The research paper assesses the local sustainable development work in Sweden. A theoretical framework has been constructed and applied to six Swedish municipalities. The framework is based on a holistic view and incorporates the structural (integration in the municipality, use of a management system), inclusive (involvement of the citizens), analytical (use of sustainable development indicator) and systematic (framework for sustainable development, sustainability policies) perspective of sustainable development work. In particular, the use and implementation of sustainable development indicators was in the research focus. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the sustainable development work on the local level. The assessment showed that sustainable development work is to a different extent integrated in the municipality. Some municipalities have dedicated teams working with sustainable development, in other municipalities lies the responsibility on the department chefs. Overall, the municipalities try with the resources they have to work at their best for a sustainable future for their municipality. However, there is room for improvement in terms of structural implementation, use of effective tools and involvement of the citizens.

Public urban green spaces are crucial parts of cities due to the many connections existing between urban greenery and well-being. Additionally, public urban green space represents a wide range of spatial concepts, such as parks, urban forests, commons, in-between-spaces, and gardens. This study explores challenges for contemporary public urban green space in an increasingly urban world, with high demands on urban growth, and simultaneously the need for more sustainable societies and cities. The aim is to problematize the complex reality for contemporary public urban green space from an urban planning perspective in times of urban densification strategies, global competitiveness between cities and trends of ‘re-naturing’.   The scope of this thesis is based on four high profile case studies. The Green Walkable City in Stockholm and The Green Living Spaces in Birmingham constitute planning strategies with a holistic approach to urban green space, including a strong focus on well-being. The High Line in New York and Parklets in San Francisco represent urban green space concepts, influential both at the local level and in the larger urban planning debate. The results point to a need to acknowledge the complexity inherent to urban green space provision, design, and management. This study contributes with insights of direct connections between narratives of nature, materialized urban greenery projects and conceptualizations of functionality of nature in urban planning projects. From the post-industrial, pristine flirting, crafted wilderness of the High Line; a symbolic but cosmetic scrambling with planters and narratives of parks of parklets; dualistic argumentations of natural values connected to quality over quantity of nature in a densifying and growing Stockholm; to pragmatic yet emotional and ambitious conceptualizations of human nature in biohilic urbanism and green space planning in Birmingham. Gentrification, publicness and production of public space and densification strategies are central themes in urban studies – and public urban green space can play an active role in these processes. / <p>QC 20160518</p>

Place branding is commonly conceptualized with a focus on big cities, such as London, New York and Singapore, building from concepts and models from mainstream branding theory. In contrast to such conceptualizations, this thesis focuses on place branding in small and medium-sized cities. The present thesis aims to study place branding from a geographical perspective. It starts with debates theoretical and empirical understandings of place branding; what it is and how it is affecting the places where it is introduced. The thesis develops and argues for a perspective of territoriality and relationality to place branding discussing concepts, methods and empirical approaches to carry out place branding research using geographical perspectives. Empirically, this thesis focuses on in-depth studies of place branding in small and medium-sized cities in Sweden. By analyzing the development of place branding over the course of time, nuances and aspects of both territorial and relational origin emerge, situating place branding practices within a wider spatial contextualization. Four individual papers are presented, which taken together contribute to the aim of the thesis. Paper 1 introduces the place branding research field in geography and how it has developed; Paper 2 investigates the phenomena of flagship buildings located in small cities and towns; Paper 3 discusses the relationship between policy tourism and place branding; and Paper 4 analyzes how local environmental policies are affected by green place branding. The thesis demonstrates the complex and continuously interchangeable spatial structures and place contexts that create and re-produce the geographies of place branding. Here, research models and methodological examples are presented to illustrate how place branding can be studied from a geographical perspective and thus improve theoretical understandings of place branding. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

This century is expected to be characterized by heavy urbanization patterns, according to the UN forecast, with over 2.5 billion more people living in urban areas by year 2050 (FN 2018). With more people living in cities worldwide, the demand for better urban development and more effective ways to handle economic, social and environmental issues are being sought after. In this study, a qualitative content analysis has been made to investigate how UN Global goal 7, 11, 12 and 15 are being expressed in some of Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm sustainability strategies. The purpose of this study has been to understand how these Nordic actors are planning their own cities, in relation to contemporary environmental challenges, based on the content and meaning of the global goals. The results show that the content of the chosen goals was present in their strategies. There were more similarities in expressions, than differences, between the cities, where technology, growth and environment was highlighted to enable a better life for more people. At numerous occasions the cities positioned themselves as optimistic towards greener cities and put forward an array of different initiatives and measures e.g. related to renewable energy, resource efficiency and green spaces. The prerequisites of the cities in accomplishing their goals depends on a set of different factors. Good implementation and perceptiveness to the surrounding socio-political situation are some essential elements to regard if they are to succeed with their plans. / Det här århundradet förväntas enligt FN:s prognoser att präglas av kraftig urbanisering i stora delar av världen, med 2.5 miljarder fler människor i urbana områden till år 2050 (FN 2018). När allt fler människor bosätter sig i städer ställer det högre krav på att utveckla fungerande och effektiva sätt att hantera de ekonomiska, sociala och miljömässiga utmaningar som kan tänkas uppstå av en sådan förändring. I den här studien har en kvalitativ innehållsanalys genomförts för att undersöka hur FN:s hållbarhetsmål 7, 11, 12 och 15 uttrycks i några av Köpenhamns, Oslos och Stockholms hållbarhetsstrategier. Syftet har varit att undersöka hur de här nordiska aktörerna planerar sina städer, med hänseende till dagens miljöutmaningar och avgränsningen har varit de utvalda hållbarhetsmålens innehåll och mening. Resultatet visar att innehållet i dessa mål gick att spåra i städernas strategier. Städernas uttryck präglades av fler likheter än skillnader, där teknologi, tillväxt och miljö var faktorer som kan kombineras och leda till ett bättre liv för fler människor i städerna. De positionerade sig vid flera tillfällen som optimistiska till att leda utvecklingen mot grönare städer och framförde en rad olika gröna initiativ, exempelvis inom förnyelsebar energi, resurseffektivare system och grönområden. Förutsättningarna för att städerna ska uppnå sina mål beror på en rad faktorer. Klart är dock att de är beroende av god implementering, samt att de behöver vara lyhörda mot omgivande socio-politiska beslut och händelser om deras strategier ska lyckas.

It is now common for managers, strategists, planners and citizens at municipality level to use sustainable development indicators (SDI) to help them work towards sustainable development. SDI constitute an information system for monitoring, reporting and decision-making which in theory should help us decide how to intervene in natural, economic, social and political systems for a better, more sustainable future. But not all indicator systems are created equal. Some are better tools than others when it comes to helping cities and municipalities in their work, and thousands of municipalities use SDI worldwide. How then should we assess the effectiveness of existing indicators for municipalities? To answer this question I develop an approach for assessing the edesign, creation and communication of existing, in-use SDI, and then apply it in a case study in Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden. The approach assesses five aspects of SDI: ‘Vision’, ‘Framework’, ‘Indicator Selection’, ‘Stakeholder Participation’ and ‘Communication’. The findings in Falun suggest that SDI have been essential to the implementation of sustainable development in policy and action in general municipal operations, but the municipality has not moved beyond a ‘conventional’ sustainable development vision and monitoring strategy. The benefits and constraints of the current indicator system are then discussed using the above approach, and the thesis finishes by offering suggestions for the municipality going forward. I also point to the need to develop a standardised assessment method for thousands of municipalities using indicator systems used today, to help in ongoing review and improvement of SDI in practice.