This book takes a deep dive into the design and planning, and unique challenges of settlements in the European Arctic. Attractive Arctic Cities require job opportunities, good societal and commercial services, and importantly, high-quality built environments in order to thrive. The cities of the European Arctic are generally small and sit in sparsely populated regions, with large travel times between places, making them uniquely challenging from a planning and design perspective. The chapters detail the planning process and place-shaping in the Arctic. Emphasis is placed on the importance of urban design, microclimate, cultural heritage, and movement and transport. The objective is to provide an overview for students and practitioners of architecture, urban design and town planning, of the design and planning of Arctic settlements in the European Arctic (Finland, Norway, Sweden) as well as in North America, Canada, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and China.

The subsurface can be used for a variety of purposes in the urban environment and the subsurface should ultimately be seen as a multifunctional resource, offering a multitude of benefits to humans and the society. Underground construction is commonly planned according to the first come, first served principle and later claims on other resources in the subsurface will have to adapt, often at high costs, or are made impossible. This pilot study is a first step in developing a method aiming to investigate a procedure for mapping an area's subsurface resources, having the multifunctionality of the subsurface in mind, and integrating this information into urban planning processes. A mapping of the existing resources (supporting, provisioning, regulating, cultural) used at present and their future potential is presented, and an analysis, using an interaction matrix, of how the different subsurface resources can influence each other (conflicts and synergies) if the use(s) changes. Conclusions are that: 1) the concept of geosystem services can strongly support the communication about the subsurface between civil/geotechnical engineers and planners; 2) there is a need at the municipality or city level for systematised and digital 3D archives for easy access to information in relevant format; 3) planning based on the perspective that the subsurface has multiple resources, makes subsurface planning not only a metropolitan issue but also relevant for smaller municipalities. Further work is suggested to: i) explore the concept of geosystem services in a planning context; ii) suggest at which planning level different geosystem services can be optimally managed; and iii) develop tools to support planners for handling subsurface conflicts and acknowledge synergies.

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to shed light on co-creative approaches for place innovation in an Arctic town, based on the relocation of Kiruna’s city center in northern Sweden. Three cases of co-creative innovation processes in Kiruna are investigated and compared: an R&D project about local perceptions and visions of attractive urban environments, an R&D project about norm-creative design principles for inclusive and attractive urban design, and an R&D project about cross-industrial synergies for city center attractiveness.

Design/methodology/approach – The study’s research design encompasses a comparative and participatory approach. The comparative approach implies investigation and comparison of three cases of co-creative innovation processes in Kiruna. The participatory approach implies joint development of new knowledge by researchers and local actors. The data consists of participatory observations of workshops and qualitative interviews with local actors.

Findings – The study reveals that the studied processes have harnessed the city center relocation as an opportunity to make Kiruna more attractive to residents and visitors, by employing the co-creative approaches of Living Lab, Now-Wow-How and Norm-creative design. These approaches have enabled experts and local actors to jointly identify excluding patterns and norms in the relocation process, and to envision inclusive and attractive (re-)configurations and (re-)conceptualizations of the future Kiruna.

Research implications – The results add to the academic strand of inclusive urban transformation, by providing insights into co-creative approaches for re-imagining an Arctic town in times of industrial and social change. New insights are provided regarding how the geographical, industrial and cultural identity of an Arctic town can be harnessed to envision new configuration, content and communication that is attractive and accessible for a diversity of residents and visitors. 

Practical implications – The results highlight the potential to harness Arctic and rural characteristics in the promotion of urban attractiveness and public wellbeing, especially when combined with co-creative identification and transformation of excluding norms and patterns.

Originality/value – The results provide new insights into how co-creative approaches may facilitate innovative and inclusive renewal of towns and cities in the Arctic and beyond.

