District In Stockholm Research Articles

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

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, politicalsaliency, 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.

Impact of time resolution on estimation of energy savings using a copula-based calibration in UBEM

Urban Building Energy modelling (UBEM) has emerged in the last decade as an important tool to accelerate energy transition in the building sector. To fulfil one of its major purposes - forecasting energy savings for potential energy conservation measures at an urban scale, several challenges are still to be addressed. Two key challenges include: 1) the need to calibrate models with a large number of unknown parameters across numerous buildings (either individually or through archetype representation); 2) the limited availability of high-resolution measured data, which raises concerns about calibrated models based solely on yearly values for accurate energy savings forecast. This study addresses these challenges using a case study of 35 buildings in a district in Stockholm, Sweden. Firstly, a new iterative Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) method for calibration is proposed, incorporating a copula-based sampling process at each iteration. Secondly, the new calibration process is applied with three different time resolutions to examine the impact of data resolution on forecasted energy usage, particularly when applied to a classical energy conservation measure. Results demonstrate the efficiency of the new method across the 35 buildings, facilitating the rapid population of a final joint distribution for the nine unknown parameters considered in each building. While the marginals may be strongly influenced by the time resolution, the forecasted energy consumption remains identical across the three analysed time resolutions. However, a noticeable difference is observed when the ECM pertains to a formerly unknown or known parameter.

Comparative analysis of architectural and landscape solutions of the Norra Djurgårdsstaden district in Stockholm and the residential complex “Scandinavia” in New Moscow

The reorganization of industrial clusters, the development of new territories attached to cities is a dynamic process of expansion, development and improvement of urban spaces in modern conditions. This process is typical for both European capitals and the largest cities in Russia. The article provides a comparative description of the architectural and landscape solutions of the implemented projects of development and improvement of the North Jurgardstaden district in Stockholm (Sweden) and the residential complex “Scandinavia” in New Moscow (Russia). Similar climatic conditions of the two capitals, the presence of complex terrain and water bodies in the built-up areas made it possible to study the techniques of the so-called Scandinavian "style" on the basis of architectural and landscape analysis of these urban quarters. The study of the functional organization, architectural and landscape solutions, spatial and coloristic expressiveness of the North Jurgardstaden district in Stockholm and the Skandinavia residential complex in New Moscow allowed us to critically evaluate the copying of design solutions without taking into account the specifics, urban context and scale of a specific territory.

Migration som orsak till samhällets problem

Migration as a cause of social problems – how does the narrative impact local government practices? Even though Sweden has well over half a century’s experience with migration, recently strengthened master narratives of migration and migrants as social problems are generating an impact on policies and practices at the local level. Previous research has identified how narratives of migration and migrants impact policy making and interventions related to migration, integration and accommodation of migrants. This study widens the scope as it identifies how narratives of migration and migrants impact policies and practices in general. Adopting a theoretical framework based on racialisation, decision making and narrative theory, 17 interviews with local government administrators and police officers from a district in Stockholm are analysed. The results show how narratives of migration and migrants are embedded in the causal argumentation of present problems in the district. When practically every problem is argued to have migration as a root cause, policy and practices for solving them tend to target migrants. The article describes how this takes place and the final discussion addresses several risks that follow. First, the quality and efficiency of policy and interventions is at risk when the causality behind a problem is simplified and inaccurate. Second, targeting migrants when addressing the districts’ problems also risk omitting those natives impacted by a problem from benefiting from the solution or relief provided by the local government. Third, there is a risk that the local government strengthens the master narrative of migration and migrants as causing society’s problems. Given the results, an ending theoretical contribution is provided, arguing that a local government is a racialising bureaucracy. Not only is it racialised in its structure, as previous theory has stated, it also actively contributes to the reproduction and development of racialised structures in society at large.

