Exploring landscape dynamics at the edge of the city: Spatial plans and everyday places at the inner urban fringe of Malmö, Sweden

Abstract

Landscapes at the edge of the city comprise vast areas that ‘lie fallow’, awaiting future urban development. During this time new landscape values evolve. It is argued that the complexity of urban fringe landscapes is not adequately considered either within landscape research or in the practice of spatial planning. A key to understanding landscapes at the inner urban fringe is to focus on landscape dynamics, and on the interactions between spatial plans and everyday activities. The study is divided into three parts. First, theoretical considerations about landscape dynamics and the character of the inner urban fringe are presented. Thereafter, the relationship between spatial planning and everyday places is analysed in a case-study area at the edge of the city of Malmö in southernmost Sweden. The case study demonstrates the complexity of landscape dynamics at the inner urban fringe, as well as problems regarding the handling of ephemeral and transitory aspects within spatial planning. The study concludes with a discussion concerning the importance of studies of landscape dynamics within landscape research.

Key Words:

• Rural–urban fringe
• ephemeral landscape
• transient landscape
• landscape information
• spatial planning

Acknowledgements

The research was funded by FORMAS, The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning. The authors wish to thank Eivor Bucht, Gabriella Olshammar and two anonymous referees for valuable comments on an earlier version of this text, and Lisa Larsson for helpful suggestions on language.