if native meadow species are found. If native meadow species are present (e.g. Sisyrinchium montanum) that would not survive tilling, a no-till planting method may be a better option than tilling. Acknowledging these are early results, my initial recommendation based on survivorship and growth for the first year after planting would be to use plant plugs for Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus and a combination of plant plugs and seeds for Monarda fistulosa and Penstemon hirsutus. Future studies should incorporate other herbaceous species to increase the biodiversity while choosing flowers that bloom at different times. Additionally, pilot studies should be completed at all Ontario Parks locations where agriculture leases are ending to develop restoration methodologies that are applicable across Ontario. Information on each of the species to be planted should be distributed to the farmers that border Ontario Parks’ boundaries. This information should include at minimum the species life history, dispersal mechanisms, and a photograph. The research in this thesis outlines initial restoration efforts to guide restoration recommendations for the first year after land abandonment. Much longer-termed research is necessary to understand community dynamics and potential recovery of system.

Best practices for Restoration Ecology have been largely derived from case studies. Novel Ecosystems is an approach that has the possibility of providing the field of restoration research with both structure and a road map for ecological recovery. In December 2015, Ontario Parks will be ceasing the lease of approximately 122 ha of farmland within Boyne Valley Provincial Park. My thesis aims to bridge the gap between social and ecological systems and build a resilient restoration project at Boyne Valley Provincial Park. My approach integrated the best case scenarios from each the social and ecological aspects to determine a restoration plan. From the social aspect, I chose the method photo-elicitation to bridge the communication gap between myself, the researcher, and the interviewees. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six major stakeholders including a farmer who is currently leasing land within Boyne Valley Provincial Park, a frequent hiker of the Ontario Parks’ trail system, an academic researcher for Ontario Parks, and three Ontario Parks’ personnel to understand the different landscape preferences of stakeholders within Boyne Valley Provincial Park. From the ecological aspect, I examined the success of restoration for the first year after a fall planting in terms of species richness and percent cover for all species, including native species (planted and not planted) and non-native species across three fields with different initial conditions. To test which species should be used as the initial ground cover after farming has ceased, I looked at the survivorship and growth of five species: Danthonia spicata, Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Monarda fistulosa and Penstemon hirsutus. My recommendations for restoration at Boyne Valley Provincial Park include implementing the restoration efforts at a smaller scale to start. The remaining fields should continue to be farmed until restoration can commence or mowed at least four times a year before seeds are formed. Open communication should continue between all stakeholders. Soil preparation should include tilling the soil prior to planting only if the land was left abandoned (e.g. old-field). A plant composition survey should be conducted prior to restoration – more particularly in hay fields - to determine if native meadow species are found. If native meadow species are present (e.g. Sisyrinchium montanum) that would not survive tilling, a no-till planting method may be a better option than tilling. Acknowledging these are early results, my initial recommendation based on survivorship and growth for the first year after planting would be to use plant plugs for Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus and a combination of plant plugs and seeds for Monarda fistulosa and Penstemon hirsutus. Future studies should incorporate other herbaceous species to increase the biodiversity while choosing flowers that bloom at different times. Additionally, pilot studies should be completed at all Ontario Parks locations where agriculture leases are ending to develop restoration methodologies that are applicable across Ontario. Information on each of the species to be planted should be distributed to the farmers that border Ontario Parks’ boundaries. This information should include at minimum the species life history, dispersal mechanisms, and a photograph. The research in this thesis outlines initial restoration efforts to guide restoration recommendations for the first year after land abandonment. Much longer-termed research is necessary to understand community dynamics and potential recovery of system.

