Different actors meet in common land use challenges

How to create more space-efficient parking when densifying cities? How can a municipality increase local carbon sequestration where there are different interests? These are some of the questions to be investigated among the eleven research projects that have now received funding in Formas' call for proposals Policy Lab: Sustainable land use to achieve climate goals.

Land use is central to society's climate transition. It is important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also for adapting to a changing climate. How we use and manage land requires balancing the needs, interests and time perspectives of different social actors. This makes decision-making complex. The purpose of Formas' call for proposals Policy Lab: Sustainable land use to achieve climate goals is to enable public organizations, together with researchers and stakeholders, to create new ways of working and policies for sustainable land use for climate change adaptation.

The projects that have now been granted include a wide range of actors, including not only universities and public organizations but also businesses, foundations and non-profit associations.

- "Through this call, we want to bring together actors with different knowledge and skills. In many projects, several municipalities or regions have joined forces to collaborate on a common challenge," says Anna Kaijser, Research Secretary at Formas.

The idea is that the various policy labs will result in new guidelines, instruments or working methods that integrate scientific knowledge with the perspectives of stakeholders affected by the various challenges.

- The projects address a wide range of land use challenges. They include how sustainable use of agricultural land can strengthen preparedness, how changing practices can make forestry more climate-smart, or how municipalities can work to increase local carbon sequestration," says Anna Kaijser.

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