Urban landscapes (Sub project in the research programme LAND-PATHS)

In order to safeguard biodiversity and multifunctional landscapes, the conventional governance and management associated with the ecosystem approach needs to be fundamentally changed. The goal of the LAND-PATHS programme is to develop new strategies for governance and management that strengthen the landscape's biodiversity and promote its multifunctionality.

LAND-PATHS will apply a transdisciplinary approach, combining expertise of researchers and stakeholders to co-create and explore:

A set of imaginaries of future multifunctional landscapes
Scenarios, including barriers and opportunities, for achieving such futures
Transformative governance pathways to catalyse such multifunctional landscapes

The programme focuses on five types of landscape - forest, agricultural, sea andcoast, urban and mountain landscapes – in five subprojects (SPs). A coordinating and three horizontal SPs develop consistent theories, methods and analytical frameworks that guide co-production of knowledge in the landscape SPs, and enable comparative and integrative analysis across landscapes. The
programme has a pluralistic approach, with creative, inclusive and integrated working methods.

Landscape SPs are rooted in specific areas and explore different perspectives, values and knowledges on multifunctionality and biodiversity. Conflicts of interests, social and cultural factors impeding or facilitating change, as well as marginalized perspectives are highlighted. By focusing on inclusive communication and continuous dialogue between researchers, decision-makers, practitioners and citizens, LAND-PATH creates unique learning and knowledge production
between science, policy and practice across different scales, issues, sectors and places. On that basis, a series of concrete policy recommendations and a "LAND-PATHS Manifesto" are produced. The learning stimulates changes in the current ecosystem approach and promotes transformative governance of biodiversity in Sweden and beyond.

Project start

2022-05-01

Funding

Naturvårdsverket

Reseachers

Marcus Hedblom, Professor in landscape architecture, SLU (Sub Project Leader)
Terry Hartig, Professor in Environmental Psychology, IBF