Sustainable Cities

Sustainable urban development is a very broad and topical research area at Linköping University. Research here is multidisciplinary and has many different points of departure - technical, economic and sociological. 

Urbanisation is a global phenomenon; more and more people move to cities, which then have an increasing effect on the climate issue as well as the management of common and scarce resources. 

The role of industry in cities is studied, alongside the influence of selected technical systems on human actions. Other important areas of research include mining cities, traffic planning, transport and city logistics, and the role of municipalities in the creation of a sustainable city. Research ranges from studies of cycling, traffic and sustainability in Norrköping and Linköping to the management of resources and sustainable development in the world's mega-cities.

Research

Powerlines at foggy field.

Resilience in the future electricity system

The Swedish electricity system is facing major changes. New research has begun at LiU which focuses on resilience in the future electricity system. The project can provide insights into how the resilience of the electricity system can be improved.

Imagine Action

Imagination as a tool for climate action: towards preparedness in the Swedish water sector, ImagineAction

The Swedish water sector needs transformation to meet the rapidly changing climate, but despite overwhelming evidence, adaptation is currently not happening fast enough. The problem is not primarily about lack of knowledge, but lack of imagination.

Building site in front of apartment complex

Circular Construction Logistics

With 23 partners, this two-year project will provide the construction industry with scenarios for complete logistics setups enabling circular material flows at scale, moving the industry from existing standalone examples.

News

Photo of PhD-student at her office.

Biogas in Brazil - a resource not being used

Brazil has a significant capacity for biogas production from organic waste that has not yet been realised. Hanna Zanatta has studied several societal aspects that affect the introduction of biogas systems.

Tank station for the fuel HVO.

Difficult to create sustainable transport chains

Both transport companies and trading companies have high ambitions with respect to sustainable transport. But researchers at LiU and Linnaeus University have shown that several challenges remain before the entire transport chain becomes sustainable.

architecture of Valla city in Linköping

Research to aid smart urban energy planning

Researchers at LiU are to develop a platform that allows municipalities and urban areas to obtain support when making decisions about energy. The FlexSUS project lies under the EU Horizon 2020 programme, and is led by Associate Professor Yang Liu.