Critical Analysis of Uppsala Tram Transit Oriented Development
2024 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesisAlternative title
Kritisk Analys av Uppsala Spårvagns transitorienterad utveckling (Swedish)
Abstract [en]
Uppsala, the fourth largest city in Sweden is undertaking a significant transformative urban development initiative focused on corridor transit-oriented development (TOD). The program involves introducing a double-track tramway spanning 17 kilometers, stimulating significant growth within the nodes and along the tracks, aimed at enhancing the city’s image and reinforcing its identity. Additionally, the plan includes expanding the Uppsala-Stockhlom railway with addition of two new tracks and constructing a new train station in Bergsbrunna, a south-eastern district where a significant development is planned to accommodate most of the committed housing units by the Municipality. The development program which is considered to be primarily driven by economic and political motives sparked concerns about its detrimental environmental impacts, particularly regarding the planned construction of an extensive bridge (850m) over the Fyrisån River. The potential misalignment between economic-political goals and environmental sustainability underscores the need to carefully examine these issues.Uppsala package, a negotiated deal between Uppsala Municipality, Region Uppsala, and the Swedish State, finances the development program including the tram transport initiative and the expansion of the existing double-track railway in exchange for the 33,000 housing units in Uppsala. The agreement reveals that political motives primarily drive the development program. The massive development in the Southeastern region and along the tram lines also underscores Uppsala Municipality’s economic intentions behind the initiative. A thorough study of the program development documents within this research paper reveals that the socio-environmental considerations have been largely subordinated to economic considerations.This research aimed to investigate how Uppsala's transit-oriented development initiatives have subordinated socio-environmental considerations to political and economic priorities. The analysis of the Uppsala Comprehensive Plan (2016) and Uppsala Climate Contract (2020) along with the Program development documents (2021) reveals a complex interplay between economic development and environmental sustainability. The findings indicate that while the development plans incorporate some aspects of environmental protection, these are often secondary to economic and political objectives. By scrutinizing the planning and implementation process, the study highlights the need for a more balanced approach that equally prioritizes economic growth, environmental protection, and community well-being in Uppsala urban planning efforts.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024.
Series
TRITA-ABE-MBT ; 24692
Keywords [en]
Transit Oriented Development, Sustainability, Economic and political motives, Environmental degradation, informal and semi-formal infrastructure financialization, Uppsala package
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-352400OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-352400DiVA, id: diva2:1893664
Presentation
2024-06-03, 00:00 (English)
Supervisors
Examiners
2024-08-302024-08-302024-08-30Bibliographically approved