High-speed railway, as a modern means of transport with convenient, fast and mass transport volume characteristics, plays a significant role on regional development. Since 2008, in order to react to the influence of international financial crisis, China began the mass construction of high-speed rail. With the rapid construction, China has the longest mileage of high-speed rail in 2014. On the one hand, China enjoys the benefits of improved accessibility. On the other hand, many scholars think the expectations of high-speed rail are a bit exaggerated. In order to knowing and predicting the effects of high-speed rail objectively, the thesis tries to study how high-speed rail promotes the regional development in the Yangtze River Delta region of China, based on the experiences in Stockholm-Mälar Region of Sweden. The study in Stockholm-Mälar region suggests that: high-speed rail improve the overall accessibility in the region, and land along high-speed line and around station has better accessibility; frequent and easier commuting promotes regional integration; high-speed rail, on the one hand, strengthens the central position of regional center, on the other hand, brings more and equal opportunities for regional cities; moreover, large cities with good accessibility have the potential to grow up to the sub-centers. Combined with the experiences in the Stockholm-Mälar region and self-development situation, the development in the Yangtze River Delta region under the impacts of high-speed rail have following trends: first, high-speed rail promote the reorganize of urban system through the growth of new regional sub-centers and flat development; second, high-speed rail guides the reorganization of regional spatial structure, which mainly reflects in the urban land and regional cities distribute along the high-speed rail corridor; third, high-speed rail increases potential of regional commuting and accelerates the regional integration, and commuting trends will appear from major cities to Shanghai and peripheral cities to sub-centers; fourth, high-speed rail might bring positive effects (e.g. the radiation effect of regional central city) and negative effects (e.g. siphon effect, the outflow of city population and resources) for regional cities. In addition, aiming to the existing and possible issues, two supportive strategies are proposed about regional governance and urban public transportation development.

Given an increasing number of teachers who find it difficult to engage students in teaching, it is  important  to  find  out  but  also  to  understand  the  reasons  why  students  study  geography. Furthermore, as results in education are based on student motivation, since motivation affects both the productive and the receptive knowledge, it is important to emphasize the importance of  motivation  as  a  key  factor  in  education.  Previous  research  in  this  field  is  deliberated, however, this study focuses on learners’ motivation. This study aims to investigate students’ reasons  and  their  motivation  to  study  geography  but  also  to  find  out  whether  there  are differences  concerning  motivation  depending  on  the  factors  of  age  and  gender.  Moreover,  a further purpose is to create a debate about the concept of motivation and present the significance of  motivation  in  learning.  To  achieve  the  aim  but  also  to  answer  the  research  questions,  a qualitative  method  was  used  in  this  study  in  the  form  of  a  survey.  This  study  consists  of  66 participants,  which  are  secondary  school  students  and  university  students  in  Sweden.  The respondents’ answers from the survey were converted into statistics and results are presented in table form and are based on Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination Continuum. Results show that  there  are  statistically  significant  differences  according  to  age  and  gender  concerning intrinsic  and  integrated  regulation.  Based  on  the  findings  of  this  study,  suggestions  for increasing  and  developing  teachers’ knowledge   of   motivation,   since   teachers   have   a predominant role in this. For this reason, this study is valuable from an educational perspective to create successful learning.

While the school subject geography is defined as a unified subject, academic geography is divided into two scientific disciplines; human geography and physical geography, which makes the relationship between the academic disciplines and the school subject geography somewhat complicated. Research shows that the textbook is often equal to the course. The textbook has a central role in the teacher's planning of the course and is thus crucial for the student's learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate and discuss how the school subject geography is presented in textbooks. I examine how the interdisciplinary, unified subject geography, which illustrates the connections and the mutual influence between societal development, natural environments and human activity, is exemplified, and what challenges teachers face depending on the design of the textbooks. In addition to a quantitative analysis, I make a more qualitative one in order to concretize and nuance the image that emerges. The study shows that the school subject geography is mainly presented according to the identified common and specialized areas of interest, concepts and theories for the respective discipline of human and physical geography. Overall, relatively few examples in the textbooks are identified, only about 35 percent of all analyzed pages, where human-nature interaction is clear and which portrays the coherent, unified subject of geography according to the curriculum.

