Contemporary and future societies are facing a myriad of challenges, some of which are throwing into question the future viability of humanity on Planet Earth. These challenges are complex and systemic, and to solve them we must transition to more sustainable ways. Increasingly, researchers have a role to play in not only researching transitions but also facilitating transition through research design which postulates closer engagement in practical contexts and empowering actors of governance to identify pathways for transition. Transition management offers a framework for those interested in bringing about such transitionary potential through research, and potentially offers a tool for students interested in using their university work as a means to bring about transition. This study applies transition management framework using Kosovo’s forest governance as a case study asking the question: How can Kosovo transition towards more sustainable forest governance? The paper finds that forest governance in Kosovo is highly chaotic and inefficient. Issues of lack of capacity, competencies, expertise as well as knowledge are coupled with legal framework which does not allow for local ecological contexts nor local needs to produce a regime of governance subject to environmental degradation, corruption and contestation. Moreover, the absence of capacity on both central and local levels means that the regime configuration is very weak and malleable, and niches have potential to bring about transitions in regime configurations. For Kosovo, moreover, it finds that operative activities are not only possible but desirable, and that actors engaged in forest governance have good conditions and a receptive society for transition. None of the actors which participated in the study were happy with the situation and the need for change is well understood. The challenge for Kosovo is thus identified as how best to facilitate participation for transition, how best to balance centralised vs. decentralised governance, as well as how best to facilitate learning through both raising awareness and listening. These issues are found to be best pursued collectively with wide participation. It identifies three suggestions for transitions which are aimed at bolstering and streamlining existing niche innovations in Kosovo: i) participatory forest governance plans, ii) a forest community centre as well as iii) citizen science initiatives. Lastly, it reflects on the process of involved, participatory and complexity-oriented research to address complex issues, as well as the merit of transition management. It finds that whilst epistemologically diverse and more action-oriented research is important and productive for students of Sustainable Development, even necessary, the transition management framework is difficult to implement, cumbersome and possibly not possible for students. Whilst strategic, tactical and reflexive activities are possible, operative activities are more difficult and exposes the weak standing of students within the politics of environmental governance.

Changing weather patterns challenge societies globally and at multiple levels related to amongst others health, the environment, disaster management and mitigation. There is a need for greater flexibility and resilience, which in turn can be enabled through a transition towards increased sustainability in governance and infrastructure. Urban rainwater harvesting (URWH) is a term used in this paper to collect various approaches to the sustainable handling of rainwater in cities, a practice becoming increasingly common in some areas of the world. Global experiences can be useful learning opportunities in the planning, implementation and maintenance of sustainable urban rainwater harvesting in future smart cities. The aim of this thesis was to synthesize the factors of success of previous projects, in order to develop a framework tailored to the evaluation of projects concerned with rainwater harvesting. The review spans over 18 projects of different scale and design. The findings of the study show that successful URWH projects are: (1) found as part of urban renewal schemes; (2) successfully implemented by involved actors with open mindsets and flexible and collaborative working approaches; (3) maintained based on plans determined from the onset of the project, developed together with local actors, in order to involve the community and strengthen social inclusion. The revised evaluative framework, which is proposed as a result of the review, indicates general trends of success among the reviewed cases. To be fully operational, the framework should be further developed with additional URWH projects and revised thereafter.