Under 2018 betalade Sveriges myndigheter, kommuner och regioner ut totalt 847 miljarder kronor till privata företag och av dessa kan 800 miljarder kopplas till offentliga upphandlingar. Den summan uppgår till ca 20% av Sveriges Bruttonationalprodukt. Det innebär att den offentliga upphandlingen har förutsättningar att göra stor positiv inverkan på de globala hållbarhetsmålen, främst genom Agenda 2030s mål 12: Hållbar konsumtion och produktion, samt mål 13: Bekämpa klimatförändringarna. I den här rapporten har Sandviken kommuns upphandlingsprocess analyserats genom djupintervjuer med nyckelpersoner med expertis inom upphandling och hållbarhet. Syftet är att ge en fördjupad inblick i hur upphandlingsprocessen ser ut specifikt i Sandvikens kommun, samt presentera möjliga förbättringsförslag. Intervjuer genomfördes under april 2022 genom de digitala plattformarna Zoom och Microsoft Teams. Teori från vetenskapligt granskade artiklar (peer-reviewed) har sedan jämförts med upplevelser från de intervjuade nyckelpersonerna för att se var förbättringspotential finns. Analysen visade att nyckelpersonerna hos Sandvikens kommun till stor del är medvetna om den problematik som finns, men att arbete återstår innan optimala processer är implementerade. Författarna har efter analysen redovisat ett antal förbättringsförslag där bland annat framtagande av nya miljömål, förtydligande av arbetsuppgifter samt integrering av ekologiska och sociala hållbarhetsfrågor i upphandlingsprocessen anses vara en del av lösningen. För framtida studier anser författarna att ytterligare intervjuer med politiker och deltagare från referensgrupper bör genomföras. En jämförande undersökning av hållbarhetsarbetet mellan Sveriges kommuner anses också vara intressant för att se ytterligare förbättringspotential. / In 2018, Sweden's authorities, municipalities and regions paid out a total of SEK 847 billion to private companies, of which SEK 800 billion can be linked to public procurement. That sum amounts to about 20% of Sweden's Gross National Product. This means that public procurement has the potential to make a major positive impact on the global sustainability goals, primarily/mainly through Agenda 2030s goal 12: Sustainable consumption and production, and goal 13: Combating climate change.   In this thesis, Sandviken municipality's procurement process has been analyzed through in-depth interviews with key people with expertise in procurement and sustainability. The purpose is to provide an in-depth insight into what the procurement process looks like specifically in Sandviken municipality, and to present possible improvement proposals. Interviews were conducted in April 2022 through the digital platforms Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Theory from scientifically peer-reviewed articles has then been compared with experiences from the interviewed key people to see where the potential for improvement lies.   The analysis shows that the key people in Sandviken municipality are largely aware of the problems that exist, but that work remains before optimal processes are implemented. After the analysis, the authors have presented a number of improvement proposals where, among other things, the development of new environmental goals, clarification of tasks and integration of ecological and social sustainability issues in the procurement process are considered part of the solution.   For future studies, the authors believe that further interviews with politicians and participants from reference groups should be conducted. A comparative study of the sustainability work between Sweden's municipalities is also considered interesting to see further potential for improvement.

This research project set out to develop and apply a framework for assessing how energy systems may be structured to help society progress towards sustainability. The general intent was to outline a way to decide upon the things that matter in order to make better decisions that will lead to positive near- and long-term outcomes. There are various ways of reaching the goal described above, and the path chosen in this dissertation centred on Gibson’s (2006) sustainability assessment framework, an approach to integrated sustainability-based decision-making. In order to contribute to extending and specifying Gibson’s approach to sustainability assessment for energy undertakings, this project developed a theoretical framework grounded in various forms of complexity and energy. The journey described in the dissertation begins with an exploration of the complexity of science, the subject of Chapter 2. We live in a world characterized by inherent uncertainty, multiple worldviews, conflicting values, power dynamics and a whole host of other challenges to science and decision-making. Many of the environmental and human challenges we currently face have arisen in part because we do not sufficiently respect the limits to knowledge and the personal biases we all bring to the table. Chapter 2 develops a framework for knowledge generation and decision-making situated within its social context, and operationalizes this framework through the process of criteria specification. Drawing from multiple sources of data – particularly documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews and observation – the criteria specification cycle provided the means of and determining and deciding upon the things that matter in a given case and context. The complexity of science is only half the story emerging from the complex