At present, one of the big challenges is to develop new knowledge, competence and ‘best practices’ for a sustainable society. Various approaches/strategies already tested have usually been technical ones and lacking in a holistic approach to a sustainable society. Another difficulty is how to find ways to put already existing knowledge into practice on a local or a regional level.

The aim of this project is to contribute to the development of sustainable urban districts and housing structures in the Öresund region. It shall also assist in building up a regional competence in order to meet the new challenges – that present themselves as we move towards a more sustainable society. A vital concept is ‘the sound settlement’, which represents a holistic view on dwellings, places of work, services, recreation and a sustainable infrastructure. An interdisciplinary research group with Danish and Swedish researchers will co-operate with local politicians, officials, architects and planners, companies and citizens in order to develop new knowledge that can be transformed into local action plans and conceptual proposals for settlements that are sustainable urban structures. The researchers will share their knowledge of sustainable techniques for energy and water saving, building and transportation structures, models for planning, participation and local economic growth etc. They will also educate, initiate dialogues and inspire the local authorities in their work towards a sustainable development. The co-operation will have a holistic approach and researchers within various academic fields will work together with people with different competences in the municipalities.

The project is planned for a period of three years and carried out in co-operation with five ‘case municipalities’. The project will start with an analysis of the municipalities’ documentations of their ambitions and plans for a sustainable development. These will be supplemented with surveys within the fields missing, by investigations, seminars, focus group meetings etc. The researchers will analyse the processes, methods and planning types used in connection with the design of urban districts, regional planning or more extensive urban renewal projects. Indicators for sustainability, which are developed in another on-going project financed by Vinnova, will also be used to describe the present situation in the “cases”.