Numerous scholars describe agroforestry as an extraordinary food production system that generates viable ecosystems and accommodates regenerative capabilities. Agroforestry may therefore be a promising solution to the future environmental challenges facing food production. This multifunctional land management system is practised in temperate and tropical regions alike, however, it exists to a remarkably limited extent in Sweden. This research points to the complexities in agricultural and forestry policy as a main barrier for wider agroforestry adoption. The foundation of inquiry is thus to analyze various Swedish legislatives and support systems that either facilitate or adverse agroforestry practice, through the lens of political ecology. The research findings derive from a qualitative study, consisting of conducted interviews with key stakeholders in Swedish agricultural and forestry policy. The study contends that a core obstacle for agroforestry development is the dualistic approach to governmental sectors, i.e. forestry and agriculture, and the lack of coordination between them, since agroforestry cannot be classified as neither . A perpetual policy prioritized towards large-volume crop yields, rapid production, large scale investments, calculative assessments and a competitive business sector is moreover identified. The research asserts that these hegemonic discourses permeating policy, consequently act as a disincentive for agroforestry adoption due to the ofttimes long implementation period, high initial investment and uncertain food market for agroforestry produce. In addition, the study illustrates that cultural expectations of landscape mainly give trees a cultural and environmental value, therein neglecting the multifunctionality of woody vegetation - which hence suggest a lack of a holistic approach to food systems. The thesis finally argues that these hegemonic discourses concerning assessment and management of land, together influence the design of state policy and farmers’ attitude towards agroforestry systems. Overall, current policy regulations portray a rather static and incomplete way of managing the dynamic symbiosis of multifunctional food systems.

Urban community gardens’ capability to yield aspects of social sustainability has been addressed in previous research. Nevertheless, further studies within this scientific field are requested for, exploring various socio-economic contexts and how such variables impact the outcomes of urban community garden initiatives. By the means of qualitative content analysis of material obtained via interviews and documents focusing on two urban community gardens in Skäggetorp, Linköping, on which a conceptual framework of social sustainability is applied,this study aims to investigate and seek a greater understanding of the potential and challenges of utilising urban community gardens as a planning strategy to foster social sustainability in socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhoods. The study finds that urban community gardens can bring various aspects of social sustainability, which can help meet the needs of socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhoodsin the strive for social sustainability. Many of these aspects are primarily created through the interaction occurring in the gardens. The study further confirms that urban community gardenscan function as educational hubs, allowing residents to practise language skills and learn about societal functions. Additionally, findings indicate that urban community gardens can be of financial significance in socio-economic vulnerable areas, a finding that previously mainly has been identified in studies of developing countries. Moreover, the study finds that urban community gardens allow existing traces of social sustainability to become visible and practised. However, low participation and lacking governmental support can obstruct the utilisation of urban community gardens as a planning strategy to foster social sustainability in socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhoods.

