The out-of-town retail establishments are part of the dramatic structural changes in the retailing of food and groceries. There are however strong indications suggesting these establishments result in negative externalities concerning areas such as pollution and Urban environment. The purpose of this study is to describe and, from an economic perspective, analyse the Swedish political regulations and planning policies concerning the out-of-town supermarkets. The analysis establishes that the current regulations regarding out-of-town retailing do not, due to the occurrence of market failures, produce an optimal situation. It might therefore be necessary to change the planning policies in a more restrictive direction.

There are many barriers and obstacles that need to be removed to make the Urban environment more accessible for people with disabilities. There are currently no adequate tools for urban planners to assess and address these obstacles. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide powerful methods for the visualization and analysis of spatial data, including the kind of data important in studies of accessibility. This study suggests a method urban planners can use to identify accessibility obstacles and to propose future actions to fix them.A literature review was conducted to find out what has been done and what is new regarding the accessibility issues. Different methods were evaluated which in turn led to the construction of a multi-step analytical strategy.

Previous studies of stress and coping regarding urban bus drivers describe an unhealthy occupation in areas of psychological and physiological factors. In the present study a social constructionist approach was used to investigate Swedish urban bus drivers' constructs of stress and coping regarding passengers. Semi-structered interviews were performed with ten bus drivers, nine males and one female. The data was transcribed verbatim and analysed with the program QSR NUD*IST.Three main themes where found; passanger related context, coping strategies and promoting circumstances. The bus drivers' constructs describe passanger relations as part of a stressful work environment where successful coping is problematic..

The study is a case study about the green urban district, East Kvillebäcken, located in Gothenburg, Hisingen. East Kvillebäcken is the first urban district in Sweden with ambition to build sustainable according to the certification system Miljöbyggnad, which make it a pioneer project. The purpose is to investigate the upcoming and the meaning of the green urban district in East Kvillebäcken and show how public employees think the urban district can affect social, ecologic and economic aspects in the area. Dialogue interviews were done with four public employees, one estate agent and two residents. Local plans and other authority documents were used to get a deeper understanding for the case study.

Urban Exploration går ut på att utforska övergivna platser. Uppsatsens syfte är att beskriva fenomenet och att diskutera det utifrån ett kulturarvs- och ungdomskulturperspektiv. För att kunna göra detta argumenterar jag, med utgångspunkt i litteraturstudier, för att Urban Exploration bör ses som ett uttryck för senmodernitet, med de särskilda förutsättningar för identitetsskapande och världsuppfattning som det innebär för individen. Som källmaterial har det Urban Exploration-utövarna själva skriver om sin verksamhet på olika Internetsidor använts. Min slutsats är att individen genom att fylla platsen med subjektiv mening skapar dels ett kulturarv, dels sig själv som ett politiskt och historiskt subjekt..

This work is a study in how I as a designer can create the conditions for people to work, socializing and refreshments at one place. A place that encourages creativity, where I made a suggestion at a community table designed for Urban Deli?s new business. By visiting various similar sites I have identified what I think is important in an environment like this and then gave an answer to it in a visual form.A cafe-office will draw lots of different people. Which guests come here to work? Residents, freelancers, but also those who may want surrounded by a new creative work place and maybe leave their regular offices for a day at Urban Deli.

What is a city? What do we mean when we describe something as urban? In what way should we build the city so that we can achieve a good environment for our own generation and for generations to come? These questions are constantly of interest and they are frequently discussed. It is also important to have considered these questions when working with city-planning. This essay contains a description of and reflections about the recurrent questions in today?s debate about the city and city-planning.

Previous research confirms that there is a major decline of pollinators worldwide. Investigations have mainly focused on pollination services in the agricultural landscapes and therefore, there is a lack of knowledge on the effects pollinators may have in Urban environment. This paper examines the presence of honey bees in central parts of Stockholm, Sweden. The study presents what conditions, possibilities and motives there are behind the phenomenon of urban bee keeping. I found ten locations with beehives and a total of 18 hives within the delimited area. Nothing seems to indicate that conditions may limit the presence of honey bees.

