Adapting to Climate Change in Swedish Planning Practice

Mitigation measures, especially municipal energy infrastructure transformation, have been the focus of Sweden’s climate change responses. Recently, adaptation measures have grown in priority and planners are challenged to integrate mitigation and adaptation. In our study, we observe how synergies and conflicts in adaptation, mitigation, and other social and economic dimensions of spatial planning are grappled with in municipalities. We draw primarily from interviews with municipal planners and regional agencies as well as a review of policy documents. Our conclusion is that municipalities could be assisted in their climate change planning by stronger regional and national involvement.