Geodesign to advance boundary work in urban planning: A study in Stockholm focused on nature-based solutions

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Blal Adem Esmail
  • Cyrus Carl Anderson
  • Sigvard Bast
  • Chiara Cortinovis
  • Lina Suleiman
  • Jarumi Kato-Huerta
  • Johan Högström
  • Berit Balfors
  • Gustavo Arciniegas
  • Davide Geneletti
  • Ulla Mörtberg
  • Christian Albert

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  • Eurac Research
  • Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
  • University of Trento
  • Geo-Col GIS and Collaborative Planning
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)285-304
Number of pages20
JournalAMBIO
Volume54
Issue number2
Early online date19 Oct 2024
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2025

Abstract

Geodesign supports collaborative urban planning by managing ‘boundaries’ between diverse knowledge holders. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence of its contribution to ‘boundary work’. This paper aims to evaluate how a geodesign process facilitates knowledge co-production through boundary work and to assess the scientific credibility, political saliency, and procedural legitimacy of its outputs in urban planning. We propose a replicable geodesign framework to assess boundary work, and test it in a case study on urban transformations with nature-based solutions in the Skarpnäck district of Stockholm, Sweden. Findings indicate that all geodesign steps facilitated communication by promoting collective reasoning. Participants acknowledged contributions to knowledge co-production and decision-making by mediating between different perspectives. However, data quality and modeling simplicity were identified as critical factors affecting the outputs’ perceived credibility. Future applications should include co-designing the geodesign process, improving capacity and skills, and facilitating more integrated planning.

Keywords

    Boundary management, Impact assessment, Knowledge co-creation, Land use change, Scenario planning, Suitability analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

Geodesign to advance boundary work in urban planning: A study in Stockholm focused on nature-based solutions. / Adem Esmail, Blal; Anderson, Cyrus Carl; Bast, Sigvard et al.
In: AMBIO, Vol. 54, No. 2, 02.2025, p. 285-304.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Adem Esmail, B, Anderson, CC, Bast, S, Cortinovis, C, Suleiman, L, Kato-Huerta, J, Högström, J, Balfors, B, Arciniegas, G, Geneletti, D, Mörtberg, U & Albert, C 2025, 'Geodesign to advance boundary work in urban planning: A study in Stockholm focused on nature-based solutions', AMBIO, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 285-304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02083-8
Adem Esmail, B., Anderson, C. C., Bast, S., Cortinovis, C., Suleiman, L., Kato-Huerta, J., Högström, J., Balfors, B., Arciniegas, G., Geneletti, D., Mörtberg, U., & Albert, C. (2025). Geodesign to advance boundary work in urban planning: A study in Stockholm focused on nature-based solutions. AMBIO, 54(2), 285-304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02083-8
Adem Esmail B, Anderson CC, Bast S, Cortinovis C, Suleiman L, Kato-Huerta J et al. Geodesign to advance boundary work in urban planning: A study in Stockholm focused on nature-based solutions. AMBIO. 2025 Feb;54(2):285-304. Epub 2024 Oct 19. doi: 10.1007/s13280-024-02083-8
Adem Esmail, Blal ; Anderson, Cyrus Carl ; Bast, Sigvard et al. / Geodesign to advance boundary work in urban planning : A study in Stockholm focused on nature-based solutions. In: AMBIO. 2025 ; Vol. 54, No. 2. pp. 285-304.
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AU - Högström, Johan

AU - Balfors, Berit

AU - Arciniegas, Gustavo

AU - Geneletti, Davide

AU - Mörtberg, Ulla

AU - Albert, Christian

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