Transitioning from the conventional steel process to a direct hydrogen reduction process in the steel industry is a significant step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving greater sustainability. The process involves using hydrogen gas as a reducing agent instead of carbon to remove oxygen from the iron ore. This study aimed to investigate the future capacity of the hydrogen-based steelmaking process in Sweden by 2050 while also examining the pathway for transitioning to hydrogen-based steelmaking in other European countries in comparison to the Swedish case. To achieve this goal, a systematic literature search was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify relevant case studies and reviews that focused on green steel solutions and that discussed associated challenges and barriers. A aconsupteal model was designed by simplifying the process into three production steps, hydrogen storage, and hot briquette iron storage to calculate the energy consumption and material requirements for the hydrogen direct process in Sweden. Additionally, a survey providing insights regarding current practices and perspectives was administered to seven companies in Sweden and two in other European countries, namely the Netherlands and Germany. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the literature review on life cycle assessment was conducted to compare the carbon emissions associated with two different steel production processes: the conventional process using the basic oxygen furnace and the emerging hydrogen-based steel production process.  An analysis of the energy consumption within the hydrogen-based steelmaking process reveals several components, including the electrolyze, direct reduction shaft furnace, electric arc furnace, and briquetted iron and hydrogen storage. The model results showed that electrolyzing alone accounts for 60% of the energy needed in the process. The model showed that hydrogen direct reduction steelmaking needs 3.66 MWH of electricity per ton of liquid steel produced in Sweden.  Only a few of the Swedish companies have adopted innovative approaches while the remaining steel mills primarily rely on scrap-based methods. While they may obtain hydrogen-reduced iron as a raw material in the future, emissions reduction is not their primary focus. These mills contribute to emissions through fuel usage, and efforts are underway to transition from fossil fuels to electricity, bio -based gas, or hydrogen. Hydrogen-based steel production produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional steel productio, by up to 90 percent, depending on the specific process and energy used, as stated in the life cycle analysis reviews.  This thesis shows key factors for the success of hydrogen-based steel production methods; low -emission electricity and flexibility to store hydrogen. All three countries have expressed interest in and invested in hydrogen-based steelmaking. the share of renewable energy produced and consumed in hydrogen-based steel production in Sweden is expected to make up a share of 2.3% of the total renewable energy production in the country, while Germany and the Netherlands are projected to contribute a modest 1.5% and 1.3% respectively. However, the search for ways to lower carbon dioxide emissions is costly in terms of the amount of electricity required. There are practical reasons for the restricted usage of this steelmaking process in Europe, including the availability of steel scrap, electricity demand, and the low likelihood of scrap generation and recycling scrap availability on the EU  market. Because of this, it is challenging to predict capacity and carbon dioxide reduction by 2050.

This thesis will explore the possible obstacles among Region Stockholm municipalities in promoting adolescents’ mental health and well-being through experimental governance. The thesis will examine the municipal and non-municipal points of view on specifically promoting adolescents’ mental health and well-being through experimental governance in the Swedish context with the use of urban sustainability transitions and transition management frameworks. The urban sustainability transitions will help us understand the role of cities in creating new modes of urban governing processes. In addition, the use of a transition management framework will help us to understand the importance of shifting from traditional management approaches by rather placing greater focus on innovative and design-oriented methods. This approach highlights the importance of learning by doing process rather than a reaching specific destination. In addition, I will use a qualitative research design that uses the methods of semi- structured interviews. The empirical findings are analysed with the help of thematic analysis through the theoretical frameworks and concepts. It has been demonstrated an observable slow- paced adoption of experimental governance, insufficient specific promotion of adolescents’ mental health and well-being, and distant relationship between experimental governance and promotion specifically adolescents’ mental health and well-being in the urban planning process.

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Through the historic usage of fossil fuel, climate impacts have been severe and threaten to disrupt global economies and biological diversity. Hydrogen has emerged as a technology which can enable the productionand storage of renewable energy with no carbon emissions. However, energy transitions are complex as the sector is characterized by lock-in and path dependency due to co-evolution with infrastructure, policy and geography. The purpose of this study is to explore how hydrogen energy can overcome the lock-in and path dependency of fossil fuels. To achieve this, a qualitative single-case study of Sweden was conducted. The theoretical foundation consists of the Multi-Level Perspective and lock-in. The results indicate that in order for hydrogen technology to become large-scale and overcome lock-in, four criteria need to be fulfilled; hydrogen technology needs to be more cost-efficient, investments in infrastructure for hydrogen is required, a market needs to be established for the production of hydrogen and governments/institutions need to support hydrogen through regulation and investments. / Under decennier av fossil användning har klimatpåverkan blivit mer allvarlig och hotar att negativt påverka globala ekonomier och den biologiska mångfalden. Vätgas har framkommit som en teknik som möjliggör produktion och lagring av förnybar energi utan koldioxidutsläpp. Övergångar till nya energilösningar är dock svåra eftersom sektorn kännetecknas av “lock-in” och “path dependency”på grund av samutveckling med infrastruktur, politik och geografi. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur vätgas kan övervinna “lock-in” och “path dependency” av fossila bränslen. För att uppnå detta genomfördes en kvalitativ fallstudie av Sverige. Den teoretiska grunden för studien består av Multi-Level Perspective och lock-in. Resultaten visar att fyra kriterier måste uppfyllas för att vätgas ska gå från en nisch innovation till att vara en del av dagens sociotekniska system. Vätgas måste bli mer kostnadseffektiv, investeringar i infrastruktur för vätgas krävs, en marknad måste skapas för produktion av vätgas och regeringar/institutioner behöver stödja vätgas genom föreskrifter.

