The aim of the project is to deepen understanding of how municipalities can use land allocation as a strategic governance tool to promote energy-efficient and resource-efficient construction in the context of changing power relations between the public and private sectors. The project is guided by two central research questions: How does current legislation limit municipalities’ ability to impose requirements that promote innovation, resource efficiency, and climate objectives in building and planning processes? And how can municipalities, within these legal frameworks, nonetheless strategically and creatively use land allocation to drive sustainable construction?
Land allocation as a governance tool for sustainable construction
The project seeks to identify how municipalities, despite limited opportunities to impose technical requirements under the Planning and Building Act, can act innovatively through the planning tools still at their disposal – particularly through their ownership of land. By analyzing how land allocations are used in practice – what requirements are imposed, how these are evaluated, and how they are perceived by both municipal actors and construction actors – the project develops an empirically grounded understanding of the tool’s possibilities and limitations.
In the longer term, the project contributes knowledge that strengthens municipalities’ capacity to act as agents of transition within the construction sector and identifies needs for adjustments in legislation or complementary governance instruments. This is crucial for creating a more transparent, fair, and effective framework for sustainable construction.
Governance and societal transformation from a theoretical perspective
The project also has a theoretical aim: to further develop understanding of the role of the municipal level within the broader field of societal transition and governance in market-based planning models. By engaging with research fields such as urban transitions, governance, and innovation in market niches, the project contributes new knowledge that can be used both within academia and in policy development.
