Ekologisk hållbarhet i den fysiska planeringen : teori till handling

Abstract: I wrote this essay with the aim to explore, understand and get some insights into what it is that effects the possibilities to plan for ecological sustainability and make it happen. There is no clear definition of sustainable development but world top meetings and reports have developed goals and strategies. I will present some of the theory at hand but most of this essay is based on six interviews with planners at local governments from around the country. Several of the local governments are using the goals issued by the state government by putting them into their large scale plans. During the interviews some obstacles were identified, like a lack of resourses, disadvantaging powerstruktures, conflicts with marketeconomy and simply different meenings about what ecological sustainability is in practice. My method of getting information through interviews and documenting them by taking notes had, as all methods, it's weakneses. I found it hard to put all my attention to what was said and it was also hard to claim absolute truthfullness to the documentation. I tried to minimise the weakneses. I found that planners are part of a greater whole. It is not possible to change the entire world by oneself as a planner if there is no support from the rest of the organisation. Politicians, industry, and population need to be on the same track. Instead of getting stuck in the definition of ecological sustainability, we need to move on and see what we can put into effect. We need to stay open and constantly work with the subject. We need a cross boundary dialog between all stakeholders and find a common view that leads to action. The market economics are in command so either we reconstruct the entire global society or find the arguments that shows the profit of long-term planning.