Vad hände sen? Våld, trygghet och tankar om en annan framtid efter oroligheterna i Husby 2013

[What happened then? Violence, security and thoughts of a different future after the riots in Husby in 2013] What happened after the riots in Husby, a district in Stockholm, in 2013? Based on Stuart Hall’s concept of conjuncture and interviews with residents of Husby, Marcus Lauri and Paulina de los Reyes analyzes the aftermath of the unrest and the possible paths of development that could have led to a different situation than the one we see today. Their analysis shows that the unrest created a discursive opening where authorities’, the police’s and politicians’ understandings of violence and security were temporarily challenged, but this opening was shut down when the residents’ voices were excluded from the public debate. Today, the dominant discourse on marginalized areas is again based on the perspective of the establishment, although it is still challenged by grassroots activists who claim that the existence of violence and access to physical and economic security depends on where one lives and one’s position in the social hierarchy. Lauri and de los Reyes therefore conclude that the discourse is still open and that future social crises – conjunctures – will probably provide space for new discourses that may lead to other horizons of possibility. Publication history: Published original. (Published 16 June 2021) Citation: Lauri, Marcus & Paulina de los Reyes (2021) “Vad hände sen? Våld, trygghet och tankar om en annan framtid efter oroligheterna i Husby 2013”, in Arkiv. Tidskrift för samhällsanalys , issue 13, pp. 51–70. https://doi.org/10.13068/2000-6217.13.2

Heat recovery and power-to-heat in district heating networks – A techno-economic and environmental scenario analysis

Heat recovery from local resources is shown to be a promising solution to reduce the carbon footprint of district heating. Supermarkets equipped with a CO2 refrigeration system and a geothermal storage offer a larger heating capacity, compared to traditional solutions. While district heat could benefit from this higher heat recovery availability, supermarkets could generate an income from a capacity that would be otherwise unused. For the first time, this study applies a detailed modelling approach considering both sides of such a synergy. The objective is to assess the techno-economic and environmental impact of a coordinated control strategy. Since the heat recovery from the supermarket consumes additional electricity, power-to-heat is implemented as a solution to reduce the overall CO2 emissions. This is demonstrated by scenarios simulated for a district in Stockholm. Hourly electricity CO2 intensity and prices are implemented as signals to prioritize either the district heating central supply or heat recovery. By boosting the use of electricity when cleaner, a CO2 intensity-driven control show the potential of reducing the carbon footprint of the district (−9.4%). A control based on prices, instead, is more convenient economically both for the district (−1.4% heat cost) and for the supermarket (−32% operational cost).

Association Between Cardiovascular Disease and Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution With the Risk of Dementia

Emerging yet contrasting evidence associates air pollution with incident dementia, and the potential role of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in this association is unclear. To investigate the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and dementia and to assess the role of CVD in that association. Data for this cohort study were extracted from the ongoing Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), a longitudinal population-based study with baseline assessments from March 21, 2001, through August 30, 2004. Of the 5111 randomly selected residents in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm 60 years or older and living at home or in institutions, 521 were not eligible (eg, due to death before the start of the study or no contact information). Among the remaining 4590 individuals, 3363 (73.3%) were assessed. For the current analysis, 2927 participants who did not have dementia at baseline were examined, with follow-up to 2013 (mean [SD] follow-up time, 6.01 [2.56] years). Follow-up was completed February 18, 2013, and data were analyzed from June 26, 2018, through June 20, 2019. Two major air pollutants (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm [PM2.5] and nitrogen oxide [NOx]) were assessed yearly from 1990, using dispersion models for outdoor levels at residential addresses. The hazard of dementia was estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. The potential of CVD (ie, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and stroke) to modify and mediate the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and dementia was tested using stratified analyses and generalized structural equation modeling. At baseline, the mean (SD) age of the 2927 participants was 74.1 (10.7) years, and 1845 (63.0%) were female. Three hundred sixty-four participants with incident dementia were identified. The hazard of dementia increased by as much as 50% per interquartile range difference in mean pollutant levels during the previous 5 years at the residential address (hazard ratio [HR] for difference of 0.88 μg/m3 PM2.5, 1.54 [95% CI, 1.33-1.78]; HR for difference of 8.35 μg/m3 NOx, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.01-1.29]). Heart failure (HR for PM2.5, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.54-2.43]; HR for NOx, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.17-1.75]) and ischemic heart disease (HR for PM2.5, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.32-2.12]; HR for NOx, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.07-1.71]) enhanced the dementia risk, whereas stroke appeared to be the most important intermediate condition, explaining 49.4% of air pollution-related dementia cases. This study found that long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with a higher risk of dementia. Heart failure and ischemic heart disease appeared to enhance the association between air pollution and dementia, whereas stroke seemed to be an important intermediate condition between the association of air pollution exposure with dementia.

Psychosocial working conditions, trajectories of disability, and the mediating role of cognitive decline and chronic diseases: A population-based cohort study.

