This thesis is a cultural theoretical case study of the art project (O)önskad samhällsförbättring.Via an analysis of the project, that is based on theories of power, resistance and contemporaryurban development, it examines the construction of urban space, its impact on public art including the ability of art to initiate evolvement of the urban public space.The last decades art has plaid an important role in what is called the creative city; to become attractive nodal points of the global economy, larger cities increasingly invest in art,culture and creative industry. Simultaneously the urban public space is limited to activitiesand expressions of art that are presumed to create economic growth. This introduces animpression of what is allowed and what is not allowed, possible and not possible, wished andnot wished which, as a consequence, evolves the public space. The events during the artproject and the reactions that followed enlightened these limitations. This tells a story, not only about the structuring process of the local urban space, but also important changes that are created as a simultaneous effect at different levels in society, as well locally as globally.

This thesis aims to study the effects of the infrastructure project Västlänken in Gothenburg, a rail tunnel to be built through the city center. The study focuses on the community of Haga where one of the three exits will be constructed and also the surrounding urban environment, to see if the project can be sustainable. Sustainable urban development was selected as the theory, and the term "sustainable" is defined in this study using a number of criteria that two scientists developed. The criteria include economic, ecological and social perspectives on how a place or a geographical area can meet today's needs as well as possible needs in the future. The methods used were semi-structured interviews and content analysis of government documents. Interviews were conducted with various institutions in the city, and companies involved in the planning of the project in Gothenburg.

Ronneby torg är beläget centralt i Ronneby stadskärna i sydöstra Blekinge. På denna plats går det att identifiera tre problem som utgör brist på människor (social hållbarhet), rumslighet (mötesplats) och vegetation (ekologisk hållbarhet). Tidigare har torgets södra del innefattat en stadspark vid namn ?Gröna Torget? medan hela torget idag utgörs av en hårdgjord yta med inslag av träd i dess kanter. Det finns ett behov från Ronneby kommun att utveckla torget som en mötesplats, då kommunen utlyst en förslagstävling av just denna anledning.

This project investigated how elevation and vegetation type influences variation in plant litter phenolic content and protein precipitation capacity among and within common plant species for two different vegetation types, heath and meadow, in a subarctic ecosystem in the Abisko region of northern Sweden. As nutrient availability generally decreases with increasing elevation as a result of decreasing temperature, I hypothesised that phenolic content would increase with elevation and be higher on the heath than the meadow. To test this, the total phenolic content and protein precipitation capacity was estimated in leaf litter from 13 species in both heath and meadow vegetation across an elevational gradient ranging from 500 to 1000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) in the study region. The results showed that elevation and vegetation type both had a strong impact on both variables. Total phenolic concentrations decreased with elevation for the meadow, and were greater for the heath than the meadow.

This thesis is a cultural theoretical case study of the art project (O)önskad samhällsförbättring.Via an analysis of the project, that is based on theories of power, resistance and contemporaryurban development, it examines the construction of urban space, its impact on public art including the ability of art to initiate evolvement of the urban public space.The last decades art has plaid an important role in what is called the creative city; to become attractive nodal points of the global economy, larger cities increasingly invest in art,culture and creative industry. Simultaneously the urban public space is limited to activitiesand expressions of art that are presumed to create economic growth. This introduces animpression of what is allowed and what is not allowed, possible and not possible, wished andnot wished which, as a consequence, evolves the public space. The events during the artproject and the reactions that followed enlightened these limitations. This tells a story, not only about the structuring process of the local urban space, but also important changes that are created as a simultaneous effect at different levels in society, as well locally as globally.

This project investigated how elevation and vegetation type influences variation in plant litter phenolic content and protein precipitation capacity among and within common plant species for two different vegetation types, heath and meadow, in a subarctic ecosystem in the Abisko region of northern Sweden. As nutrient availability generally decreases with increasing elevation as a result of decreasing temperature, I hypothesised that phenolic content would increase with elevation and be higher on the heath than the meadow. To test this, the total phenolic content and protein precipitation capacity was estimated in leaf litter from 13 species in both heath and meadow vegetation across an elevational gradient ranging from 500 to 1000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) in the study region. The results showed that elevation and vegetation type both had a strong impact on both variables. Total phenolic concentrations decreased with elevation for the meadow, and were greater for the heath than the meadow.

