| 1. |
- 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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| 2. |
- 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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| 3. |
- 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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| 4. |
- Khoshkar, Sara, 1985-
(författare)
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From Vision to Action- Advancing green qualities in local planning practice
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Biodiversity and ecosystem services have been negatively affected as a result of urbanization. Agenda 2030 emphasizes that biodiversity and ecosystem services issues are important for all Sustainable Development Goals and that measures are needed to reverse the negative trend. In addition, it has been emphasized that local spatial planning plays a key role in meeting global challenges and achieving national and international sustainability goals. The decisions made about land use issues in local planning are of great importance for biodiversity and the availability of ecosystem services in cities. However, despite the increasing knowledge of the importance of ecosystem services, their integration in land use planning and decision-making is still limited. Furthermore, the planning instrument, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) holds an important role in ensuring that ecosystem services are taken into account in planning and related decision-making processes. However, experiences of integrating ecosystem services in SEAs is limited. The overall aim of this thesis, comprising of five papers, is to contribute with knowledge regarding and support to local planning practice for the implementation of ecosystem services in planning and decision-making. The methods applied include: literature review, semi-structured interviews, focus group, workshops and qualitative content analysis supported with statistical analysis. In the first phase of the thesis, the studies set out to identify the challenges and needs for integrating ecosystem services in local planning practice. The results are based on a case study design of a selection of municipalities in Stockholm County. A key finding from the interviews with practitioners in the first phase was that green quality issues need to be integrated in strategic levels of planning so to pave the way for future sustainable development in municipalities. The second phase identified measures for the implementation of ecosystem services and ten key factors to promote the integration of ES in local planning. This phase included national analysis of ecosystem services in municipal comprehensive plans for Swedish municipalities presented in Paper II. The supporting statistical analysis revealed a temporal trend in the integration of ecosystem services in the municipal comprehensive plans during the last decade. In the last phase of the thesis, experiences and learning examples were identified to strengthen SEA as a planning tool by examining practices and experiences from eight European countries. In addition, it was investigated how ecosystem services were integrated into SEA for municipal comprehensive plans in Stockholm County, in order to study how SEAs can be used to strengthen ecosystem services in local planning. The synthesis of the results from the appended papers identifies ways to promote ecosystem services in local planning. The proposed measures for operationalizing ecosystem services from vision to action include: (i) improving institutional and organizational conditions (ii) facilitating communication and collaboration between actors (iii) engaging public early in the planning process (iv) adapting guidance and tools to local conditions and circumstances (v) advancing role of SEA for planning.The thesis concludes with suggestions for future research, for example to investigate how nature-based solutions for operationalizing ecosystem services can be designed in local planning.
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| 5. |
- Khoshkar, Sara
(författare)
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Paving the way for green qualities -Role of Environmental Assessment
- 2017
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Implementing urban development projects in planning practice while simultaneously providing sufficient green spaces has proven to be challenging. As a result, there is a growing need for practical approaches and tools for the integration of urban green qualities in the on-going densification of cities. Environmental assessment, as a proactive decision aiding tool, can hold an important role in integrating green qualities in urban development plans and projects. However, in recent years environmental assessment has only added moderate value to planning issues regarding green space. Therefore, this thesis was designed to contribute to the knowledge and understanding on the role environmental assessment can have in the integration of green qualities in future urban development plans and projects in efforts to aid practitioners. This aim was achieved through examination of existing urban green space planning practice in the Stockholm region (Paper I) and the practice of environmental assessment in a selection of European countries in relation to the following factors identified to be important for practice: timing, quality control, alternatives, monitoring and public participation (Paper II). The findings from both studies were then analysed to identify possibilities of green space planning within the framework of these factors. A qualitative research was employed for this study including: semi-structured interviews with municipal planners in the Stockholm region and environmental assessment experts for the European Commission, literature review, document analysis and case study analysis. The case studies analyzed in Paper I were located in municipalities of Haninge and Huddinge, suburban areas located to the south of Stockholm. In Paper II, the experts interviewed were environmental assessment experts from the European Commission from: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia. Through analysis of the results from both studies, the potential role of environmental assessment in integrating green qualities in urban development plans and projects are explored and discussed in relation to the factors. The potential of environmental assessment to enhance public participation and dialogues amongst actors, or bring forth green space issues within alternatives are a few of the roles discussed. Furthermore, a selection of pathways is suggested for the integration of green qualities in future urban development through the application of environmental assessment. For example, the implementation of developer dialogues in the environmental assessment process and the development of knowledge exchange platforms for sharing experiences in relation to green space planning and environmental assessment.
