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Projectification mediates between experimental and bureaucratic institutional logics in urban sustainability planning

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title
Swedish City Planners Like Innovation, But Projects Favor Tradition

This study of Swedish urban sustainability planners found they value both traditional and innovative approaches, but project management practices tend to reinforce traditional, bureaucratic approaches. While planners express a desire for flexibility and open-ended exploration, in practice, they prioritize clear objectives and roles, potentially limiting more radical sustainability ambitions.

Explain Like I'm Five

Swedish city planners like both traditional and innovative approaches to urban sustainability, but in practice, project-based work often favors traditional methods.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

The authors received funding from Viable cities and VINNOVA, but there's no information suggesting these organizations have direct, vested interests in specific outcomes that would bias the research.

Identified Limitations

Limited Sample Size
The sample size, while not tiny, is still limited to 49 planners within three major Swedish cities, which may not be fully representative of all urban sustainability planners in the country or other contexts. The results may be influenced by the specific context of Swedish urban planning.
Focus on Perceptions
The study primarily focuses on perceptions and stated preferences, rather than observed behaviors. While valuable, perceptions may not fully align with actual practices.
Self-Reported Data
The study relies on self-reported data through surveys, which can be subject to biases like social desirability bias or recall bias.

Rating Explanation

This is a reasonable study with a mixed-methods approach. However, the limited sample size, reliance on self-reported perceptions, and lack of direct behavioral observation prevent a higher rating. The funding sources do not appear to present a significant conflict of interest.

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File Information

Original Title: Projectification mediates between experimental and bureaucratic institutional logics in urban sustainability planning
Uploaded: August 16, 2025 at 01:28 PM
Privacy: Public