BackgroundUnfavorable psychosocial working conditions have been associated with cognitive decline and chronic diseases, both of which may subsequently accelerate functional dependence. This study aimed to investigate the association between job demand–control–support combinations and trajectories of disability in later life and to further explore the role of cognitive decline and the co-occurrence of chronic diseases in mediating this association.Methods and findingsIn this cohort study, 2,937 community dwellers aged 60+ years (mean age 73 ± 10.6; 62.9% female) residing in the Kungsholmen District of Stockholm, Sweden, participated in the baseline survey (2001–2004) and were followed up to 12 years. Lifelong occupational history was obtained through a standardized interview; job demands, job control, and social support at work in the longest-held occupation were graded with a psychosocial job–exposure matrix. Job control, demands, and social support were dichotomized using the median values from the matrix, respectively, to further generate demand–control–support combinations. Disability was measured by summing the number of impaired basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Global cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination. Chronic conditions were ascertained by clinical examinations, medical history, and patient clinical records; the total number of chronic diseases was summed. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models and mediation analysis. Age, sex, education, alcohol consumption, smoking, leisure activity engagement, early-life socioeconomic status, occupational characteristic and physical demands, and baseline cognitive function and number of chronic diseases were adjusted for in the analyses. Compared with active jobs (high control/high demands; n = 1,807), high strain (low control/high demands; n = 328), low strain (high control/low demands; n = 495), and passive jobs (low control/low demands; n = 307) were all associated with a faster rate of disability progression (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.02–0.13, p = 0.01; β = 0.10, 95% CI 0.06–0.15, p < 0.001; β = 0.11, 95% CI 0.05–0.18, p < 0.001). The association between high strain and disability progression was only shown in people with low social support at work (β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.07–0.19, p < 0.001), but not in those with high social support (β = 0.004, 95% CI −0.09 to 0.10, p = 0.93). Moreover, we estimated that the association between demand–control status and disability trajectories was mediated 38.5% by cognitive decline and 18.4% by accumulation of chronic diseases during the follow-up period. The limitations of this study include unmeasured confounding, self-reported work experience, and the reliance on a psychosocial job–exposure matrix that does not consider variabilities in individuals’ perception on working conditions or job characteristics within occupations.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that negative psychosocial working conditions during working life may accelerate disability progression in later life. Notably, social support at work may buffer the detrimental effect of high strain on disability progression. Cognitive decline and chronic-disease accumulation, and especially the former, partially mediate the association of psychosocial working conditions with trajectories of disability. Further studies are required to explore more mechanisms that underlie the association between psychosocial working conditions and disability trajectories.

The Role of Urban Pattern Indicators in Achieving Sustainable Urban Forms in the Developed Countries - A Pragmatic Evaluation of Two Sustainable Urban Contexts

Since cities are constantly changing, their new forms and activities are developed according to their patterns and physical arrangements. Sustainable urban forms are currently a widely discussed topic in the concept of urban sustainability. The physical forms of cities can be conceptualised as two interlocking planes. The first comprises the spatial distribution of activities and buildings. The second is made up of the pattern of streets, parks and the public realm. Sustainable integration between these layers leads to a compatibly built environment. This paper intends to formulate sustainable urban form indicators as a conceptual framework model that provides a comprehensive understanding of how sustainability can be evaluated and measured according to the pattern of any built environment. This framework consists of eight indicators: Accessibility, Connectivity, Compatibility, Diversity, Nodality, Density, Identity, and Adaptability. Accordingly, two of the most significant sustainable urban districts have been chosen for field study. The first is the Hammarby residential district in Stockholm, Sweden and the second is the Vauban residential district in Freiburg, Germany. The research concludes that good performance of urban pattern indicators in these developed communities may motivate, inform and improve design strategies for achieving a more sustainable urban context.

Smart homes, home energy management systems and real-time feedback: Lessons for influencing household energy consumption from a Swedish field study

Home energy management systems (HEMS), providing energy feedback and smart features through in-home displays, have the potential to support more sustainable household decisions concerning energy consumption. However, recent findings from European smart metering trials have reduced the optimism, suggesting only modest savings from energy feedback. In this paper, we investigate the potential of HEMS to foster reductions in energy use, focusing on a population segment of particular relevance; high-income and highly educated households, considered as early adopters of smart grid technologies. Covering 154 households participating in a field trial in a sustainable city district in Stockholm, Sweden during one year, this study draws on the analyses of smart meter electricity and hot tap water data and in-depth interviews to provide an increased understanding of how feedback and features are perceived, used, and acted upon, and resulting effects on awareness, behavior, and consumption. Our results show that impact on energy consumption varies widely across individual households, suggesting that households respond to energy feedback highly individually. Although HEMS may lead to increased awareness of energy consumption, as well as increased home comfort, several obstacles for energy consumption behavioral change are identified. Drawing from these findings, we suggest policy implications and key issues for future research.

