Sweden has since 2015 aimed at becoming the first fossil free welfare state. Investments in green industries have recently increased to unprecedented levels and there are currently many industries establishing themselves in Sweden with the intention of becoming drivers of the green transition. This thesis aimed at exploring how these establishments have impacted the municipalities in which they will locate themselves. By interviewing seven municipal officials involved in spatial planning, the impact of these establishments has had on planners and planning routines has been analysed. It was discovered that these establishments bring with them immense pressures and expectations to create growth and development for the municipalities. Some municipalities have formed new collaborative relationships to help ease the pressure whilst others claim it is business as usual. No matter the management of the establishments and the surrounding processes, there is a strong belief in the potential they hold. In line with postpolitical theory, the actors involved are consensus-seeking and work collaboratively. The processes are backed by a strong sense of unity, both within the municipal organisation but also across political borders. The use of fuzzy concepts also aligns with the postpolitical criticism of public management. However, the development of the industries are not fuzzy and can be seen to deliver real growth, which goes against the claims of post political thinkers. Conclusively, the municipalities that received these establishments are put under immense pressure but welcome the establishment with hopes of creating a prosperous future.

European cities are becoming increasingly multicultural and diverse in terms of lifestyles and socioeconomic conditions. However, in planning for sustainable urban development, implications of this increased diversity and possibly conflicting perspectives are seldom considered. The aim of this thesis is to explore dimensions of justice and politics in sustainable urban development by studying inclusionary/exclusionary effects of discursive power of official strategies for eco-friendly living on the one hand and everyday lifestyles on the other, in ethnically and socially diverse areas. Two case studies have been conducted, one in a city district of Stockholm, Sweden, and one in an area of Sheffield, England. The empirical material consists of interviews with residents, interviews with planners and officials and an analysis of strategic planning documents. The case study in Stockholm illustrated the prevalence of a dominant discourse among residents in which Swedishness is connected with environmental responsibility in the form of tidiness, recycling and familiarity with nature. In Sheffield there are more competing and parallel environmental discourses. The mainstream British environmental discourse and sustainability strategies are being criticised from Muslim as well as green radical perspectives. The mainstream discourse is criticised for being tokenistic in its focus on gardening, tidiness, recycling and eco-consumption, and hence ignoring deeper unsustainable societal structures. This can be interpreted as a postpolitical condition, in which there is a consensus around “what needs to be done,” such as more recycling, but in which difficult societal problems and conflicting perspectives on these are not highlighted. In the thesis it is argued that the strategies for urban sustainability are underpinned by Swedish/British middle-class norms, entailing processes of (self-)disciplining and normalisation of the Other into well-behaving citizens. It is argued that an appreciation of the multiple and others’ ways of saving natural resources would make the sustainability strategies more attuned to social and cultural diversity as well as more environmentally progressive. Finally, the importance of asserting the political in sustainability strategies is stressed, highlighting the organisation of society and possible alternative socioenvironmental futures. / QC 20100421