54 research outputs found
Housing Design and Mobility ConvenienceâThe Case of Sweden
A parking space is the beginning and the end of every car journey. Policies aimed at parking spaces are, thus, an effective way of affecting car travel. Policies regarding parking typically mean setting minimum parking requirements to meet the peak demand for parking. However, in several Swedish cities, as well as around Europe, attempts are made to lower the number of parking places. One way is to build homes without parking places for cars and pilot projects with zero-parking have started to materialize. This paper looks into the academic literature in the field of design and architecture to see how parking issues are dealt with. It also looks into ongoing practice by studying three pilot projects in Sweden that challenge the dominant parking norm by planning and building for a new normalâmobility convenience and zero parking. Both the literature and the cases point to little knowledge in the field. However, high demands on âcreative mobility solutionsâ are placed on housing projects without parking places for cars. Even if the effects of sustainability are still unknown, zero parking pilot projects can narrate the possibility of another futureâa future with mobility convenience instead of parking convenience
Gender in futures : A study of gender and feminist papers published in Futures, 1969-2009
This paper reviews and discusses papers related to women's studies, gender or feminist perspectives, published in the scientific journal Futures. The aim is to provide new understandings and remapping of futures studies by capturing how gender is created and understood in this field. The gender/feminist criticism of futures studies mainly relates to the field being male-dominated and male biased, which means that the future is seen as already colonised by men. When synthesising the insights from all 78 papers focusing on futures studies and feminism, gender or women, four conclusions are especially striking: (1) Women and non-Westerners are generally excluded from professional futures studies activities and so are feminist issues or issues of particular relevance for women. (2) Futures studies usually make no attempts to reveal underlying assumptions, i.e. often lack a critical and reflexive perspective, which is needed in order to add a critical feminist perspective and envision feminist futures. (3) Feminist futures are needed as a contrast to hegemonic male and Western technology-orientated futures. Feminist futures are diverse, but focus the well-being of all humans. (4) Futures studies often view women as victims, rather than as drivers for change, which means that their alternative futures are often ignored.NOTICE: this is the authorâs version of a work that was accepted for publication in Futures: The journal of policy, planning and futures studies. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in PUBLICATION, VOL 43, ISSUE 9, 19 July 2011, DOI:10.1016/j.futures.2011.07.002QC 20120117FramKo
Just Sustainable Futures : Gender and Environmental Justice Considerations in Planning
This thesis contributes and deepens knowledge on long-term planning for sustainÂable development through exploring environÂmental justice and gender discourses in planning and futures studies. It also suggests ways of working with those issues. Environmental justice is explored through discussions with planners in Stockholm, Sweden, and through looking at images of future Stockholm and the environmental justice implications of these. These studies show how environÂmental justice issues can be manifested in a Swedish urban context and discuss how sustainable development and environmental justice can be inÂcreased, operationalised and politicised in planning. One key contriÂbution of the thesis is in identifying the need to address proceÂdural and outcomes values in both planning and futures studies. Gender discourses are explored through analysing papers published in the journal Futures and through an examination of Swedish Regional Growth Programmes. The feminist criticism of futures studies mainly relates to the field being male-dominated and male-biased, which means that the future is seen as already colonised by men, that futures studies generally do not work with feminist issues or issues of particular relevance for women, and that they often lack a critical and reflexive perspective. There is therefore a call for feminist futures as a contrast to hegemonic male and Western technology-orientated futures. The case of the Swedish Regional Growth Programmes shows that gender inequality is often viewed as a problem of unequal rights and possibilities. This liberal view on gender equality has made it rather easy for gender equality advocates to voice demands, e.g. for the inclusion of both women and men in decision-making processes, but the traditional male norm is not challenged. If a different response is required, other ways of describing the problem of gender inequalities must be facilitated. One way to open up different ways of describing the problem and to describe desirable futures could be the use of scenarios. Planning for just, sustainable futures means acknowledging process