| 1. |
- Wretling, Vincent, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the application of Impact Assessment and its function of addressing interactions between national environmental objectives in Swedish energy and climate planning
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Besides the dire need to tackle climate change, a multitude of anthropogenic environmental impacts and associated environmental objectives also need to be addressed in planning. Impact Assessment (IA) tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can potentially aid such consideration in planning, and thus the IA practice and its contribution to considering national environmental objectives are explored within municipal and regional energy and climate planning in Sweden. The results show that, in consequence of low application and quality of screening, the performance of IA is generally lacking within Swedish energy and climate planning. Furthermore, the policy documents for which an IA has been conducted have a significantly higher inclusion of the Swedish National Environmental Quality Objectives, thereby indicating that the use of IA can facilitate the consideration of national environmental objectives. Consequently, interactions among national objectives can be illuminated and synergies utilised, a function that otherwise often is lacking.
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| 2. |
- Wretling, Vincent
(författare)
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Strengthening the Municipal Energy Planning – Integration into Comprehensive Planning, Performance of Impact Assessment and Inclusion of National Environmental Objectives
- 2018
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The global climate is changing rapidly, which pronounces the need for transforming the energy system. The Swedish municipalities have been identified as key actors in Sweden’s decarbonisation due to their far-reaching responsibilities, which encompass energy planning. The municipalities are required to have a Municipal Energy Plan (MEP) regarding the provision of energy, but have increasingly shown climate awareness. Further, the municipalities are responsible also for the spatial planning, and increased climate efforts will largely be dependent on how this planning is conducted. However, the energy system also affects various other environmental impacts. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can aid to take these impacts and associated National Environmental Quality Objectives (NEQOs) into account, which is necessary in order to avoid that other negative environmental impacts occur due to a decarbonisation and that synergies between NEQOs instead could be utilised. Thus, this thesis aims to examine current municipal energy planning practice and the integration of energy and climate targets into comprehensive planning (Paper I), as well as to explore the performance of SEA and the consideration of NEQOs in municipal energy planning (Paper II). Further, suggestions for strengthening the practice is developed (Paper I and II).To achieve the aims, a document analysis, statistical analyses, thematic analyses and an interview study has been employed. This thesis shows that the Act on Municipal Energy Planning is not followed and that the municipalities proactively focuses on climate change mitigation instead. Moreover, a link between MEPs and Comprehensive Plans is seen regarding energy and climate-related targets, and a continuous energy planning can thus be one way of achieving a spatial planning in line with the climate objectives. SEA is seldom performed despite legal requirements, due to a deficient screening practice. However, when performed, SEA can increase the consideration of NEQOs, particularly those in which negative environmental impacts of climate efforts can occur. The consideration of NEQOs could thus help enhance synergies between a decarbonisation and other NEQOs, which could mobilise support for the MEP and aid its implementation.
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| 3. |
- Azcarate, Juan, 1975-
(författare)
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Beyond impacts : Contextualizing strategic environmental assessment to foster the inclusion of multiple values in strategic planning
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has the potential to improve strategic planning. However, meeting this expectation is a major challenge since SEA practice still constraints itself to assess the impacts of strategic planning initiatives. To advance the role of SEA beyond impact assessment, it has been argued that SEA needs to adapt to strategic planning contexts. Yet, there is a lack of consensus on how SEA should adapt to strategic planning contexts as these are complex, vary considerably and carry high levels of uncertainty. Against this background, the aim of this thesis is to contribute to the development of SEA by creating knowledge on ways in which it can be contextualized to different strategic planning situations. Three case studies addressing different values and strategic planning contexts were designed from which experiences on SEA conceptualization were drawn. The results show that developing strategic focused SEA frameworks that enhance dialogue, collaboration and knowledge generation on multiple values can address issues such as: the lack of data and objectives in developing planning contexts; gaps in knowledge and uncertainty associated to environmental monitoring in transboundary contexts; and the recognition of the importance of ecosystem services and their needed green qualities in urbanizing contexts. Based on the gained case study experiences, it is argued that SEA contextualization can mean addressing strategic planning intentions, identifying and engaging actors, deriving and prioritizing key values, collaborating to generate knowledge on key issues, and using this knowledge to shape strategic planning. Due to the complexity of the issues involved, contextualizing SEA is considered to be challenging to achieve and requires time and resources. However, based on the SEA case studies, it can be argued that the value added to strategic planning outweighs these requirements. Continuing to study the practice of context adaptable, strategic focused and participatory based SEA processes may contribute to advance SEA’s role beyond impact assessment and enable reaching its expected potentials.
