The trajectories of regional governance for spatial planning – a case study from Sweden

Regional spatial planning depends on collaboration between governments with different mandates, interests, and resources. Understanding how such collaboration develops over time is essential for explaining how regional planning capacity consolidates. This article investigates the trajectories of regional governance in Sweden, using the three-cycle model of collaborative governance as an interpretative lens. It traces how institutional arrangements for regional spatial planning have evolved over time and how they shape contemporary patterns of governance. In Sweden, where regional spatial planning is still largely non-statutory, this consolidation relies on soft steering, mutual trust, and municipalities’ willingness to engage. Our study shows that regional spatial planning is not introduced through formal regulation but is gradually institutionalised through evolving regional–municipal relations. The article draws on a qualitative, interview-based case study built on two rounds of commissioned research in 2017 and 2025. In total, the material includes interviews with municipal and regional planners as well as municipal politicians. We found that collaboration moved from early scepticism, ambiguity, and weak legitimacy toward more relational, routinised, and institutionally supported cooperation. Over time, trust, shared understanding, and practical coordination improved, especially where the Region recognised local conditions and municipalities experienced tangible value. At the same time, the process remains fragile, shaped by tensions around municipal autonomy, uneven resources, and cautious regional leadership.