Länsförsäkringar scholarship for local sustainable development

Evaluation of "safety rounds"

In the City of Trollhättan, systematic “trygghetsronder” (roughly “safety rounds”) have been carried out since 2017. By the end of 2022, all neighborhoods and small towns in Trollhättan municipality will have been reviewed. The municipality now wants these to be evaluated. What have the safety rounds resulted in? Should they be continued or reworked in some way? Or should they cease altogether?

Focus of the essay
Evaluate the 22 safety rounds carried out in Trollhättan.

Thematic areas
Citizen influence, security, democracy, co-determination, crime prevention work

Greener preschools

The City of Trollhättan has granted a project called Grönare skolgårdar, where 10 preschools received perennial plantings, insect hotels and educational materials. The municipality is interested in an essay on biological diversity in preschools. The essay could describe what the curriculum says about the theme as well as follow up on the investment in the participating preschools, including collecting opinions from them and information on how this can be used in the pedagogical work.

It should also be mentioned that Trollhättan has a new framework program for municipal buildings stating that biodiversity must be included in the planning whenever new construction is done.

Focus of the essay
Review the investment in Greener schoolyards in the City of Trollhättan and monitor the effects on students and the pedagogical work at participating preschools in the municipality.

Thematic areas
School issues, pedagogy, biological diversity, nature conservation

The flood programme

The risk of rising water in Lake Vänern as a result of climate change is an important planning issue in Vänersborg. New proposals for handling and planning are being prepared. The issues are complex and also affect electricity production, shipping and the municipalities along the Göta Älvdalen.

Focus of the essay
How can these types of planning issues, with many authorities involved, be handled in practice?

Thematic areas
Climate change, infrastructure, municipal administration, crisis management, urban planning.

Outdoor strategy

The municipality of Vänersborg has been granted so-called LONA funds (Local nature conservation initiative) from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to develop an outdoor strategy over a two-year period. The work will start in autumn 2022. Among other things, associations and selected target groups will be invited to dialogue. The goal is to clarify how responsibility for outdoor life issues should be distributed within the municipal organization, and what measures are needed to develop outdoor life.

 
Focus of the essay
Different types of research linked to this, for example around how different target groups view and engage in outdoor activities.

Thematic areas
Outdoor issues, nature conservation, good health, environment, municipal administration.

 
 
The development of Torpagärdet

The residential areas around Kastanjevägen and Poppelvägen, often referred to as "Torpagärdet" have for many years been the focus of various types of development projects. During 2021 and the spring of 2022, a dialogue process linked to a DELMOS project (Delegation Against Segregation) and a so-called citizens' pledge was carried out. At the same time, a detailed planning process is underway where a green structure plan has been drawn up and the municipality is investigating the possibility of buying an industrial property to transform the area. University West has been involved as a companion researcher in the Delmos project.

Focus of the essay
Follow up the processes and what they lead to.

Thematic areas
Urban planning, segregation, integration, civic influence, democracy.