On the Establishment of Courts in Non-international Armed Conflict by Non-state Actors

Journal Article On the Establishment of Courts in Non-international Armed Conflict by Non-state Actors: Stockholm District Court Judgment of 16 February 2017 Get access Journal of International Criminal Justice, Volume 16, Issue 2, May 2018, Pages 403–424, https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqy034 Published: 12 July 2018

Znaczenie przestrzeni w procesie scalania miasta

W procesie scalania miasta integralną rolę stanowi dostrzeżenie rangi przestrzeni wspólnych jako miejsc koncentracji aktywności międzyludzkich. Potrzeba miejsc spotkań jest wynikiem natury człowieka i warunkuje jego percepcję przestrzeni. Środowisko miejskie jest głównie postrzegane przez mieszkańców przez pryzmat formy i charakteru przestrzeni wspólnych. To właśnie przestrzenie wspólne stanowią wizytówkę osiedli, dzielnic, miast tworząc poczucie przywiązania – łączności z danym miejscem. Jakość wnętrz urbanistycznych wpływa na budowanie więzi społecznych a przez to na atrakcyjność środowiska miejskiego. Nieodpowiednie dostosowanie przestrzeni publicznych dezintegruje strukturę miejską, w efekcie utrudnia, a wręcz uniemożliwia identyfikację z danym miejscem. Konfrontacja rzeczywistości z potrzebą zmian niejednokrotnie aktywizuje lokalne społeczności do działań, które przy współpracy z architektem zmieniają przestrzeń (jak w sztokholmskiej dzielnicy Tensta-Piazza Taxingeplan). Działania spajające strukturę miejską przybierają różnorodne formy, jednak najczęściej prowadzą do wytworzenia przestrzeni o charakterze dospołecznym, skłaniającej mieszkańców do integracji.

Association of lifelong exposure to cognitive reserve-enhancing factors with dementia risk: A community-based cohort study.

BackgroundVariation in the clinical manifestation of dementia has been associated with differences in cognitive reserve, although less is known about the cumulative effects of exposure to cognitive reserve factors over the life course. We examined the association of cognitive reserve-related factors over the lifespan with the risk of dementia in a community-based cohort of older adults.Methods and findingsInformation on early-life education, socioeconomic status, work complexity at age 20, midlife occupation attainment, and late-life leisure activities was collected in a cohort of dementia-free community dwellers aged 75+ y residing in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1987–1989. The cohort was followed up to 9 y (until 1996) to detect incident dementia cases. To exclude preclinical phases of disease, participants who developed dementia at the first follow-up examination 3 y after the baseline were excluded (n = 602 after exclusions). Structural equation modelling was used to generate latent factors of cognitive reserve from three periods over the life course: early (before 20 y), adulthood (around 30–55 y), and late life (75 y and older). The correlation between early- and adult-life latent factors was strong (γ = 0.9), whereas early–late (γ = 0.27) and adult–late (γ = 0.16) latent factor correlations were weak. One hundred forty-eight participants developed dementia during follow-up, and 454 remained dementia-free. The relative risk (RR) of dementia was estimated using Cox models with life-course cognitive reserve-enhancing factors modelled separately and simultaneously to assess direct and indirect effects. The analysis was repeated among carriers and noncarriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele. A reduced risk of dementia was associated with early- (RR 0.57; 95% CI 0.36–0.90), adult- (RR 0.60; 95% CI 0.42–0.87), and late-life (RR 0.52; 95% CI 0.37–0.73) reserve-enhancing latent factors in separate multivariable Cox models. In a mutually adjusted model, which may have been imprecisely estimated because of strong correlation between early- and adult-life factors, the late-life factor preserved its association (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.45–0.94), whereas the effect of midlife (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.50–1.06) and early-life factors (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.47–1.23) on the risk of dementia was attenuated. The risk declined progressively with cumulative exposure to reserve-enhancing latent factors, and having high scores on cognitive reserve-enhancing composite factors in all three periods over the life course was associated with the lowest risk of dementia (RR 0.40; 95% CI 0.20–0.81). Similar associations were detected among APOE ε4 allele carriers and noncarriers. Limitations include measurement error and nonresponse, with both biases likely favouring the null. Strong correlation between early- and adult-life latent factors may have led to a loss in precision when estimating mutually adjusted effects of all periods.ConclusionsIn this study, cumulative exposure to reserve-enhancing factors over the lifespan was associated with reduced risk of dementia in late life, even among individuals with genetic predisposition.

