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Lena Neij

Lena Neij

Professor

Lena Neij

Localizing SDGs : the case of city planning in Malmö

Author

  • Roland Zinkernagel
  • Lena Neij

Summary, in English

Cities have an important role to play in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to mobilize sustainability at the urban level. Yet, municipalities encounter challenges in localizing the SDGs into their governance structures, and there is a need to advance our understanding of cities strengths and weaknesses in such processes. In this article we provide knowledge and reflections gained in analyzing the process of localizing the SDGs into the spatial planning of Smörkajen, a former industrial harbor site in Malmö, Sweden. By applying the analytical framework of Institutional Capacity Building, the study explores the process of localizing the SDGs in terms of building relational and knowledge capacities and to provide mobilization capacity by the formation of a sustainability strategy. The results illustrate an inclusive approach supporting relational capacity and numerous measures to enhance knowledge capacity, bringing about the formation of a draft sustainability strategy, strongly supported by the municipal participants. But rather than formally adopting the full strategy in the spatial planning of the Smörkajen area, the results of the process were only to be considered to the extent the traditional documents and processes allowed. In all, the results illustrate a strong support for the use of localized SDGs among municipal administrative units to mobilize sustainability, but also the challenges in actually implementing these in the formal planning and development process.

Department/s

  • The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
  • LTH Profile Area: Circular Building Sector

Publishing year

2023

Language

English

Publication/Series

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities

Volume

5

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Frontiers Media S. A.

Topic

  • Other Social Sciences

Keywords

  • city planning
  • institutional capacity building
  • localizing SDGs
  • spatial planning
  • urban development

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2624-9634