Achieving a transition to sustainability and decrease the environmental impact of building is part of Sweden's sustainability goals. Authorities and policy makers have a big responsibility to promote and facilitate this transition, but how this is to be achieved is not as readily answered. Using the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions, this thesis investigates the conditions for sustainability transitions in Swedish building by learning from the case of earthen and straw home builders. Qualitative mixed methods research, including questionnaires and semi-structured interviews was carried out to explore drivers and barriers for innovative sustainable building in Sweden. Findings suggest that there are barriers for innovative sustainable building in Sweden that might slow down the sustainability transition process, not in terms of regulation but in practices and norms in the current socio-technical regime.

This thesis explored design’s role in transitioning the Swedish food system to one that is more resilient to the shocks caused by climate change and in the context of the project duration, COVID-19. The project’s central question was: What does food citizenship look like in a resilient food system, and what design process is necessary to facilitate such a solution? The project collaborated with a local food ecosystem startup, Harvest, which has the mission to improve the local food supply chain so everyone can eat deliciously and sustainability. Together with Harvest, the project developed a vision of what the local food ecosystem will look like in a viable world. It proposes that collective action around food is a possible vehicle for systems transition. The resulting design is the proposition of a network that connects urban communities to local food producers while facilitating the support required to expand the production capability and stability of the local food ecosystem. The network is grounded in the design principles synthesized from the research conducted with the creative communities in Sweden that are working towards a resilient food system. The ideas of mutual aid and the permaculture ethics of people care and fair share have been guiding forces as supporting those living in transition is an essential element of food systems transition. From this proposition the project sets to explore what disruptive innovations need to occur in order to reach this vision. By framing the project in this way I aim to not only illuminate what the preferable future looks like and how it will function, but also illustrate how it is possible to reach this future.

Background: The agro-food sector faces several sustainability challenges and is in clear need of transitions to become more sustainable. A transition in food production, consumption and supply chains that demand fewer resources and fewer animal products is required to attain sustainability in the agro-food sector. This transition can be done by consuming more plant-based food and providing an alternate option to animal protein by substituting it with plant protein. Purpose: This study aims to understand the technological innovation system shaping around the value chain of Swedish legumes. To investigate the above aim, this research intends to address the following questions: RQ1: How is the innovation system built up, and how do the functions of the innovation system perform around the value chain of Swedish legumes? RQ2: What are the barriers connected to the innovation system that hinders the development of the value chain of Swedish legumes? Method: The methodology used was a qualitative case study with an abductive approach. The data was collected from 8 semi-structured interviews and a literature review of relevant articles. The empirical findings were then analysed using a framework based on Technology Innovation System (TIS). Implications: This research study describes the structural causes that form functional barriers in the innovation system that hinders the development of a value chain for Swedish legumes. The findings of this study provides an excellent opportunity for government agencies and policymakers to guide plans and actions through policies to provide incentives for farmers and research projects in favour of a sustainable transition towards more plant-based food. Also, our study contributes to an understanding of sustainability transitions in the Swedish agro-food sector by analysing how the TIS functions perform around the value chain of Swedish legumes.