The thesis will be centred on the topic of tourism in Canada and the steps the tourism industry took in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this thesis will be to examine how Canadian tourism has evolved through time and analyse the way Indigenous tourism has grown despite its limited support. The main research questions addressed will include how has Canadian tourism adapted to the crises of the Covid-19 pandemic? How have the snowbird, Nature and Indigenous tourism groups been impacted by Covid-19 and how can we understand the history of these forms of tourism? What old and new debates were provoked by the Covid pandemic? What strategies were put in place to mitigate effects and how did historical structures of colonialism affect mitigation? The thesis is built using a series of academic texts, newspaper sources, and reports published by tourism and Indigenous tourism associations. The text will be approached through a historical perspective using the postcolonial theory and Adaptive co-management. The case studies analyses of Nature and Indigenous tourism are important as they represent tourism in Canada and illustrate the effects of colonialism stressing the need for reconciliation. The text will conclude with a look forward and a potential path tourism can take, learning from the Covid pandemic, to become more sustainable. / Cette thèse aborde le tourisme au Canada et les étapes que l’industrie du tourisme a pris en réponse à la pandémie du Covid-19. Le but de cette thèse est d’examiner l’évolution du tourisme Canadien et d’analyser la manière dans laquelle le tourisme Indigène a grandi malgré les adversités. La question principale est d’adresser comment le tourisme Canadien s’est adapté face à la crise de la pandémie Covid-19 ? Comment les groupes de tourisme de snowbirds, Nature et Indigène ont subi les influences du Covid-19 et comment nous comprenons l’histoire de ces formes de tourisme ? Quels débâtes, vieux et neuf, ont été provoqués par la Covid-19 ? Quelles stratégies ont été mises en place pour atténuer ces effets et comment la structure historique du colonialisme a affecté ces atténuations ? Cette thèse est bâtie sur une série de textes académiques, des journaux, et des rapports publiés par des associations touristiques et des associations Indigènes de tourisme. Ce texte sera approché d’un point de vue historique dont une théorie postcoloniale et d’adaptation à la gestion partagée. Les cas analysés de tourisme Indigène et tourisme de nature sont des cas importants car ils représentent le tourisme au Canada, illustrent les effets du colonialisme et soulignent la nécessité d’une réconciliation. Ce texte se termine avec un regard vers le futur et une avenue potentielle que le tourisme pourrait utiliser, en tirant profit des leçons de la pandémie Covid-19, pour devenir plus durable.

In the academic field of tourism, a relatively new type of tourism called Dark Sky Tourism is emerging. In this touristic field, there is a lack of studies focused on the individual tourist perspective. Therefore, this paper explores the perceived values of Dark Sky Tourism (DST). This study uses a deductive exploratory approach to understand the characteristics of DST in the context of experience value and perceived value and to connect it with two different value typologies. The data were collected through a netnographic research method by analyzing five different social media platforms. Subsequently, thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data. The analysis resulted in five correspondent themes that were relevant throughout all of the collected data. These themes are as follows: (1) Aesthetic Significance, (2) Therapeutic Experiences, (3) Exploration and Curiosity, (4) Low-budget Appeal, and finally, (5) Nature and Heritage. The results of this study provide a holistic picture of what DST is all about and what individual Dark Sky Tourists value in DST. Future potential DST destinations can use this study to understand how to build an optimal DST experience.

