Olga Stepanova

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Senior researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

This paper aims to analyse and further capture nuances of gender representation in local political decision-making bodies, focusing on implications for transport policy. Since gender is highly relevant for both attitudes towards transport policy as well as political votes, data on the gender and political colour of executives (members of presidiums...

This paper draws on the intersection of the themes of co-production, knowledge use, and planning that are relevant for urban transformation debate. In theory, co-production is seen to have the potential to facilitate conflict resolution, and thereby contribute to inclusive governance and transformative change. However, critical voices argue that th...

Knowledge integration is often highlighted as a necessary precondition for sustainable urban planning. It is also a way to manage conflicts in complex institutional settings and practices. However, analyses of knowledge use practices in empirical planning cases are rare. In this paper, we aim to better understand knowledge-related aspects of confli...

POLICY BRIEF Constructive solutions for immigrants’ social inclusion – lessons for multilevel governance. Research conducted within the Horizon 2020 international research project MERGING. MERGING is an international interdisciplinary study of immigrant integration and social inclusion through participatory housing initiatives in Spain, France, Ita...

Which form of governance is required to bridge tensions that stem from the urgent need of climate change adaptation (CCA) on the one hand, and the imperative of upholding peace and social stability in vulnerable areas on the other? This article proposes transformative governance as a framework and methodology for addressing this question. It recogn...

Planning is one of the envisioned strategies for reaching policy goals of urban social sustainability. However, the practical realization of this vision faces a number of challenges not least due to conflicts of interests and goals that arise in the planning process. There also seems to be a lack of understanding of the relationship between formal...

Conflicts over land use and their resolution are one of the core challenges in reaching sustainable development today. The aim of this paper is to better understand the mechanisms that underlie conflict resolution. To do so we focus on the use and integration of different knowledge types for conflict resolution in three fields: natural resource man...

Samverkan med en eller flera parter, ny kunskap och lärande är generellt sett kännetecknande för innovation i offentlig sektor, därför är det också så starkt fokus på detta i antologin. Olga Stepanova visar i sitt kapitel Konflikthantering i stadsplanering: Betydelsen av kunskapsintegrering för flernivåstyrning hur gemensam kunskapsproduktion, kuns...

Natural resource use conflicts at urbanized coasts and their analysis and resolution are the main themes of this thesis. Based on the analysis of four conflict cases from the Swedish coast, I explore the ways the local management of coastal resources may be connected with a broader notion of sustainable resource management. Two questions guide this...

In European countries, the coasts are areas with high population density, intensive use of marine and terrestrial resources, and rapid urbanization. Coastal development creates conflicts and further ones are expected through climate change and sea level rise. In this article, the aim is knowledge synthesis for conflict research to support strategie...

High anthropogenic pressure on coastal ecosystems, competition for natural resources and climate change are major challenges to the sustainable management of coastal areas. Two cases of resource use conflicts in coastal urban areas in the south and west of Sweden analysed here illustrate these challenges. The social practices of using and integrati...

Analysis and resolution of coastal resource use conflicts have largely been neglected in coastal research, environmental policies and resource management strategies such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). We review theoretical approaches and empirical studies from European countries about environmental and natural resource use conflicts...

An overview over natural and social resources relevant for conflicts and an overview over main resource user groups in both study areas. Environmental and resource use problems can be identified from the reports analysed, but rarely specific conflicts about resource use. In both of the metropolitan areas, natural resources and ecosystem services ar...

Four conflicts of resource use have been analysed in the Swedish study areas of the SECOA-project. In the Malmö area we studied (1) a conflict about urban sprawl and settlement and (2) one about land use for nature protection, agricultural production or settlement in the surrounding of the city (Falsterbo peninsula). In the Gothenburg area we studi...