Social hållbarhet utgör tillsammans med ekonomisk och ekologisk, de tre hållbarhetsdimensionerna. Ekonomisk och ekologisk hållbarhet har länge varit prioriterade aspekter inom den fysiska planeringen, medan social hållbarhet har förlorat sin plats på agendan. Syftet med studien var därefter att uppmärksamma hur social hållbarhet hanterades i översiktsplaner samt analysera hur arbetet under planeringsprocessen hanterades utöver resultatet i översiktsplanen. Denna studie möjliggjorde en utveckling för vad begreppet social hållbarhet innefattar genom en identifiering av strategier som forskning påvisat. Strategierna utifrån tidigare forskning och som återfinns i teoriavsnittet avgränsades till mångfald, interaktion, deltagande, platsidentitet, säkerhet och trygghet, rättvisa, engagemang samt inflytande. För att besvara studiens forskningsfrågor har kvalitativa metoder i form av dokumentstudie och intervjuer genomförts. Eskilstuna, Halmstad, Karlstad, Sundsvall och Växjö kommuns översiktsplaner granskades utifrån de utvalda strategierna och en innehållsanalys av plandokumenten genomfördes, vilket bidrar med en tydligare förståelse för strategiernas sammanhang. Intervjuer med respektive utvald kommun utfördes för att bidra med en djupare förståelse för hur social hållbarhet hanteras i kommunal planering, utöver översiktsplanerna. Materialet sammanställdes i bedömningsmallar för respektive metod. Bedömningsmallarnas syftade till att visuellt jämföra och bedöma kommunernas definition av social hållbarhet, utvalda strategier utifrån tidigare forskningsöversikt och hur kommunerna hanterar uppföljning med sociala frågor. Uppbyggnaden av bedömningsmallarna grundades i forskningsöversiktens definitioner av utvalda strategier och bedömningen skedde utifrån färgkodning. Färgkodningen syftade till om översiktsplanerna och intervjuer med respektive kommun hanterade strategierna väl, delvis eller inte alls och användes som analysverktyg för att besvara givna forskningsfrågor. Resultatet påvisade att delar av strategierna hanterades väl i studien och att dessa strategier var allmänt kända inom kommunerna för att uppnå socialt hållbara samhällen. Det som kunde utläsas från resultatet var att åtgärderna för att uppnå vissa strategier saknade forskningsstöd samt att de strategier som inte behandlades i översiktsplanen eller intervjuerna saknade kommunala riktlinjer av åtgärder. Avsaknaden av en lokal definition för social hållbarhet samt en tystnad kring frågor om social genomsyrade alla kommuner, vilket bidrog till en problematik att upprätta åtgärder och riktlinjer för social hållbarhet. Strategierna som har behandlats i studien är huvudsakliga strategier från tidigare forskning för att uppnå målet, vilket i den här studien var social hållbarhet. Upprättandet av lokala definitioner för social hållbarhet i den fysiska planeringen bidrar till möjligheten att upprätta åtgärder samt synliggöra hur den sociala hållbarheten påverkar den fysiska planeringen samt arbetssätt för att öka den sociala hållbarheten i framtida planering. Studien uppmärksammade en tystnad i översiktsplanerna över hur arbetet med social hållbarhet framställdes. / Social sustainability, together with economic and ecological sustainability, constitute the three dimensions of sustainability. Economic and ecological sustainability have long been priorities in spatial planning, while social sustainability has lost its place on the agenda. The aim of the study was to draw attention to how social sustainability is dealt with in master plans and to analyse how the work during the planning process are dealt with in addition to the results in the master plan. This study allowed for an advancement of what the concept of social sustainability entails through the identification of strategies that research has demonstrated. The strategies based on previous research, and found in the theory section of this study, are delineated as diversity, interaction, participation, place identity, safety and security, equity, engagement, and influence.  In order to answer the research questions of the study, qualitative approaches in the methods in the form of document study and interviews were conducted. Eskilstuna, Halmstad, Karlstad, Sundsvall and Växjö master plans were reviewed based on the selected strategies and a content analysis of the plan documents was conducted. Interviews with each selected municipality were conducted to contribute with a deeper understanding of how social sustainability is handled in municipal planning, beyond the master plans. The material was compiled in assessment templates for each method. The aim of the assessment templates was to visually compare and assess the municipalities` definition of social sustainability, the selected strategies based on previous research overviews, and how the municipalities handle follow-up with social issues. The structure of the assessment templates was based on research overviews` definitions of selected strategies and assessments were made based on colour coding. The colour coding aimed at whether the master plans and interviews with each municipality handled strategies well, in part or not at all and were used as an analysis tool to answer given research questions.  The results of the study showed that some of the strategies are well addressed in the methods and that these strategies are widely known within the municipalities to achieve socially sustainable communities. What could be inferred from the results was that the measures to achieve some strategies lacked research support and that the strategies not addressed in the master plan or in the interviews lack municipal guidelines of measures. The lack of a local definition for social sustainability and a silence for social issues permeates all municipalities, which contributed to a problem of measures and guidelines for social sustainability. The strategies addressed in the study are main strategies from previous research to achieve the goal, which in this study is social sustainability. The establishment of local definitions for social sustainability in spatial planning contributes to the possibility of establishing measures and visibility on how social sustainability affects spatial planning and working methods to increase social sustainability in future planning. The study drew attention to a silence in the master plans on how the work on social sustainability is presented.   Social sustainability, together with economic and ecological sustainability, constitute the three dimensions of sustainability. Economic and ecological sustainability have long been priorities in spatial planning, while social sustainability has lost its place on the agenda. The aim of the study was to draw attention to how social sustainability is dealt with in master plans and to analyse how the work during the planning process are dealt with in addition to the results in the master plan. This study allowed for an advancement of what the concept of social sustainability entails through the identification of strategies that research has demonstrated. The strategies based on previous research, and found in the theory section of this study, are delineated as diversity, interaction, participation, place identity, safety and security, equity, engagement, and influence.  In order to answer the research questions of the study, qualitative approaches in the methods in the form of document study and interviews were conducted. Eskilstuna, Halmstad, Karlstad, Sundsvall and Växjö master plans were reviewed based on the selected strategies and a content analysis of the plan documents was conducted. Interviews with each selected municipality were conducted to contribute with a deeper understanding of how social sustainability is handled in municipal planning, beyond the master plans. The material was compiled in assessment templates for each method. The aim of the assessment templates was to visually compare and assess the municipalities` definition of social sustainability, the selected strategies based on previous research overviews, and how the municipalities handle follow-up with social issues. The structure of the assessment templates was based on research overviews` definitions of selected strategies and assessments were made based on colour coding. The colour coding aimed at whether the master plans and interviews with each municipality handled strategies well, in part or not at all and were used as an analysis tool to answer given research questions.  The results of the study showed that some of the strategies are well addressed in the methods and that these strategies are widely known within the municipalities to achieve socially sustainable communities. What could be inferred from the results was that the measures to achieve some strategies lacked research support and that the strategies not addressed in the master plan or in the interviews lack municipal guidelines of measures. The lack of a local definition for social sustainability and a silence for social issues permeates all municipalities, which contributed to a problem of measures and guidelines for social sustainability. The strategies addressed in the study are main strategies from previous research to achieve the goal, which in this study is social sustainability. The establishment of local definitions for social sustainability in spatial planning contributes to the possibility of establishing measures and visibility on how social sustainability affects spatial planning and working methods to increase social sustainability in future planning. The study drew attention to a silence in the master plans on how the work on social sustainability is presented.