Sammanfattning Titel: Norrlandsboomen - en kvalitativ studie om platsmarknadsföring för att attrahera nya invånare. Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Julia Karlernäs och Simon Ivarsson Handledare: Katarina Arbin Datum: 2024 -januari Syfte: Denna uppsats syftar till att beskriva hur arbetet med platsmarknadsföring sker i samverkan mellan olika aktörer för att attrahera nya invånare till en ny geografisk plats Metod: Studien har använt sig av en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv forskningsansats och grundar sig i insamlad empirisk data från sex intervjuer. Resultat och slutsats: Studien visar att de aktiviteter som sker i platsmarknadsföringen bland annat är marknadskommunikation av platsen via olika digitala plattformar, utveckling av samhället efter identifierade målgruppers efterfrågan samt arbete med värdskap och social inkludering för nyblivna invånare. Resurser som används är ekonomiska resurser, som hos kommunen är skattemedel och från H2 Green Steel kommer från investerare. Andra resurser är humankapital, organisatoriska och -relationella resurser. Huvudaktörer som är involverade är Boden kommun, turistföreningen Boden Turism, H2 Green Steel och Bodens invånare. Examensarbetets bidrag: Kandidatuppsatsen ger insikter i hur platsmarknadsföringen i en kommun går till för att attrahera nya invånare. Genom att identifiera aktiviteterna som utförs, resurserna som finns och vilka aktörerna är, klargör vi hur en kommun arbetar med platsmarknadsföring och vilka roller och uppgifter de olika organisationerna har. Vår studie bidrar även med kunskap om hur samarbetet och samverkan ser ut mellan de olika aktörerna. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Förslag till vidare forskning är att göra en större studie där fler perspektiv i platsmarknadsföringen studeras. Vidare föreslår vi att ytterligare studier bör fokusera på hur man kan mäta vilken effekt platsmarknadsföringen har på beslutet att flytta till en ny kommun. Nyckelord: Platsmarknadsföring, platsvarumärke, ARA-modell, nyindustrialisering, kompetensbrist / Abstract Title: Norrlandsboomen - a qualitative study of place marketing in attracting new residents. Level: Student thesis, Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Supervisor: Katarina Arbin Date: 2024 - january Aim: The aim of this study is to describe how place marketing occurs in collaboration between actors to attract new residents to a new geographic location. Method: The study used a qualitative method with an abductive research approach and is based on collected empirical data from six interviews. Results and conclusions: The study shows that activities occurring in place marketing are, among others, marketing communication of the place through digital platforms, development of the municipality based on the demands of identified target groups and the work with hosting and social inclusion of new residents. Resources used are financial resources, which at the municipality comes from tax money and within H2 Green Steel from investors. Other resources are human capital, organizational and -relational resources. The main actors involved are Boden municipality, the tourist association Boden Turism, H2 Green Steel and the residents of Boden. Contribution of the thesis: The thesis provides insights into how place marketing in a municipality takes place to attract new residents. By identifying the activities that are carried out, the resources that are used and who the actors are, we clarify how a municipality works with place marketing and what roles and tasks the various actors have. Our study also contributes to knowledge about how the cooperation and collaboration takes place between the various actors. Suggestions for future research: Suggestions for future research is to do a bigger study where more perspectives in place marketing is taken into account. Furthermore, we suggest that additional studies should focus on how to measure the effect that place marketing has in the decision about moving to a new municipality. Key words: Place marketing, place brand, ARA-model, new industrialization, skill shortage

The climate crisis is an urgent threat towards people and planet, and rapid changes are needed to decarbonize the planet. The energy sector is in a current transition to renewable-based energy, which also includes a shift to electric cars. Electric cars are motivated to be the future, which will be beneficial for the economy and the environment. The industry has also received criticism, several human rights violations occur in the supply chains of the electric cars and that it is an industry that risk increasing global inequalities. This study explores the complexity of the car industry’s transition to renewable energy, based on case studies of Volvo, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, and their sustainability work related to the supply chains of electric vehicles batteries. The purpose is to show the relation between companies and power structures, as an exemplification of the possibilities for a just energy transition from fossil fuel-based energy to renewable-based energy. The findings shows that the transition is shaped by economical values, which risks broaden the gap between Global South and Global North. It emphasized that it is an issue that needs a collective effort to change the Status Quo, to create sustainable solutions based on the three pillars of sustainable development beneficial for all, not only the Global North.

The circular economy has emerged as a tool for addressing the current linear economic system, producing massive amounts waste and exacerbating climate change. During the recent crises and instabilities, the potential of the circular economy has been further highlighted.However, the concept remains undefined, and little is known of its implementation inpractice. This thesis explores the circular economy and its implementation among six Swedish commercial real estate actors, through interviews and an investigation of their official documents, with the aim of discovering signs of the circular economy, how those signs have emerged and the knowledge and capabilities necessary to capitalize on them. The External Enablers Framework by Davidsson et al. (2020) is used to find the external enablers thatfacilitate a shift towards more circular business practices. The thesis discovers multiple signs of circularity in the empirical material, in targets, strategies and activities. It also identifies several external enablers potentially impacting the implementation of circular activities in existing real estate ventures, such as collaboration networks, climate change awareness andthe recent crises and instabilities. The real estate actors themselves also potentially influence the industry around them towards circularity, in an ecosystem of enablement.