values, but also content (giving nature a voice!). It also means politicising planning. There are a number of desirable futures, and when this is clarified the political content of planning is revealed. These different images of the future can be evaluated in terms of environmental justice, gender perspective or any specific environmental aspect, e.g. biodiversity, which indicates that different futures are differently good for nature and/or different societal groups.Den hĂ€r avhandlingen bidrar till och fördjupar kunskapen om lĂ„ngsiktig planering för hĂ„llbar utveckling. Den gör det genom att belysa miljörĂ€ttvise- och genusÂdiskurser i planering och framtidsstudier. Den föreslĂ„r ocksĂ„ sĂ€tt att arbeta med dessa frĂ„gor. MiljörĂ€ttvisa belyses genom diskussioner med planerare i Stockholm och Ă€ven genom att undersöka framtidsbilder av Stockholms och deras miljöÂrĂ€ttÂviseÂkonseÂkvenser. De hĂ€r studierna visar bĂ„de hur miljörĂ€ttvisefrĂ„gor kan maniÂfesteras i en svensk urban kontext och diskuterar hur hĂ„llbar utveckling och miljöÂrĂ€ttvisa kan fĂ„ ökad betydelse, operationaliseras och politiseras i planeringen. Ett viktigt bidrag med den hĂ€r avhandlingen Ă€r att pĂ„peka behovet av att adressera bĂ„de processÂuella vĂ€rden och resultat av planering och framÂtidsÂstudier. Genusdiskurser utforskas genom att analysera artiklar som publicerats i tidskriften Futures och genom en undersökning av de svenska regionala tillÂvĂ€xtÂprogrammen. Den feministiska kritiken av framtidsstudier handlar framförÂallt om att fĂ€ltet Ă€r mansdominerat och fokuserar traditionellt manliga frĂ„gor, framÂtiden ses dĂ€rför som redan koloniserad av mĂ€n. Dessutom pĂ„pekas att framÂtidsÂstudier i allmĂ€nhet inte jobbar med feministiska frĂ„gor eller frĂ„gor av sĂ€rÂskild betydelse för kvinnor, att framtidsstudier ofta saknar ett kritiskt och reflexivt perspektiv och att det finns en efterfrĂ„gan av feministiska framtider som en kontrast till hegemoniskt manliga, vĂ€sterlĂ€ndskt och teknologiskt inÂriktade framtider. Fallet med de svenska regionala tillvĂ€xtprogrammen visar att ojĂ€mstĂ€lldhet ofta ses som ett problem av ojĂ€mlika rĂ€ttigheter och möjligÂheter. Denna liberala syn pĂ„ jĂ€mstĂ€lldhet har gjort det ganska lĂ€tt för jĂ€mÂstĂ€lldÂhetsÂföresprĂ„kare att krĂ€va och ge röst för krav som att bĂ„de kvinnor och mĂ€n ska inkluderas i beslutsprocesser, men den traditionella manliga normen ifrĂ„gaÂsĂ€tts sĂ€llan. Om andra lösningar önskas, mĂ„ste andra sĂ€tt att beskriva problemet med bristande jĂ€mstĂ€lldhet underlĂ€ttas. Ett sĂ€tt att öppna upp för olika sĂ€tt att beskriva problemet och Ă€ven sĂ€tt att beskriva önskvĂ€rda framtider skulle kunna vara anvĂ€ndning av scenarier. Planering för en rĂ€ttvis hĂ„llbar framtid innebĂ€r ett erkĂ€nnande processuella vĂ€rden, men Ă€ven av sjĂ€lva resultatet (ge naturen en röst!). Det innebĂ€r ocksĂ„ att politisera planeringen. Genom att tydliggöra att det finns flera olika önskÂvĂ€rda framtider kan planeringens politiska innehĂ„ll synliggöras. Dessa olika framÂtidsbilder kan utvĂ€rderas i termer av miljörĂ€ttvisa, deras jĂ€mÂstĂ€lldhetsÂperspektiv eller nĂ„gon specifik miljöaspekt som biologisk mĂ„ngfald. Detta skulle tydliggöra att olika framtider Ă€r olika bra för naturen och/eller olika samÂhĂ€llsÂgrupper.QC 2011052
Cultural heritage and attractiveness : A study on Ales stenar and Museum of VÀstergötland
Climate change scenarios and citizen-participation : Mitigation and adaptation perspectives in constructing sustainable futures
This paper discusses adaptation and mitigation strategies as outlined in climate change scenarios. The adaptive perspective is closely connected to the concept of resilience understood as different views on nature's capacity to absorb shocks, renewal and re-organization. In constructing normative scenarios images of the future are generated illustrating potential ways of living, travelling and consuming products and services where certain goals such as a reduced climate impact are fulfilled. This paper argues that tension arising from climate strategies relying on either adaptation or mitigation strategies, or combining the two strategies, warrant further examination. In this paper the inter-relationships between adaptation and mitigation are discussed by examining processes of citizen-participation in constructing scenarios and applying the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and adaptive capacity. We discuss this using the concept of deliberative planning processes as a means to achieve legitimate, effective and sustainable futures. As a part of this approach, we argue that methods for citizen-participation applied in exploring different science and technology options also provide useful insight for this type of planning processes. The theoretical arguments are combined with examples from environmental scenario construction in practice. The paper brings attention to tensions between sustainability content values, such as reduced climate impact, and more process-oriented values such as legitimacy, learning and participatory scenario construction. Moreover, the concept of open innovation processes is introduced to the context of participatory scenario construction comparing shared ground in terms of user-involvement in search of novel solutions and also increasing robustness of action plans implemented to reduce climate change.NOTICE: this is the authorâs version of a work that was accepted for publication in Habitat International. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in PUBLICATION, VOL 33, ISSUE 3, 26 November 2008, DOI:10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.10.007QC 2010052