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| 6. |
- Khoshkar, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Ways Forward for Advancing Ecosystem Servicesin Municipal Planning—Experiences from Stockholm County
- 2020
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Ingår i: Land. - : MDPI AG. - 0023-7531 .- 2073-445X. ; 9:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This case study from Stockholm County, Sweden, explores practitioners’ experiences of barriers and bridges in municipal planning practices to support actions for ecosystem services. This qualitative study is based on information gathered from a focus group, workshops, and semi-structured interviews, which aided in identifying key factors for integrating ecosystem services in municipal planning. We identified 10 key factors divided into three themes: (i) regulatory framework and political support, (ii) local organizational capacity, and (iii) local adaptation of tools and practices. In particular, the practitioners pointed to the need for the development of legal support and regulations for ecosystem services on the national and EU policy levels. Furthermore, the need for local capacity building and understanding of ecosystem services as well as increased regional support to enhance local knowledge exchange and learning was emphasized. Also, in a decentralized local governance system such as in Sweden, to fully implement ecosystem services in urban planning for sustainable development, locally adapted practical tools and monitoring procedures were considered important.
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| 7. |
- Quin, Andrew, 1978-
(författare)
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Information, systems and water management : Information systems which support water management - cases from rural water supply in Uganda and WFD implementation in the North Baltic River Basin District, Sweden
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Successfulwater management implies tackling multi-level governance and improvingintegration between sectors. Sound information and related processes will berequired to support water management decision-making at these various levels.Additionally, considering Principle 10 of the UN’s Agenda 21, actors shouldhave access to information to enable their involvement in shaping watermanagement outcomes. This thesis draws on the results of two separate caseswhere information systems support action: (i) rural water supply in Uganda;and, (ii) water management according to the Water Framework Directive in Sweden.A research approach was formed based on: (a) a model conceptualising how informationsystems support organisational processes which lead to action; and, (b) asystems-thinking methodology. The results reveal that there are numerous,similar challenges to achieving information support for action in both theUgandan and Swedish cases. In both cases, information quantity and quality islimited; consequentially, the use of information to support action is inhibited.Furthermore, not all actors are involved in information system processes; in particular,local-level actors. Overall, there is limited support of strategic decision-makingand weak support of operational, or local, decision-making. The results suggestthat it might be possible to tailor strategic-level information processes tolocal needs, hopefully encouraging active involvement of local actors. Improvedinvolvement, together with a suitable systems approach, could be used to furtherdevelop information systems, improving integration between multiple levels ofgovernance and across sectors – suiting not just the needs ofstrategic decision-making but also the needs of operational, or local,decision-making.