De storskaliga globala livsmedelssystemen står inför ett antal utmaningar inom hållbar utveckling. Livsmedelssystemens nuvarande utformning resulterar i hållbarhetsproblem som förlust av biologisk mångfald och utarmning av jordar, långa livsmedelskedjor och stora avstånd mellan konsument och producent. Klimatförändringarnas effekter och den ökande urbaniseringen bidrar ytterligare till problematiken. Behovet av en omställning till hållbara livsmedelssystem är därför stort och kräver innovativa lösningar såväl som en omfördelning av naturresurser. Ett exempel på en systeminnovation är stadsodling, som uppvisat potential till högre resurseffektivitet såväl som till ökad social hållbarhet i urbana och stadsnära områden. Trots det ökande intresset för stadsodling tycks det finnas en brist på empiriska studier som undersöker stadsodlingens nuvarande status, sammansättning och olika faktorer för utveckling. Syftet med detta examensarbete är således att identifiera faktorer och förutsättningar som påverkar utvecklingen av stadsodling som en del av omställningen mot en hållbarare livsmedelsproduktion, i den specifika kontexten i Stockholm. Studien tillämpade en flexibel, kvalitativ forskningsdesign och inbegriper en systematisk kartläggning och en kvalitativ fallstudie av kommersiell stadsodling i Stockholm. Det empiriska datamaterialet baseras på en litteraturstudie, semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer och insamling av sekundärdata. En innehållsanalys av det empiriska datamaterialet utfördes med vägledning av ett teoretiskt ramverk baserat på omställningsteori ur ett flernivåperspektiv. Studiens resultat visar att kommersiell stadsodling är ett mångfacetterat såväl som växande fenomen, men att många verksamheter befinner sig i en tidig fas. Den form av kommersiell stadsodling som växt fram mest i Stockholm är klimatkontrollerade inomhusodlingar. Nio av 14 identifierade verksamheter är inomhusodlingar, två är etablerade växthus och tre är utomhusodlingar. Kartläggningen indikerar att kommersiell stadsodling i dagsläget bidrar med omkring 0.5-4% av direktkonsumtionen av örter och sallat i Storstockholm. Det finns dock potential för produktion av större volymer och en större mångfald av grödor i de olika stadsodlingssystemen. Studien identifierade ett flertal faktorer och förutsättningar som påverkar möjligheterna till en utveckling av lokal livsmedelsproduktion genom stadsodling. Byråkratiska, regulatoriska, ekonomiska och kulturella faktorer visade sig utgöra hinder för utvecklingen av stadsodling. Detta indikerar att det krävs politiskt stöd i form av främjande ramverk och policy för markanvändning, som möjliggör och underlättar upplåtelse av mark för kommersiell odling. Andra möjliggörande åtgärder kan vara policyverktyg för att i framtiden kunna underlätta offentlig upphandling av lokal mat. Vidare efterfrågas ett större engagemang och ansvar från näringslivet, i form av ökande investeringar i lokal och hållbar mat samt externa samarbeten mellan aktörer. De indikationer som framkom om att konsumenter i högre utsträckning går runt de dominerande alternativen i livsmedelssystemen och efterfrågar kortare värdekedjor identifierades också som en möjliggörande faktor för den fortsatta utvecklingen av stadsodling. / The globalised food systems are facing extensive challenges concerning sustainable development and are furthermore characterized by long supply chains with numerous food miles, industrial production and large-scale retailers. Dominant agricultural practices result in deforestation, loss of biodiversity and depletion of soil and natural resources. In addition, external factors such as climate change and urbanisation trends increases the complexity of these sustainability issues. Thus, transitions from the dominant food systems to more sustainable alternatives has been suggested in scientific literature. Transitions towards sustainability requires social and technical innovations as well as fundamental changes in the governance of food and agriculture. In light of this, a range of different urban farming practices have increasingly been considered to tackle some of these issues. Despite the growing interest in urban agriculture, there is a lack of extensive empirical studies exploring the current state of various urban farming practices and their role in the existing food systems. This study aims to explore the role of enabling factors that influence the development of commercial urban farming as part of a food sustainability transition, in the Stockholm area. The methodological approach of the project includes a qualitative case study and a mapping of productive urban food systems in Stockholm. The research design is flexible and the empirical data material builds on literature review, semi-structured interviews and secondary data collection. Content analysis is conducted and guided by the conceptual framework consisting of transition theory and the multi-level perspective framework.   The results show that commercial urban farming is a diverse phenomenon gaining momentum in Stockholm. Commercial urban farming in Stockholm mainly consists of controlled environment farming; nine out of 14 establishments are indoor farms, two are well established greenhouses and three are outdoor cultivations. However, commercial urban farming seems to be more characterized by the local aspect and closeness to a dense population, rather than a certain applied technology. The mapping indicates that commercial urban farming in Stockholm is currently meeting 0.5-4 % of the direct consumption of herbs and lettuce in Stockholm, but that the potential production capacity is higher. Furthermore, the study found several enabling factors and barriers that affect the development of local food production through urban farming in Stockholm. Through the lens of the multi-level perspective, the main barriers identified are regulations and politics, economic funding and organizational and cultural structures in the food regime. This indicates that further development of urban farming in Stockholm requires support through frameworks and policy, for example regulations regarding land use, to enable disposal of land and estate for urban agriculture use. Measures to facilitate public procurement of locally produced food could also enable the development of urban farming initiatives. Moreover, interaction and co-operation between various stakeholders is crucial for niche development. Large businesses in the food sector could enable the development of urban farming through investments and partnerships. Finally, consumers could enable the development of urban farming by increasingly choosing the alternative pathways offered by some of the urban farming initiatives.