systems literature. From a different perspective, it is evident that we live in a world of complex dynamics and interconnections, and it is important to ensure that whatever energy paths we set out on recognize these dynamics. Fortunately, there is a wide range of literature relating to the characteristics of complex systems in general, as well as their energy and material flows in societies. These literatures are explored in Chapter 3 to develop an understanding of and guidelines for managing complex systems to the extent possible and appropriate. Building on the theory developed in Chapters 2 and 3, the discussion in Chapter 4 began to develop an understanding of energy systems and energy decision-making and was structured around three general questions: (1) what is the energy problem? (2) what are the characteristics of an appropriate and constructive relationship with energy? and (3) how can the necessary and desired sociotechnical systems changes be achieved. These questions were largely addressed through an exploration of the soft energy path and transition management and led to two sets of guidelines designed to address energy systems structure and change. The theoretical framework developed over Chapters 2-4 was consolidated into a proposed set of sustainability criteria for energy undertakings. The sustainability criteria set represents the principal theoretical contribution of the dissertation to the academy and the broader assessment community, and outlines a suite of generally desirable system attributes and actions for achieving progress towards sustainability, as opposed to an acceptability threshold. The proposed sustainability criteria are primarily intended for application regarding energy undertakings at a wide variety of scales, but are much more broadly relevant. In a manner that is more iterative than can be described in this abstract, the sustainability assessment framework described in this dissertation was applied in, and enriched through, four distinct case studies that assessed (1) the 2006 Ontario Integrated Power Systems Plan proposed by the Ontario Power Authority. The Integrated Power Systems Plan was originally framed as a coal versus nuclear problem, as opposed to a critical appraisal of power systems planning; and in doing so it underplayed potential for conservation, demand management, increased renewable energy, and social change; (2) a small-scale biodiesel operation in Barbados. The plant owner collected used cooking oil from restaurants, roadside stands, and individual homes, and converted it into biodiesel using a first-generation processing technology known as transesterification. (3) a sugarcane-ethanol plant in the Tietê-Jacaré Watershed of São Paulo, Brazil. The sugarcane ethanol mill harvests approximately 21,000 hectares of sugarcane crops from seven municipalities and produces hydrated ethanol for domestic markets, and sugar for domestic and international markets; and (4) the agricultural and energy systems in Senegal. Senegal suffers from significant deforestation and soil fertility decline coupled with demographic change. The many interconnections between the energy and agricultural systems require an integrated assessment of both. Each individual case study stands alone in providing novel insights emerging from application of the framework in the particular case and context. At the more general level, five important insights emerged from the case studies, including: (1) the benefits of, and need for, maintaining a flexible unit of analysis so as to improve problem structuring; (2) the importance of grounding an assessment within its context; (3) the benefits of seeking integration and positive indirect effects; (4), the need to plan for and develop energy bridges towards feasible and desirable energy futures; and (5), the need for caution in the face of thresholds and uncertainty. The individual and general insights from the case studies were incorporated into the most recent version of the sustainability assessment framework described in this dissertation. The framework is suitable for application, with specification for particular case and context, to all types of energy systems at all scales.

This research project set out to develop and apply a framework for assessing how energy systems may be structured to help society progress towards sustainability. The general intent was to outline a way to decide upon the things that matter in order to make better decisions that will lead to positive near- and long-term outcomes. There are various ways of reaching the goal described above, and the path chosen in this dissertation centred on Gibson’s (2006) sustainability assessment framework, an approach to integrated sustainability-based decision-making. In order to contribute to extending and specifying Gibson’s approach to sustainability assessment for energy undertakings, this project developed a theoretical framework grounded in various forms of complexity and energy. The journey described in the dissertation begins with an exploration of the complexity of science, the subject of Chapter 2. We live in a world characterized by inherent uncertainty, multiple worldviews, conflicting values, power dynamics and a whole host of other challenges to science and decision-making. Many of the environmental and human challenges we currently face have arisen in part because we do not sufficiently respect the limits to knowledge and the personal biases we all bring to the table. Chapter 2 develops a framework for knowledge