Climate change scenarios and behavioural change : Navigating between heuristics of deliberative planning processes and astroturfing
In constructing normative scenarios images of the future are generated illustrating potential ways of living, travelling and consuming products and services where certain goals such as a reduced climate impact are fulfilled (Börjeson et al, 2006; Myers and Kitsuse, 2000). This paper analyses the sustainability framing of behavioural changes in such normative scenarios (Larsen and Höjer, 2007) and how it relates to the participatory processes used to generate the scenarios. We discuss this building on concepts of deliberative planning processes as a means to achieve legitimate, effective and sustainable futures (Connelly and Richardson, forthcoming; Hendriks et al., 2007). The theoretical arguments are combined with examples from environmental scenario construction in practice (Carlsson-Kanyama et al., 2003, Dreborg et al., forthcoming). This illustrates fields of tension arising when either sustainability or process values are veneering goals of a scenario making process. When focus is on content values such as reduced climate impact, the process values might be depreciated. On the other hand, when focus is on process values such as legitimacy, content sustainability and possibilities for actual change might be downgraded.QC 2012011
Framtiden för NaturvÄrdsverket : tre workshoppar med NaturvÄrdsverkets personal
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Factors Affecting the Studentsâ Informative Environment
PÄtÄ«jums âStudentu informÄcijas vidi ietekmÄjoĆĄie faktoriâ tika izstrÄdÄts ar mÄrÄ·i noskaidrot studentu kÄ sociÄlas grupas informÄcijas meklÄĆĄanas Ä«patnÄ«bas, lai apzinÄtu galvenÄs priekĆĄrocÄ«bas un trĆ«kumus, kas veicina un kavÄ studentus efektÄ«vi apmierinÄt informÄcijas vajadzÄ«bas. NovÄrojumi rÄda, ka vidusskolÄ apgĆ«tÄs datora izmantoĆĄanas prasmes nav pietiekamas, lai, turpinot studijas, students bez grĆ«tÄ«bÄm prastu izmantot informÄcijas tehnoloÄŁijas zinÄĆĄanu ieguvei. PÄtÄ«juma ietvaros tika aptaujÄti 170 Latvijas 2 lielÄko augstskolu - LU un RTU - studenti. PÄtÄ«juma gaitÄ apstiprinÄjÄs izvirzÄ«tÄ hipotÄze, ka studentu kÄ sociÄlas grupas informÄcijas meklÄĆĄanas uzvedÄ«bu ietekmÄ izvÄlÄtÄ studiju nozare, pasniedzÄju prasÄ«bas, studiju ilgums un personiskÄs intereses. BĆ«tiska nozÄ«me ir studentu informÄciju tehnoloÄŁiju izmantoĆĄanas prasmÄm, sveĆĄvalodu zinÄĆĄanÄm. Studentu aktuÄlÄkÄs informÄciju vajadzÄ«bÄm saistÄ«tas ar studijÄm un informÄcijas ieguvei viĆi visbieĆŸÄk izmanto internetu. PÄtÄ«juma atslÄgas vÄrdi: studenti, informÄcijas meklÄĆĄanas uzvedÄ«ba, informÄcijas vide.The research â Factors that influence studentsâ information environmentâ was worked out with the aim to find out the features of information seeking of students as a social group to make out the main advantages and disadvantages that encourage and prevent students to satisfy efficiently their information needs. Knowledge of usage computer obtained in secondary school isnât enough to be able to use different information sources and get necessary information without difficulties in further studies. According to the research there was carried out questinnairing among 170 students of two biggest universities in Latvia - LU and RTU - students. The results obtained during the research let affirm the hypothesis introduced in the beginning of the research that information searching behaviour of students influence chosen study faculty, demands of teaching staff, length of studies and personal interests. Important is skills of students usage of information technologies, level of knowledge of foreign languages. As the main circumstance that separates students as information seekers from other groups of society could be considered studies in universities connected with the most actual information needs of students. The most popular information source for students is the internet. Main research terms: students, studentâs information search behaviour, information environment
Just Futures?
Looking closer at four long-term urban development strategies for Stockholm, we found that they all intend to depict a sustainable urban development, but the images described are very different. This creates a good starting point for discussing the contested concept sustainable development. We argue that discussing sustainable development implies examining the distribution of environmental goods and bads. Thus, planners must be clear about their view on justice. In this article we contribute to the discussion and development of the concept environmental justice, how it relates to sustainable development and how it can be used in long-term planning.QC 2012011
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