Abstract
Heritage management in infrastructure planning is in this paper regarded as a ‘wicked problem’—A multidimensional and unpredictable activity infused with conflicting stakeholder perspectives. By focusing on the West Link and drawing on theoretical notions of strategy-as-practice, the aim is to identify the circumstances in which paradoxes and dilemmas of wicked problems emerge and examine the professional micro-level strategizing applied to navigate and overcome them. The railway construction was deemed to be a threat to the 17th century fortifications, historical parks and former agricultural properties, today located in the city center. The Swedish government appointed representatives from the Swedish Transport Administration and heritage professionals from national, regional and local levels of government to negotiate how best to deal with these challenges. By means of primary data from interviews and workshops with stakeholders, and document- and correspondence analysis, the results showed how three main challenges hampered a fruitful dialogue and outcome: the inherent complexity of the task, different approaches to heritage and lack of adequate coordination within and between the parties. Strategic responses included action plans, delegation of tasks in reference and working groups, the signing of agreements, reorganization and financing of additional personnel. We discuss the main factors underlining the wickedness of heritage management in infrastructure planning as both processual and collaborative, and the implications of this for practice regarding bringing about more operative and sustainable approaches.
Highlights
Public organizations face several societal challenges that require increased collaboration across boundaries
The case in this paper focuses on negotiations regarding cultural heritage and the cultural environment in the planning of the West Link
On the 26 June 2014, the Swedish government issued a condition for permissibility of the West Link [52]: “For permissibility, the Transport Administration shall, after consultation with the National Heritage Board, The County Administrative Board, and the City of Gothenburg, plan and execute the West Link so that negative consequences of the cultural environment and the urban spaces in general, including parks and green spaces, are minimized as much as possible
Summary
Public organizations face several societal challenges that require increased collaboration across boundaries. These are referred to as wicked problems [1,2]; or grand challenges [3] and include climate change [4,5], sustainability [6] and integration [7]. A direction away from material-based notions of heritage towards a more people-centered approach was developed when the Swedish government signed the European Landscape Convention (ELC) [10] and with the formulation of a progressive ‘Vision 2030 for Cultural Heritage Management’ in 2016 [10]. Few have thoroughly investigated its framing as a wicked problem [17]
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