Systems-Analytical Planning Tools for Sustainable Urban Development

Last changed: 31 March 2023

The aim of the project was to develop a transdisciplinary concept - a systems analytical planning tool - with the capacity to quantify, visualize and evaluate relative sustainability of urban districts in a collaborative planning process.

New technology, architectural solutions and trends are changing the design and appearance of our cities, but also how we think about sustainability and climate change adaptation at strategic levels. While the number of urban districts with sustainability profile is growing, often a critical analysis is lacking that considers the "sustainability" achieved in practice, i.e. in terms of real environmental and efficiency gains. Many approaches are also based only on one or a few aspects of sustainable development, based on fragmentation and isolation of flows, functions and actors in different parts and contexts.

Today there is a market demand and need for holistic perspectives that consider urban districts as unique system landscapes with both direct and indirect connections to other systems at various levels, such as the surrounding landscape and regions. We wanted to meet this need by developing a transdisciplinary concept - a systems analytical planning tool - with the capacity to quantify, visualize and evaluate relative sustainability of urban districts in a collaborative planning process. The tool would be very beneficial for planners and other decision makers, to facilitate rapid and cost efficient identification of areas where measures and new innovations generate the greatest benefit in relation to investment.

Swedish expertise in sustainable urban planning is well regarded. Investments in e.g. China and Germany however pose a risk that Sweden is left behind. Therefore, we brought together Swedish actors with expertise in various parts of the sector, but that traditionally lack ways for interaction, to jointly develop synergies and concepts with great potential in urban and strategic planning, both in Sweden and for export abroad.