Upgift: att bygga en urban byggnad i Högalidsparken vid Hornsbruksgatan.Idén att bygga i en park är provokativ pga ett starkt intrång i stadens publika liv. Stadsparker har inte endast rekreationsrollen, de är också publika platser: platser för motion, lek, idrott, föreställningar, möten osv. Och i detta projekt - för arbete och boende dessutom.Förslagets mål är att skapa en struktur som suddar bort ett kraftigt avbrott mellan parken och gatan och förenar dem och samtidigt har ett rikt programmatiskt innehåll; att skapa ett attraktivt och eftertraktat publikt rum på taken och ett flexibelt privat rum under det..

In present time, more and more people move into cities. Densification of cities as planning policy together with an intensive urbanization, makes urban planners face with the contradictory task of creating a city that is both dense and green. Façade vegetation has been used for centuries, mainly in the form of various climbing plants that with or without supportive structures have spread over facades to give a green impression to the environment. The development of new technology today allows urban planners to use greenery integrated with façades. Vertical gardens offer a larger variety of plants, and at the same time takes advantage of the technological benefits of vegetation in city planning.

To have a forest area close to the city is of great importance for the city population?s well being. Children develop their motor skills, concentration and imagina-tion and the adults have a place to shake of the stress from work. Forest areas are used to exercise at, play in and to find a moment of peace and silence. The urban forest and the old farming pastures at Markussonvallen and Per-Isakssonvallen already has natural assets worth to preserve and a great potential to create more. The goal is to develop a forest with a variation of tree species and ground vegetation that will appeal to the human senses and different animal species such as birds, insects etc.

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.

Urbanisering och förtätning leder till att habitat fragmenteras och att grönytor minskar, vilket gör det svårt att värna om den biologiska mångfalden. Ett exempel på grön infrastruktur är gröna tak som blir ett självklart val för att sammanfoga grönytor i en stad. Förutom flera privat- och samhällsekonomiska vinster, kan gröna tak bidra till att öka den biologiska mångfalden. Vegeterade tak består vanligen av prefabricerade mattor som har ett tunt substratdjup med en vegetation som främst består av Sedum album och mossa. För den biologiska mångfalden har dessa mattor ett lågt värde till skillnad från biodiversitetstak som hyser en mer varierad flora och fauna.

AbstractA prerequisite to be able to use semi-natural pastures in an optimal way is knowledge about their conditions and properties. One thing to consider is the amount of herbage mass that can be produced during one season on different types of semi-natural pastures. That knowledge makes it easier to choose which type of animals and how many you are able to have in each paddock to maintain a high biodiversity and achieve the desired production of the animals at the same time.This study was performed in nine different semi-natural pastures around Uppsala. The paddocks were already mapped with regard to different vegetation types. Exclosure cages were placed on previously fertilized, mesic, dry, shaded and wet vegetation.

Projektet avser att undersöka hur en byggnad som ska möta en divers användning i urban miljö kan dela på resurser. Projektet avser att fungera som en tvärprogrammerad yta där olika användare växelverkar med sina aktiviteter över dygnets timmar likt ett stafettlopp där avlämningen blir en spännande kontaktyta. De kommersiella aktiviteterna över dagen ska samtidigt kunna fungera som allmän service på kvällstid. Kontaktytan för detta ska verka främjande för spontan social kontakt för både boende passerande och arbetande..

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.

The purpose of this essay is to analyze and show possibilities how a city can grow into the scenery of a oak dominated landscape and how this encounter can add values to the city. The city in focus is Linköping, a city that is approaching one of Sweden?s largest oak dominated cultural landscapes. To this landscape high ecological and cultural values are connected. The recreational values are also of importance especially because of its urban location also because the city is mainly surrounded by flat agricultural land.