Space for People, Space for Water (2025–2026)

From Resistance to Engagement and Dialogue for Multifunctional Blue-Green Infrastructure in Urban Environments.

As aging sewer systems along residential streets in Luleå need to be replaced, the municipality has proposed narrowing the approximately 12-metre-wide streets at the same time. This would create space for swales – a form of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) designed to capture and treat stormwater. Despite clear economic, social, and ecological benefits, the initiative has faced strong local resistance. Residents have expressed concerns about reduced parking availability, winter maintenance (such as snow removal), and changes to the familiar streetscape.

This project aims to develop and test methods for improved dialogue and collaboration between the municipality/utility provider and residents. How can more people become actively involved in these changes – not only through formal consultation processes, but through co-creation at every stage? The ambition is not only to build new, sustainable infrastructure, but also to build trust.

When changes to the urban environment that benefit climate, environment, and public health are implemented in alignment with local communities, public acceptance is strengthened. This, in turn, improves the long-term functionality and maintenance of the infrastructure. This form of co-creation can also help include voices that have previously not been heard. Since the renewal of water and wastewater systems, climate adaptation, and stormwater management are pressing issues both in Sweden and globally, the project’s results have strong potential for national and international scalability.

The project combines established participation frameworks, such as the “ladder of participation,” with the research-based ParkLIV model, which emphasizes long-term, multi-step dialogue processes.

The project is financed by Formas and Water Wise Societies. Partners in the project are the stakeholders Luleå Municipality and Lumire, Luleå University of Technology (LTU) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) as research partners, Brightnest as reference partner, as well as the collaboration partner Ohio State University (OSU), which has studied similar challenges related to implementing blue-green infrastructure along residential streets in the United States.