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The escalating urbanization process has given rise to various complications in the urban structure. One of the major issues is the one concerning urban cohesion. As modern cities are facing a transformation from industrial to knowledge societies, many aspects have to be taken into consideration in the planning of cities. This thesis aims to study the significance of a cohesive city centre from a social and spatial point of view, and to understand modern cities’ development towards innovative Knowledge Cities. The objective is to present proposals for how a unification of a fragmented downtown can be made possible seen from a Knowledge City perspective. The two main research questions of this thesis are answered by literary reviews of existing theories in urban planning, by a case study of the downtown area in the Swedish city of Jönköping, and finally also by a design proposal showing on how urban cohesiveness can be obtained from a Knowledge City perspective. If cities are to become successful knowledge cities they have to promote culture, attractiveness and above all an innovative urban environment. Innovation is mainly achieved by so called “innovation engines” – simple urban elements, such as a café or a library. For innovation to emerge, human interaction and meetings have to occur in the urban environment, why innovation engines are key factors in the development towards knowledge cities. As human interaction is maximized in the simple meetings between people, added interaction possibilities are enabled in public spaces such as a square or a pedestrian street. Public spaces are used as a tool for assembling people in the city. They have positive impact on the city only when they are part of a whole, and works as a network system in the urban structure. This is why urban cohesiveness is essential in the planning of modern cities. Public space is a fundamental feature in the urban structure, endorsing coherence, urban quality and human affiliation, making it an essential element if a city is to be coherent. Cohesion in public spaces can be regulated by the design and planning of cities and either stimulate or dampen the public areas. Gathering people creates opportunities for people to interact on an individual level and thereby stimulate each other, and it is people that need to be gathered rather than buildings. Urban activities and the complementarity between public spaces needs to promote social dynamics, which in turn enhances the urban experience, enables urban cohesion and minimizes social exclusion and urban fragmentation.

Indiana author Booth Tarkington laid the groundwork for understanding issues related to urban design and planning in the Midwest with a tandem of novels: The Magnificent Ambersons (1917), and The Midlander (1923). More importantly, evidence can be found to suggest that it is not only through knowledge and appreciation of tangible urban form, but also an appreciation and awareness of a culture, via its literature, that these issues of design and planning can be more fully understood by design professionals.The purpose of this study, then, is to discover the connections between studies in the field of landscape architecture (with regard to urban form and urban imageability) and the "literary landscapes" of Booth Tarkington. These connections will serve, first, to clarify and prioritize my study; second, to educate design professionals in an alternative way of understanding and tackling the physical issues of imageability in today's world; and third, to suggest to all designers the necessity for knowing, appreciating and utilizing the virtually infinite range of resources available to them. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Syftet med examensarbetet är att få ökad förståelse och kunskap om hur samhällsplanering kan påverka ungdomars intresse och fritid. Studien har utförts i stadsdelen Västra Hamnen i Malmö. Malmö är en stad som har haft många sociala och ekonomiska svårigheter med hög arbetslöshet och utbredd ungdomskriminalitet. I detta arbete har studier gjorts kring hur sociala, ekonomiska och ekologiska satsningar, i området Västra hamnen, har påverkat ungdomar i Malmö. Bo01 är ett område som ligger i Västra Hamnen. Området försörjs endast med lokalt producerad förnyelsebar energi. Bo01 uppmärksammades och blev ett internationellt exempel på hållbar stadsutveckling i samband med invigningen av bostadsområdet i stadsdelen Västra Hamnen. Har ungdomarna i Malmö kunskap om detta? Målet med området är att skapa ”den blandade staden”, ”mötesplatserna” och ”kunskapsstaden”. Har dessa mål nått fram till ungdomar? Med hjälp av en enkätundersökning gjordes en studie kring detta. Enkäten delades ut till elever som läste sista året på gymnasiet, men även till högskolestudenter som befann sig på Malmö Högskolas bibliotek. Studien följdes även upp med en rad intervjuer, både på gymnasieskolor i Malmö och på Malmö högskola.  Majoriteten av gymnasieeleverna visste inte att Bo01 endast försörjs med förnyelsebara energikällor, till skillnad från högskolestudenterna som var mer medvetna om detta. Resultatet visar även att majoriteten av gymnasieeleverna har fått ett ökat intresse för miljö och hållbarhet i samband med projekten i Västra Hamnen. Malmö Stad behöver allmänbilda ungdomar om den hållbara utvecklingen som sker inom allt bygge i Malmö Stad. Detta för att uppnå ”kunskapsstaden”. Undersökningen visar även att de flesta tycker att det är positivt att Malmö Stad har placerat Malmö Högskola i området Västra Hamnen. Malmö stad har lyckats bra med att skapa mötesplatser för ungdomar, som bidragit till bland annat integration men även till nya kontaktnät. Området är populärt för ungdomar, speciellt under vår och sommar. Enkätundersökningen visar att 53 % av gymnasieeleverna befinner sig i Västra Hamnen mer än en gång i veckan, medans majoriteten av högskolestudenterna åker till området 1-3 gånger per sommar. / The background of this project is to understand how community affects young people in cities. The study focuses on a district in Western Harbor in Malmo. Malmo city has been exposed to social and economic problems due to the high unemployment and the crimes the city witnesses. It is interesting to study how city´s sustainability initiative affected the teenagers. Bo01 is an international example of sustainable urban development located in the Western Harbor and it is supplied with only locally produced renewable energy.  Do teenagers in Malmo have knowledge about that?   The main goals behind the construction of this district were to create the “mixed city”, “Meeting places” and “the knowledge city”. This study was based on questionnaire distributed to students in the final year of high school and to university students. Afterward, I made interviews to get more approach to how the main questions were responded. The majority of the high school students know nothing about the renewable energy sources of Bo01 but after starting the project of the Western Harbor the majority of high school students have become more interested in the environment and sustainability. The city needs to establish general youth knowledge of the sustainable development in the city, in order to achieve a sustainable society. The investigation also revealed that most of the teenagers have a positive adaptation to the location of the University of Malmo. Malmo city has been successfully creating meeting places for the youths who contributed to increase integration and profound new contacts. For the high school students the Western Harbor has been very popular during the warm seasons, 53% go there more than once a week. University student did visit the district 1-3 times in summer.