Can Stockholm Royal Seaport be part of the puzzle towards global sustainability? – From local to global sustainability using the same set of criteria

Urban sustainable development is today seen as one of the keys towards unlocking the quest for a sustainable world. One feature of urban sustainability is the increased interest in developing sustainable urban districts. For many of these developments, guiding sustainability documents are developed to frame future goals. However, few of these documents specify on which grounds they determine the sustainability of goals and they are largely developed as independent islands of local sustainability. This is unfortunate as cities and their districts are fully dependent on surrounding environments. Failing to include a holistic approach into the local planning increases the risk of sub-optimisation, future lock-ins and missed targets on a higher level. The aim of this study is to analyse whether the environmental and sustainability programme for Stockholm Royal Seaport, a new urban district in Stockholm, Sweden, can guide development of the district towards holistic ecological sustainability. By using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development a holistic template for an ecologically sustainable planet has been described, important sectors for the built environment have been identified and the environmental and sustainability programme for the district has been analysed. This study showed that the vision and operational goals put forward in the Stockholm Royal Seaport programme complies relatively well with the designed template. However, important deviations in all sectors but land use have been identified. These deviations arise in the translation process between theory and practice. The vision for the district and the implementation phase are not aligned due to too narrow a perspective of a sustainable urban district, lack of robust sustainability principles including use of such to identify key strategic questions. In addition to the lack of an all-embracing conceptual framework, there is also a lack of structures for cooperation between stakeholders and conflicts between local and regional agendas. Use of a unifying framework can describe desirable future scenarios where the local level does not contribute to violation of the universal sustainability principles and identify step-wise routes towards such scenarios.

Marginal abatement cost curves and abatement strategies: Taking option interdependency and investments unrelated to climate change into account

Firms usually have optimization tools for evaluating various investment options; policymakers likewise need tools for designing economically efficient policies. One such tool is the MACC (marginal abatement cost curve), used to capture the least-cost sequence of abatement options. Such curves are also used for understanding the implications of government policies for markets and firms. This article explores dynamic path-dependent aspects of the Stockholm district heating system case, in which the performance of some discrete options is conditioned by others. In addition, it proposes adding a feedback loop to handle option redundancy when implementing a sequence of options. Furthermore, in an energy system, actions unrelated to climate change abatement might likewise affect the performance of abatement options. This is discussed together with implications for climate change policy and corporate investment optimization. Our results indicate that a systems approach coupled with a feedback loop could help overcome some of the present methodological limitations.

CO2 emissions accounting: Whether, how, and when different allocation methods should be used

CO2 abatement and the transition to sustainable energy systems are of great concern, calling for investments in both old and new technologies. There are many perspectives on how to account for these emissions, not least when it comes to how the roles of different alternative energy production options should be emphasized. Confusion and conflicting interests regarding the appropriate accounting methods for allocating CO2 emissions interfere with effective energy policy and the efficient use of corporate and national resources.Possible investments in the Stockholm district heating network and how they interact with the electric power grid illustrate the influence of different accounting methods on alternative energy production options.The results indicate that, for several abatement options, performance in terms of reduced CO2 emissions might be either improved or degraded depending on whether or how alternative electricity production is accounted for. The results provide guidelines for whether, how, and when different allocation methods are appropriate, guidelines relevant to academia, industrial leaders, and policymakers in multiple areas related to power production and consumption.