generation and decision-making situated within its social context, and operationalizes this framework through the process of criteria specification. Drawing from multiple sources of data – particularly documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews and observation – the criteria specification cycle provided the means of and determining and deciding upon the things that matter in a given case and context. The complexity of science is only half the story emerging from the complex systems literature. From a different perspective, it is evident that we live in a world of complex dynamics and interconnections, and it is important to ensure that whatever energy paths we set out on recognize these dynamics. Fortunately, there is a wide range of literature relating to the characteristics of complex systems in general, as well as their energy and material flows in societies. These literatures are explored in Chapter 3 to develop an understanding of and guidelines for managing complex systems to the extent possible and appropriate. Building on the theory developed in Chapters 2 and 3, the discussion in Chapter 4 began to develop an understanding of energy systems and energy decision-making and was structured around three general questions: (1) what is the energy problem? (2) what are the characteristics of an appropriate and constructive relationship with energy? and (3) how can the necessary and desired sociotechnical systems changes be achieved. These questions were largely addressed through an exploration of the soft energy path and transition management and led to two sets of guidelines designed to address energy systems structure and change. The theoretical framework developed over Chapters 2-4 was consolidated into a proposed set of sustainability criteria for energy undertakings. The sustainability criteria set represents the principal theoretical contribution of the dissertation to the academy and the broader assessment community, and outlines a suite of generally desirable system attributes and actions for achieving progress towards sustainability, as opposed to an acceptability threshold. The proposed sustainability criteria are primarily intended for application regarding energy undertakings at a wide variety of scales, but are much more broadly relevant. In a manner that is more iterative than can be described in this abstract, the sustainability assessment framework described in this dissertation was applied in, and enriched through, four distinct case studies that assessed (1) the 2006 Ontario Integrated Power Systems Plan proposed by the Ontario Power Authority. The Integrated Power Systems Plan was originally framed as a coal versus nuclear problem, as opposed to a critical appraisal of power systems planning; and in doing so it underplayed potential for conservation, demand management, increased renewable energy, and social change; (2) a small-scale biodiesel operation in Barbados. The plant owner collected used cooking oil from restaurants, roadside stands, and individual homes, and converted it into biodiesel using a first-generation processing technology known as transesterification. (3) a sugarcane-ethanol plant in the Tietê-Jacaré Watershed of São Paulo, Brazil. The sugarcane ethanol mill harvests approximately 21,000 hectares of sugarcane crops from seven municipalities and produces hydrated ethanol for domestic markets, and sugar for domestic and international markets; and (4) the agricultural and energy systems in Senegal. Senegal suffers from significant deforestation and soil fertility decline coupled with demographic change. The many interconnections between the energy and agricultural systems require an integrated assessment of both. Each individual case study stands alone in providing novel insights emerging from application of the framework in the particular case and context. At the more general level, five important insights emerged from the case studies, including: (1) the benefits of, and need for, maintaining a flexible unit of analysis so as to improve problem structuring; (2) the importance of grounding an assessment within its context; (3) the benefits of seeking integration and positive indirect effects; (4), the need to plan for and develop energy bridges towards feasible and desirable energy futures; and (5), the need for caution in the face of thresholds and uncertainty. The individual and general insights from the case studies were incorporated into the most recent version of the sustainability assessment framework described in this dissertation. The framework is suitable for application, with specification for particular case and context, to all types of energy systems at all scales.

I städer finns det idag många bortglömda outnyttjade platser, så kallade ickeplatser,vars fulla potential inte tillvaratas. Stadens sociala hållbarhet missgynnas ofta av dessaplatser som i många fall ger upphov till otrygghet, obehag och utsatthet för förbipasserande,särskilt för kvinnor. Återkommande bortglömda platser i svenska städerär de så kallade brofästeplatserna, det vill säga platser under broar intill brofästen.Syftet med studien är att visa på potentialen hos outnyttjade brofästeplatser i urbanamiljöer och att belysa förutsättningar, problem och möjligheter samt sociala och ekologiskafördelar med en bebyggelse av dessa platser.Studien visar att bebyggelse av platserna kan skapa säkra och inkluderande områdenatt vistas i, samt öka den upplevda tryggheten på platsen framförallt för kvinnor.Bebyggelse som i någon