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 is a qualitative interview study where the purpose is to compare the view and experience of the Våxnäs district between individuals who live in the district and people who have moved out of the district. Furthermore, the purpose is to investigate whether local media affect the individual's view and experience of the district. The study is based on eight interviews where the interviewees live in the district and moved out of the district Våxnäs. The results have been analyzed based on a thematic qualitative analysis. A qualitative content analysis of local news articles has also been carried out, to examine how the media report on the area. The results have been analyzed empirically and theoretically based on sociological theories and concepts such as stigma, the definition of the situation, self-fulfilling prophecy, and the functions of a district. This study shows that the two groups of have a predominantly negative view of and experience of the Våxnäs district. The difference between the two groups is that the residents experience the district as positive periodically, while the emigrants experienced the district mostly negatively. A factor that governs the view and experience of the district is the different seasons. The results also show that the views and experience of the district by the people who live in the district and the people who have moved out of the district is affected by how others talk about the area, as well as how the media reports about the area. Based on the results of the content analysis and the thematic qualitative analysis, it can be deduced that the media's reporting is predominantly negative, and that the individual speaks negatively about the area. Furthermore, this is something that creates a stigmatization of the area, where the area is attributed negative characteristics. The study shows that the media’s reporting partly affects participants in different ways depending on what the media reports about. What affects the individual is the reporting of crime, gangs and threats that occur in the area. Furthermore, the content analysis shows that the media's reporting on Våxnäs produces two images. One image is characterized by crime and the other image is characterized by growth in the area. These two images can collide, which can create confusion for the individual who may become insecure and don’t know what to believe in relation to the reporting by the media.