The purpose of this work is to investigate how the urban planning in Karlstad worksand to study how they work with common areas, specifically squares. To investigatethis and how the square contributes to social sustainability, two case studies havebeen done on two selected squares, Stora torget and Våxnäs torg. A literature studyhas also been done to achieve the purpose of the work. The literature study describesdifferent theories that focus on sustainable public spaces, including important aspectsregarding the design of the square. In our case studies two methods were used: On-site observations and an online survey.The survey was also partly answered by the people who were on the square. Duringthe observation the design of the square was analyzed and also how the square wasused by the people. Many people were waiting for the bus at Stora torget, but somepeople were also sitting down on the benches around the fountain having their lunch.At Våxnäs torg some people were sitting on the benches, but in general it was very fewpeople at the square. Our on-site observations at Stora torget and Våxnäs torg showed that many peopleseem to pass the square on their way to other things. However, our survey showed thatmany people want to use the square environment in several different ways, forexample for events and as a marketplace. Further more, based on the survey, it wasconsidered that the most important aspects for creating a functioning square areseating, lighting, greenery and market trade, which is something that both Stora torgetand Våxnäs torg partially fullfill but it is also somehing that can be improved. / Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka hur stadsplaneringen i Karlstad ser ut ochstudera hur de arbetar med gemensamma ytor, specifikt torg. För att undersöka dettasamt hur torget bidrar till social hållbarhet har två fallstudier gjorts på två utvaldatorg, Stora torget och Våxnäs torg. En litteraturstudie har också gjorts för att uppnåsyftet med arbetet. Där har delvis olika teorier som fokuserar på hållbara offentligarum tagits upp och beskrivits, bland annat beskrivs vilka aspekter som är viktigagällande torgets utformning och design. I våra fallstudier användes två metoder: observationer på plats och enenkätundersökning som lades ut online. Enkäten besvarades också delvis av demänniskorna som befann sig på torgen. Under observationen analyserades det hurtorget var utformat och hur torget användes av människorna. Många personer väntadepå bussen på Stora torget, men det fanns även de som åt lunch på bänkarna runtfontänen. På Våxnäs torg satt en del människor på bänkarna, men det var generelltytterst få människor som befann sig på torget. Våra observationer på plats på Stora torget och Våxnäs torg visade att mångamänniskor verkar passera torget på väg till annat. Dock visade vår enkätundersökningatt många människor vill utnyttja torgmiljön på flera olika sätt exempelvis till eventeller torghandel. Vidare utifrån enkäten ansåg flera att de viktigaste aspekterna för attskapa ett bra fungerande torg är sittplatser, belysning, grönska och torghandel, vilketär något som både Stora torget samt Våxnäs torg delvis har uppfyllt men som kanförbättras.

This paper contains geophysical analysis of the largest town square in Sigtuna, Sweden. The studied area is approximately 736 m2. The purpose of the study was to search for early medieval house remnants and to possibly find structures matching those found during excavations in other parts of the town. The hypothesis is that the town of Sigtuna was planned and that the yards of the town were put out in a special pattern following the main street, which is the same as today. During the day of the geophysical prospection the weather conditions were not optimal. A lot of water at the surface disturbed the instrument and gave a blurred image. It turned out that a lot of contemporary pipes and a large traffic island from the 1930s covered the area. Archaeological structures could only be seen in smaller areas in between later structures. Vague oblong structures could be seen, as well as a distinct smaller square on the eastern part of the area. A large rectangle close to the main street was also observed. None of these structures could be seen in modern maps or photographs and are therefore marked as something that could be of archaeological interest. Some of the structures that were noted were probably part of the original medieval town plan, as judged by their size and location.