1. Start
  2. Our offer
  3. Research projects
  4. From scenarios to change – tools for sustainable transitions on local and regional level
En kvinna som sitter vid telefonen

From scenarios to change tools for sustainable transitions on local and regional level

We need a much more rapid transition, in all parts of society, in order to fulfil set climate and sustainability goals. The project "From scenarios to change" aims to make the results of the research program "Beyond GDP-growth: Scenarios for sustainable building and planning" more accessible by developing practical tools and methods that municipalities and regions can use to drive sustainable transition at local and regional levels; a work that requires the involvement of many actors with joint goals and processes.

There are many ways of achieving a sustainable society, but all of them includes major changes compared to how societies are developed today. In order to strengthen transition capacity at local levels there is a need of images of possible sustainable futures, jointly created strategies and more integrated processes that deal with target conflicts.

The project "From scenarios to change" will examine how the research results and the four socially and ecologically sustainable future scenarios from the interdisciplinary research program "Beyond GDP-growth: Scenarios for sustainable building and planning" External link, opens in new window. can come to practical use in local and regional planning processes. This aims to strengthen the institutional capacity for more extensive societal change, which is often low today. The results of the research program showed that those who work with urban and regional planning are often aware of that other, more powerful, measures than implemented today are needed to achieve climate and sustainability goals, but that there are mental and structural obstacles for action. Future scenarios are a powerful tool to move beyond such obstacles and challenge views on how society can be organised. Based on an initial survey of the needs of practitioners, new tools and methods will be developed together with future users. These tools are then tested in several pilot projects at both local and regional level.

The project is run by researchers and experts at IVL and KTH together with the communication agency Fabel. The project's reference group includes actors from urban and regional planning. The group consists of the Falkenberg-, Knivsta-, Tibro-, Umeå-, Uppsala- and Skellefteå municipalities, Region Skåne, the county administrative boards of Västernorrland and Östergötland and Energikontor Norr.

Project facts

  • From scenarios to change – tools for sustainable transitions on local and regional level
  • Budget: 1 967 214 SEK
  • Financed by: Formas
  • Partners: Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH), Fabel kommunikation (underkonsult)
  • Period: 2019 - 2021