Detta examensarbete i landskapsarkitektur behandlar ämnet urban odling med avsikten att identifiera vilka möjligheter och begränsningar det finns med odling i staden. Målet med examensarbetet är att uppnå en större förståelse och kunskap inom detta ämne. Varvsstaden i Malmö har valts som ett exempel för att illustrera hur odlingar skulle kunna implementeras i en central stadsdel som är under utveckling.Litteraturstudier har legat till grund för en kunskapsöversikt av olika aspekter av urban odling. En kvalitativ miniundersökning har utförts för att ta reda på hur nyckelpersoner i Malmö från de tre kategorierna; politiker, tjänstemän samt brukare ser på urban odling och dess möjligheter och begränsningar. Kunskapsöversikten om urban odling i allmänhet och beskrivningarna om Varvsstaden i Malmö har fungerat som underlag till idéskisser för hur odling i Varvsstaden skulle kunna se ut.Resultatet av examensarbetet visar på att det finns många möjligheter med urban odling och att det finns mycket att vinna genom att odla i staden.

Projektet handlar om att möjliggöra förändringar och att gestalta generella rum..

This is a Minor field study addressing the current situation in Vientiane, Laos where focus lies on the green structures past, present and future. The city of Vientiane is growing rapidly and as a result of this there is a increasing development. The once peaceful capital known for it?s lush and green environment is standing in a crossroad where important decision must be made to preserve valuable areas. During 8 weeks inventories and observations where made resulting into a proposal for future development. The proposal is divided into three parts. The urban fringe and surrounding landscape are still quite undeveloped and have a great potential of green wedges etc. The city of Vientiane and the green network linking important recreational, commercial and cultural places. Detailed proposal over certain green objects such as parks and squares..

Urban trees contribute significantly to our society. By providing ecosystem services and a habitat that other urban species and ecosystems depend on, both biodiversity and the people in the city benefit. Some characteristics that the trees possess include functioning as biological filters for the atmosphere and water, as well as positively impacting people's mental health. However, urban trees are challenged by stressors such as pollution and a drier environment, making them particularly sensitive to climate change. The goal of this study was to estimate the expected magnitude of climate change in Gothenburg and compare it with the current urban species' natural climate boundaries to understand the extent of the climate threat and which species appear to be most at risk.

European cities of today are under the challenge to find ways to stay competitive and flourish in a rapidly changing world, where the old patterns of centrality and periphery not necessarily holds true. New and improved communication networks, a changed political geography in Europe, and the globalisation of not only the financial and industrial markets but also to a certain extent the globalisation of people, have all led to great challenges for cities and regions.In a changed spatial reality the classic monocentric models are challenged by newer models of urbanisation. The polycentric urban region is one such model which has been used to describe urban regions like the Randstad in the Netherlands and the Rhein-Ruhr region in Germany. Regions which lack the single dominant central city of the monocentric models of old, and instead shows a high degree of more equal-sized and sometimes more specialised cities in regional cooperation. The polycentric urban region is in that aspect a possible model for how other urbanised regions in Europe may act to be able to position themselves as attractive urban regions and regional hubs in the European urban network.Polycentric urban regions are not a universal solution, though.

Urban farming can be viewed in several contexts. The first part of this work brings up the beneficial effects of farming on our physical and mental health, knowledge as well as on social life in cities. The introduction of gardening in schools can contribute to an increased awareness on both agricultural practices and importance as well as ecological processes. It can also be used in teaching of other subjects. Farming can also contribute to improving the household economy, and the economy on a municipal or national level.

The environment that surrounds us affects us all. Research has shown that we feel physically and emotionally best in natural environments with greenery or water elements. Urban environments are likely to be more stressing then natural environments. How we experience specific elements, as water, of an environment is not as much investigated. There is a need of further knowledge for us to fully understand the interplay between our senses and the environment. Human beings have always been depending on water and the search for it has characterized our deeds and doings through out evolution.