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| 4. |
- Azcarate, Juan, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Network Strategic Environmental Assessment for Capacity Development and Dialogue
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Non-governmental organisations are playing an increasingly important role in facilitating the inclusion of a diversity of perspectives in the debates and decisions that shape society by acting as platforms for dialogue. However, to enable and maintain dialogues that influence decision making it is acknowledged that these organisations need to focus on developing their key capacities and design appropriate approaches. For these purposes, planning and decision making support processes like strategic environmental assessment can be useful. This paper suggests a network approach for capacity development and dialogue generation for network based non-governmental organisations through the design of a network strategic environmental assessment process. Experiences are drawn from developing the network strategic environmental assessment in Samp Intercontinental Museum Network, a Swedish non-governmental organisation working with the development of museums and their communities. The results were process ownership, participant engagement and iterative dialogues. Even though it is challenging to develop network strategic environmental assessments, it is argued that these processes can benefit network organisations by setting the bases for their capacity development programmes and by operationalising and mainstreaming their higher level concepts, allowing these organisations to reach their goals and contribute to long lasting transformations in society.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Balfors, Berit, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of urban development on biodiversity and ecosystem services
- 2016
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Ingår i: Handbook on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment. - : Edward Elgar Publishing. - 9781783478989 ; , s. 167-194
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global urbanization has increased rapidly and it is expected to continue. Due to the continuing urbanization process, green areas are transformed into areas for housing, industry and infrastructure. As a consequence, ecosystems in urbanizing areas are affected, which results in degradation of habitats, due to fragmentation and disturbances, with significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. In cities, green areas are of primary interest to support biodiversity as well as in their role as producers of ecosystem services; that is, services that ecosystems produce to the benefit of humans often without any costs. In addition, publicly accessible urban green areas enhance life quality for urban citizens. To strengthen biodiversity and ecosystem services considerations in the planning process and contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in the long term, a consistent assessment of potential impacts is required. In particular, a landscape approach in urban planning and assessment is needed to address the scales of ecological processes, to strengthen important landscape structures and functions in urban, regional and infrastructure planning. A landscape approach calls for methods for assessing the impacts of human actions on biodiversity at a landscape level, across administrative borders. Such methods should allow an analysis of cumulative impacts of many single planning decisions. Several of the processes involved have a temporal and spatial dimension and are possible to quantify, analyse, and visualize with geographical information systems (GIS) combined with spatial ecological models. This allows for localization and quantification of predicted effects of urbanization on biodiversity components over landscape and regional scales. This chapter addresses impacts of urbanization on biodiversity and urban green areas’ capacity in providing ecosystem services. A brief description of the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services provides a framework for a landscape approach in biodiversity assessments and for the practical examples from the Stockholm region. Related to the assessment, tools for predicting and assessing biodiversity impacts at a landscape level will be discussed as well as planning and management of urban green areas. The chapter concludes with lessons learned and key recommendations for best practice.
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| 8. |
- Balfors, Berit, et al.
