Citylab: To be or not to be? : A case study of the implementation of Citylab in the municipal urban planning process in Norrtälje and Helsingborg

Abstract: Sustainability certifications are becoming a frequently used method to deal with problems associated with sustainability. Citylab is a Swedish system that has been developed to guide municipalities in their work with planning sustainable neighbourhoods. The purpose of this study is to examine how Citylab affects large urban development projects in relation to municipal urban planning. In order to examine the purpose, a case study has been conducted, where two study objects in Norrtälje municipality and Helsingborg municipality were examined. The former municipality did only follow the framework of the system, while the latter municipality did proceed with the whole certification process. Norrtälje Hamn and Östra Ramlösa are both unique in their contexts regarding their extent and can therefore be seen as flagship projects in their respective municipalities. The study indicates that Citylab is a method that facilitates the inclusion of sustainability aspects regarding urban planning, but problems linked to social sustainability and follow-up procedures exist. In both projects there is a lack of cultural aspects and therefore these problems had to be dealt with outside of the framework of the system. Another similarity is the difficulty regarding the involvement of the entire organisation, otherwise problems connected to transferring of information can arise. Cooperation is a central part of the Citylab process, which is considered as challenging but educative in both of the examined municipalities. The urban planning process is prolonged in regard to time when a certification according to Citylab is conducted, which creates opportunities for more rigorous examination in specific problems. This can result in higher quality in the urban planning process, in the same time as it leads to higher costs. Lastly it is discussed if sustainability certifications will be a useful tool in future urban planning projects or if existing certified urban planning projects will have the same influence in regard to urban planning.