Integration of biofuel production into district heating – Part II: an evaluation of the district heating production costs using Stockholm as a case study

Abstract Biofuel production through polygeneration with heat as one of the by-products implies a possibility for cooperation between transport and district heating sectors by introducing large-scale biofuel production into district heating systems. The cooperation may have effects on both the biofuel production costs and the district heating production costs. This paper is the second part of the study that investigates those effects. The biofuel production costs evaluation, considering heat and electricity as by-products, was performed in the first part of the study. In this second part of the study, an evaluation of how such cooperation would influence the district heating production costs using Stockholm's district heating system as a case study was performed. The plants introduced in the district heating system were chosen depending on the future development of the transport sector. In order to perform sensitivity analyses of different energy market conditions, two energy market scenarios were applied. Despite the higher revenues from the sale of by-products, due to the capital intense investments required, the introduction of large-scale biofuel production into the district heating system does not guarantee economic benefits. Profitability is highly dependent on the types of biofuel production plants and energy market scenarios. The results show that large-scale biogas and ethanol production may lead to a significant reduction in the district heating production costs in both energy market scenarios, especially if support for transportation fuel produced from renewable energy sources is included. If the total biomass capacity of the biofuel production plants introduced into the district heating system is 900 MW, the district heating production costs would be negative and the whole public transport sector and more than 50% of the private cars in the region could be run on the ethanol and biogas produced. The profitability is shown to be lower if the raw biogas that is by-produced in the biofuel production plants is used for combined and power production instead of being sold as transportation fuel; however, this strategy may still result in profitability if the support for transportation fuel produced from renewable energy sources is included. Investments in Fischer–Tropsch diesel and dimethyl ether production are competitive to the investments in combined and power production only if high support for transportation fuel produced from renewable energy sources is included.

The Systemic Design Approach Applied to the Analysis of Buildings: Comparison between Two Paradigmatic Case Studies in Italy and Sweden

The purpose of the paper is to remark the role of the systemic approach for obtaining a complete understanding of buildings and their impacts in term of consumption and waste production. This multidisciplinary research is inspired by Systemic Design approach and Urban Metabolism theory and furthermore considers the building as a flow pump guided by habits and needs of users and depending on the local management. The study shows the analysis of two case studies considered as paradigmatic examples of sustainable architecture: the former is the first skyscraper in Turin, Italy, and the latter is the first sustainable district in Stockholm, Sweden. Through the analysis of detailed engineering documents, authors have made graphical schemas that show flows, exchanges and links between buildings and their surroundings. The presented schemas afford a better comprehension of all material and energy inflows and outflows involved in buildings' daily life and could be used to easily check the application of the principles of the Systemic Design approach

Implications of systems integration at the urban level: the case of Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm

Systems integration is a trend in the quest for increased environmental performance in urban districts, yet its implications are not yet fully known. Hammarby Sjostad is a district in Stockholm, Sweden, designed with high environmental ambitions. These ambitions were later expressed in the Hammarby Model, an integrated infrastructural system aiming to minimize the metabolic flows of the district by closing its material and energy flows. Various integrated systems were already present in Stockholm when discussions began around the development of the Hammarby Model. Using a conceptual framework inspired by transition theory, this paper analyses the process of designing and building the Hammarby Model. Our aim is to create a better understanding of the implications of systems integration at the urban district level. The findings of the study show that systems integration may both enable and constrain further innovation. On one hand, integration facilitates the implementation of technologies that are add-ons or that solve a reverse salient experienced by the integrated system. On the other hand, technologies that are perceived to threaten the integrated system are locked out, prohibiting further optimization of the system.

Responsibility of Bittorrent Search Engines for Copyright Infringements

With the music industry pursuing copyright infringement claims against various parties, the issue addressed in this paper is the responsibility of BitTorrent search engines for copyright infringements.The paper analyzes the reasoning of the recent and widely-known Swedish Verdict B 13301-06 handed down by the Stockholm District Court. In this decision, the court found The Pirate Bay guilty of making copyrighted works available. The paper explores the consequences of this decision. Next, it applies the verdict’s rationale to the Google search engine. The paper also analyzes isoHunt search engine’s legal situation in Canada. IsoHunt filed a petition in the Supreme Court of British Columbia applying for orders declaring that its services do not infringe copyright. As the isoHunt case is about authorization, the paper also considers this issue. Furthermore, the paper compares isoHunt search engine with Google search engine.Summary: This dissertation concludes that: (i) based on the The Pirate Bay rationale Google, if sued in Sweden, might be found liable for copyright infringement as it assists in making available copyright materials to the general public; (ii) under Canadian law, and the CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada and Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada v. Canadian Assn. of Internet Providers rationale, both isoHunt and Google should be found as not authorizing copyright infringement.