(författare)
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Strategic environmental assessment in Swedish municipal planning. Trends and challenges
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental impact assessment review. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 0195-9255 .- 1873-6432. ; 73, s. 152-163
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- More than a decade after the implementation of the EU Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) into Swedish legislation, a comprehensive study has been conducted to analyze the development of SEA practice in municipal planning. The analysis was based on a nationwide mapping of SEA in Swedish municipal comprehensive plans and municipal sector plans, such as energy plans and waste plans, which were adopted in the period 2004-2014. The mapping was used for obtaining evidence of, and explanations for, the extent to which SEAs have been carried out and to enable an identification of the presence of alternatives and specified purposes of the plan. In this paper, the result of the analysis of the development of SEA practice is presented, which shows that municipal comprehensive plans had an SEA to an increasingly greater extent, up to on average 90% for the period 2010-2014. For waste plans and energy plans, corresponding figures for the same period were significantly lower. In addition, the result shows a decreasing trend between 2006 and 2014 regarding the proportion of SEAs that included more than one plan alternative. The use of a zero alternative, however, increased from 2006 to 2014. A regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants that explain the variation in the degree to which screening and SEAs were conducted. The findings of the study show that a systematic mapping of SEA practice provides empirical basis for the development of policy measures to enhance the use of SEAS in municipal planning. Furthermore, it is argued that strengthening the link between alternatives and the purposes of the plan may foster a more strategic thinking when identifying reasonable alternatives on how to promote sustainable development within the planning. Moreover, it is argued that mandatory SEA should be considered in municipal comprehensive and sector planning.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Eckersten, Sofia, 1989-
(författare)
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Advancing Sustainable Transport Systems : Strengthening environmental considerations and sustainability perspectives in Strategic Choice of Measures
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Addressing cross-cutting issues such as climate change, urbanization, andenvironmental degradation in policy and planning is key for transitioning toa sustainable society. In the work of societal and transport systemdevelopment, the integration of environmental and sustainabilityperspectives has never been more crucial. In urban areas, the interconnection between transport and land use is evident, and integrated transport and land use planning plays an important role in promotingsustainable transport systems. However, both the integration ofenvironmental and sustainability considerations in transport planning and the integration of land use and transport planning are complex challenges.This thesis explores the consideration of environmental aspects andsustainability perspectives in strategic transport planning, with a focus onthe Swedish Strategic Choice of Measures (SCM) approach and lessonslearnt from planning approaches in the Nordic countries. The thesis is primarily based on case studies of SCM processes in the Stockholm region. Empirical material has been collected through observations of SCMs involving public officials from the Swedish Transport Administration,municipalities in Stockholm Region, and Stockholm's public transportauthority, as well as through semi-structured interviews, focus groupinterviews, informal interviews and document studies, with a qualitative research approach.The thesis is a compilation of four scientific papers. Three of the papers (1,2, and 4) discuss the SCM process, and in two of the papers (2 and 4), SCM processes in the Stockholm region are used as empirical cases of howstrategic choices of measures have been made in transport and land useplanning. Paper 3 explores and draws lessons from Nordic planning instruments to coordinate transport and land use planning with the aim of promoting sustainable development. The results highlight the difference between engaging and non-engagingenvironmental aspects and advocate for a systems perspective in planning to understand connections and promote holistic solutions. Planning approaches from different Nordic countries, such as the Finnish MAL and the Norwegian Urban Growth Agreements, demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating transport and land use planning through instruments based oncollaboration between transport and land use actors. The results also identify challenges related to fragmented transport and land use planning,and that actors' vary in their engagement when addressing environmental and sustainability considerations in the SCM planning context. Effective collaboration and sustainable choices of measures relies on knowledgeable professionals being capable of interdisciplinary collaborations and innovative thinking, being part of and coordinating the planning process, i.e.SCM. The use of Integrated Landscape Character Assessment (ILCA) can provide a framework for cross-actor collaboration and has the potential to identify multifunctional solutions contributing to a sustainable societal transition. Overall, the results of the thesis emphasize the importance of integrating environmental and sustainability perspectives into transport planning to promote sustainable development.
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