form aktiverar platsen bidrar till att skapa sociala möten istaden. Bebyggelsen kan även fungera brottsförebyggande, bland annat till följd avett ökat flöde av människor på platsen. Ekologiska fördelar som erhålls är att urbangrönska, och därmed viktiga ekosystemtjänster, kan bevaras i större utsträckning dåde redan hårdgjorda eller grusbelagda ytorna används vid förtätning i urbana miljöeristället för grönområden. Grönska och ekosystemtjänster ger viktiga rekreativa ochsociala värden för stadens invånare och gynnar även förekomsten av biologisk mångfald.Brofästeplatser utnyttjas i andra länder både för bostäder och verksamheter, därföruppstår frågan om varför dess potential inte tillvaratas i Sverige. Platserna tycks haglömts bort eller tidigare inte behövt tas i beaktning vid förtätning av svenska städer,då det funnits annan mark att exploatera. Studien konstaterar att det inte finns någragenerella förbud eller reglemente som reglerar bebyggelse eller icke bebyggelse avbrofästeplatser. Samtliga lagar, krav och bestämmelser vilka gäller vid planering, projekteringoch uppförande av byggnader i Sverige, gäller för platserna. Varför platsernainte nyttjats kan även bero på förutfattade meningar hos aktörer i byggbranschen.Exempelvis förutsätts att krav inom andra områden än det egna inte uppnås. De förutfattademeningarna är ofta grundade i antaganden utanför respektive yrkesprofession,snarare än fakta, vetskap och erfarenhet. För att platserna ska kunna bebyggas krävsdärmed en förändring av inställning och attityd hos aktörer i branschen.Byggnadstypologierna verksamhetslokaler, bostäder och tillfälliga boenden, är allamöjliga att uppföra vid brofästeplatser, med undantag för bostäder vid de brofästeplatserdär ljudnivå och dagsljusinsläpp inte uppnår kraven. Bäst lämpade byggnadstypologiför många urbana brofästeplatser är verksamhetslokaler, där en blandningav funktioner som både kräver konsumtion och inte kräver konsumtion skulle gynnaden sociala hållbarheten i området bäst. Studien visar att bebyggelse av brofästeplatserär möjlig om parametrar som belysts i studien beaktas och tillgodoses. För attmöjliggöra ett sådant projekt krävs en ändrad inställning, attityd och ett gediget tvärprofessionelltsamarbetemellan olika professioner i branschen. Att myndigheter ochaktörer inom byggbranschenskapar ett bättre samarbete skulle inte enbart gynna eneventuell bebyggelse av dessa platser, utan samtliga byggprojekt i Sverige. / In today’s cities there are many forgotten places whose full potential is not being met.The social sustainability of the city is often disadvantaged by these places as theycause insecurity, discomfort and vulnerability to passers-by, especially women. Aforgotten place that is recurring in Swedish cities are so-called bridge abutment-sites,that is, places under bridges next to the abutment. The purpose of the study is todemonstrate the potential of these non-places at bridge abutments in urban environmentsand to highlight the conditions, problems and possibilities as well as the socialand ecological benefits of a development of these sites.The study shows that building these sites can create safe and inclusive areas to stayin, as well as increase the perceived security of the site, especially for women. Housingthat in some way activates the site helps to create social meetings in the city. Thebuilding can also act crime preventive, partly due to an increased flow of people onthe site. The ecological benefits obtained are that urban greenery, and thus importantecosystem services, can be preserved to a greater extent as already impermeable surfacesare used in densification in urban environments instead of green areas. Greeneryand ecosystem services provide important recreational and social values for the city’sinhabitants and also benefit the presence of biodiversity.All laws, requirements and regulations that apply to planning, design and constructionof buildings in Sweden, also applies to these locations. The study finds that there areno general prohibitions or regulations that regulate the construction or non-constructionof bridge abutments. Bridge abutment-sites seem to have been forgotten or previouslynot needed to be taken into account in the densification of Swedish cities, sincethere have been other land to exploit. Another reason why the sites have not been usedis due to preconceived opinions in the construction industry. The preconceptions areoften based on assumptions beyond professional knowledge, rather than facts andexperience. In order for the places to be built, a change of attitude in operators in theconstruction industry is required.The function-types of community center, housing and temporary accommodationare all possible to construct at these sites, with the exception of housing at the bridgeplaces where noise levels and daylight emissions do not meet the requirements. Thebest-suited function-type for many urban bridge abutment-sites is a communitycenter, where a mix of functions that require both consumption and non-consumptionwould best benefit social sustainability in the area.The study shows that construction of the bridge abutment-sites is possible if parameters,as mentioned in the study, are considered and met. In order to enable such aproject, a change in attitude and solid cooperation between several operators in theindustry are required. The cooperation between authorities and operators in the constructionindustry would not only benefit the possible development of these sites, butall construction projects in Sweden.