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Research project PLANTS

Planners as agents for the transition towards sustainable cities and regions – implications for future needs in expertise and education

Vallastaden, Linköping. Photo: Anders Rickegård

Climate change and environmental degradation are two of the most fundamental changes in our society. In order to achieve the goal of zero net emissions of CO2 by 2045, fundamental societal changes are needed with respect to our systems for transport, agriculture, the built environment and energy production and land-use. Such a transformative change requires effective local instruments and practices. Urban and regional planning is potentially one the most effective tools to promote and shape the desired sustainable transition towards sustainable cities and regions.

Project description

The aim of this project is two-fold: (1) to trace and support emerging strategies and tools of transformative planning in the Swedish context, and (2) to integrate this knowledge in existing academic education programs for urban and regional planners. In the project, an international qualitative analysis of planning practices with transformative elements will be conducted among cities and educational programs. After that required expertise and other skills by urban and regional planners will be studied among municipalities, regions and other planning organizations in Sweden. The project group includes a total of five planning educations and the findings from the project will be integrated into educational elements within these educations, with the aim to prepare the next generation of planners in their roles as agents for the transition towards sustainable cities and regions.

Project members

Project managers

Dick Magnusson

Senior Associate Professor, Head of Division

Department of Thematic Studies (TEMA), Technology and Social Change (TEMAT)

dick.magnusson@liu.se

Members

Peter Schmitt

Professor

Department of Human Geography

08-674 78 53

peter.schmitt@humangeo.su.se

Anders Rickegård

Lecturer

Department of Human Geography

08-16 48 34

Anders Rickegård. Fortograf: Peter Schmitt, Stockholms universitet.

anders.rickegard@su.se

Kristina Trygg

Associate Professor, Docent

Department of Thematic Studies (TEMA), Technology and Social Change (TEMAT)

kristina.trygg@liu.se

Sabrina Fredin

Senior lecturer

Department of Spatial Planning

sabrina.fredin@bth.se

Publications

Planners as agents for sustainable transition

Magnusson, Dick, Fredin, Sabrina, Rickegård, Anders, Schmitt, Peter & Trygg, Kristina (2022). Planners as agents for sustainable transition [Planerare som agenter för en hållbar omställning]. PLAN 3–4/2022, 78–81.