Undermarken är en multifunktionell resurs som kan användas för en mängd olika ändamål, varav vissa ibland konkurrerar med varandra. Undermarksbyggande sker huvudsakligen utan formell planering, vilket innebär att den som först gör anspråk på utrymme under mark får förtur medan senare anspråk får anpassa sig, ofta till höga kostnader. Det övergripande syftet med forskningsprojektet ”Hållbar resursanvändning av undermarksrymden” har varit att identifiera nya möjligheter att integrera undermarksfrågor i kommunala planeringsprocesser och genom lagstiftning, samt att föreslå ett ramverk för hållbar planering och användning av undermarken. Rapporten redovisar allt arbete som genomförts inom projektet, och inleds med en översikt av: geovetenskapens roll i samhällsplaneringen; internationella erfarenheter av undermarksplanering; svensk undermarksplanering och undermarksbyggande; svensk planering, historiskt och i nutid; samt en översikt av dagens planeringslagstiftning. Resultaten av projektets delstudier, med intervju- och dokumentstudier gällande svensk praxis, samt en pilotstudie redovisas i sammanfattande form. Rapporten avslutas med ett avsnitt som redogör för erfarenheterna från projektet i en beskrivning av de problem som identifierats för att åstadkomma en bättre undermarksplanering, och som utmynnar i förslag på hur dessa problem kan övervinnas. Som konkreta verktyg presenteras 1) ett digitalt verktyg, SUB-matrisen, som är utvecklat inom projektet och som syftar till att stödja kommunal planering avseende undermarken och 2) ett förslag på fem övergripande principer att tillämpa och förhålla sig till vid planering för att åstadkomma ett hållbart nyttjande av undermarken. Dessutom ges förslag på hur planeringsprocesser kan förbättras i relation till undermarken. Projektets slutsatser kan mycket kortfattat sammanfattas enligt följande: i) undermarken som helhet bör göras synlig i planeringslagstiftning och i policyer, ii) geosystemtjänster bör införas som begrepp för att stödja mer hållbar undermarksplanering, iii) strategiska avvägningar för undermarksnyttjande bör göras i ÖP och man bör utveckla en Undermarkens Fördjupade Översiktsplan (U-FÖP), iv) SUB-matrisen kan användas som ett kommunikations- och planeringsverktyg i kommunal undermarksplanering, v) fem principer förslås (Lämplighet, Ändrad användning, Tredimensionellt tänkande, Optimering och Flexibilitet) som kan tillämpas i alla skalor och planeringsskeden för att stötta en hållbar planering, samt vi) att inventering av digitala underlag om undermarksinformation bör göras utifrån ett geosystemtjänstperspektiv. För att åstadkomma hållbar undermarksplanering i praktiken ges därutöver förslag på framtida arbeten kopplat till olika aspekter på undermarken, som kan stödja sådan implementering. 

In response to powerful trends in technology, resource and land supply and demand, socioeconomics and geopolitics, cities are likely to increase use of the subsurface in the near future. Indeed, the subsurface and its appropriate use have been put forward as being of crucial importance if we are to achieve resilient and sustainable cities. In recent years, quite apart from being seen primarily as a construction basis to provide physical space for infrastructure and to create a better surface living environment, the subsurface has been recognised as a multifunctional natural resource, one which provides physical space, water, energy, materials, habitats for ecosystems, support for surface life, and a repository for cultural heritage and geological archives. Currently, the subsurface is often utilised according to the “first-come-first-served” principle, which hinders possibilities to take strategic decisions on prioritisation and optimisation of competing subsurface uses, as well as fair inter- and intragenerational distribution of limited natural resources. Taking a broad international perspective, this paper investigates the subsurface as a multifunctional resource from five focal points: (1) what professionals with different backgrounds mean when using different terms related to the subsurface; (2) how professionals describe the subsurface and its multiple resources, functions and services; (3) how planning of subsurface use is supported in policy and regulations; (4) how the subsurface is included in the planning process; and (5) frameworks that can support decision-making on responsible use of the subsurface. The study reveals that the subsurface must be recognised (not only by scientists but also by decision- and policy-makers and other stakeholders) as a precious and multifunctional resource requiring careful planning and sensitive management in accordance with its potential and its value to society. Utilisation of the different subsurface functions to yield services requires careful planning and a framework to support decision-makers in achieving a balance between utilisation and preservation, and between the subsurface functions themselves in the case of outright utilisation. Further, to facilitate the necessary change towards transdisciplinary work settings in the planning process and form a platform for knowledge exchange and capacity building, there is an urgent need for a common language, i.e. mutually understandable terminology, and a common understanding, i.e. an all-inclusive view on the subsurface as a complex multifunctional resource.