Urban Downpour : The Path Towards Sustainable Stormwater Management in four Swedish Municipalities

Abstract: Swedish municipalities increasingly prioritize blue-green infrastructure in response to the changing climate and precipitation. This study focuses on Norrköping, Huddinge, Nyköping, and Kalmar and how urban planning develops strategies for implementing blue-green infrastructure. Through document content analysis, the municipalities recognize the importance of blue-green infrastructure for stormwater management. However, challenges with implementation remain. Clashes with higher legal and economic interests impede progress. There are issues with responsibility allocation and operation. Most of the challenges can be ascribed to the absence of a comprehensive framework for sustainable stormwater management. Each municipality has developed unique practices to handle this, which have emerged through the interviews. The strategies break down to collaborative models involving multiple stakeholders. These findings advocate for a holistic approach suggest potential for a unified framework, and a path forward in sustainable urban planning.