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| 8. |
- Uttam, Kedar, 1980-
(författare)
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Linking environmental impact assessment and green procurement in the construction sector : opportunities and perspectives
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The construction sector has been greatly responsible for environmental pollution and problems related to sustainability. Hence, there is a crucial need to improve the sector’s environmental performance. In terms of assessing the environmental impacts of the construction sector at project and strategic level, policy instruments such as project-based environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) play an important role. Another policy instrument, namely, green procurement has started to gain attention in the construction sector. Green procurement is a process that involves the incorporation of environmental requirements during the procurement of services and products. However, discussions on green procurement are rarely seen during the impact assessment (EIA and SEA) phase. Moreover, the construction process is usually multi-tiered, involving several stakeholders with varied objectives, which often leads to challenges concerning the translation of information produced in the impact assessment phase into action (during the construction phase). Therefore, this thesis aimed at analysing the way through which EIA as well as green procurement can improve the coordination between planning and construction phases. The thesis is based on literature review and interviews. This study envisaged an inter-connected process for EIA and green procurement, and reviewed the state of the art to motivate the postulation of such an inter-connected process. In addition, this study also reviewed recent development within procurement contracts, and focused on partnering in the construction industry. The results indicated that it would be appropriate to introduce green procurement during the pre-decision phase of an EIA. Further, the thesis chose renewable energy as a parameter for green procurement, and explored the perspectives of various categories of stakeholders in the Swedish construction on the inter-link between impact assessment and green procurement. The perspectives of the interviewed stakeholders indicate that the inter-link is required. However, the interview results show that there is a tendency in the Swedish construction sector to adopt various commercially available environmental assessment and certification tools. Furthermore, the thesis has mapped directions for future research. Future study should focus on the establishment of mechanisms for inter-connecting impact assessment and green procurement. It should investigate how the inter-link could be facilitated by certification tools being adopted. The future research should also examine how the inter-link can be developed together with concerned stakeholders through partnering.
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| 9. |
- Uttam, Kedar
(författare)
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Seeking sustainability in the construction sector: opportunities within impact assessment and sustainable public procurement
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Growing concerns regarding sustainability have led the construction sector to adopt various policy instruments for reducing the impacts caused by construction activities. One such policy instrument includes impact assessment, which enables the construction sector to evaluate the environmental consequences of proposed developments at project (environmental impact assessment) and strategic (strategic environmental assessment) level. In recent years, the construction sector has also adopted green public procurement, which is a process whereby contracting authorities aim to procure services and products that meet environmental requirements. In certain contexts, green public procurement has extended to sustainable public procurement, which involves the incorporation of both environmental and social considerations in the procurement of services and products. Promoting sustainability in the constructor sector is a significant challenge. This challenge is primarily due to the requirement of high levels of cooperation among project stakeholders, on the one hand, and a lack of coordination between project planning and implementation on the other hand. Therefore, procurement plays a significant role as it establishes the tone for the interaction between contracting authorities and contractors. The overall aim of this thesis is to bolster the knowledge of promoting sustainability in the construction sector, with the specific aim of analysing the ways in which policy instruments such as environmental impact assessment and green public procurement can be reinforced to improve the coordination between planning and the implementation of sustainability considerations. This thesis conceptualises an inter-link between impact assessment and green public procurement, and identifies the opportunities to develop the inter-link. It is appropriate to plan for green public procurement at the pre-decision phase of an environmental impact assessment. The inter-link can be strengthened by involving contractors in planning for green and sustainable public procurement. One way to involve contractors is with the aid of competitive dialogue procedure, which is a procurement procedure that allows contracting authorities to hold discussions with contractors regarding the authority’s requirements. This study strengthens the conceptualisation that competitive dialogue procedure can facilitate green and sustainable public procurement. The various elements in a competitive dialogue procedure can enable the contracting authorities to ensure the consistency between the weight for environmental considerations in contract award criteria and the relevant preferences. This thesis also discusses key concerns for progress towards sustainable public procurement, which includes among others the incorporation of sustainability values in procurement decisions. In addition, this study identified certain discourses on future trends for green and sustainable public procurement. The discourses provide an opportunity for reflection, and thereby indicate that analytical support is required to develop criteria in a way that enables the evaluation of sustainable public procurement against the background of sustainability and justice regarding natural capital. Innovation must be promoted with a focus on sustainability values. Moreover, green or sustainable public procurement must be discussed between contracting authorities and contractors in light of its contribution to sustainability.
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| 10. |
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