Considering total defence in spatial planning
(2026) ESREL 2026- Abstract
- The evolving security landscape has renewed attention to integrate military and civil defence and preparedness into spatial planning. For decades, risk management in spatial planning has focused on natural hazards and accidents, typically disregarding antagonistic threats. The current geopolitical tensions demand a broader perspective that includes actor-driven threats to infrastructure and societal functions, as well as spatial conditions that influence the ability to uphold military and civil defence. In Sweden, and likely in other countries, total defence (referring to an approach to national security that combines both military and civilian efforts to protect society from antagonistic threats and attacks) has emerged as a national... (More)
- The evolving security landscape has renewed attention to integrate military and civil defence and preparedness into spatial planning. For decades, risk management in spatial planning has focused on natural hazards and accidents, typically disregarding antagonistic threats. The current geopolitical tensions demand a broader perspective that includes actor-driven threats to infrastructure and societal functions, as well as spatial conditions that influence the ability to uphold military and civil defence. In Sweden, and likely in other countries, total defence (referring to an approach to national security that combines both military and civilian efforts to protect society from antagonistic threats and attacks) has emerged as a national priority. A critical yet underexplored dimension of total defence is its integration into spatial planning, which plays a central role in shaping societal resilience. This exploratory study investigates how total defence is addressed in Swedish contemporary urban development projects, with a particular focus on the City of Helsingborg.
Through qualitative data collection and analysis, the study examines the presence of defence and preparedness-related goals, the tools and strategies employed to achieve them, and the nature of collaboration between actors. It also explores how total defence considerations interact with other planning objectives and development goals, such as climate adaptation, green transition, urban functionality, digitalisation, cultural heritage, and public safety. Some of these objectives may be conflicting, necessitating strategic trade-offs. The study contributes to the emerging discourse on resilient urban planning by identifying key areas for development and proposing future directions for research and practice. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/cedf5d3c-99ac-4e46-9714-b05700a5301c
- author
- Ingvarson, Johan LU ; Frykmer, Tove LU ; Cedergren, Alexander LU and Hassel, Henrik LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- published
- subject
- conference name
- ESREL 2026
- conference location
- Braga, Portugal
- conference dates
- 2026-06-14 - 2026-06-19
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- cedf5d3c-99ac-4e46-9714-b05700a5301c
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-29 11:28:50
- date last changed
- 2026-08-10 12:01:27
@misc{cedf5d3c-99ac-4e46-9714-b05700a5301c,
abstract = {{The evolving security landscape has renewed attention to integrate military and civil defence and preparedness into spatial planning. For decades, risk management in spatial planning has focused on natural hazards and accidents, typically disregarding antagonistic threats. The current geopolitical tensions demand a broader perspective that includes actor-driven threats to infrastructure and societal functions, as well as spatial conditions that influence the ability to uphold military and civil defence. In Sweden, and likely in other countries, total defence (referring to an approach to national security that combines both military and civilian efforts to protect society from antagonistic threats and attacks) has emerged as a national priority. A critical yet underexplored dimension of total defence is its integration into spatial planning, which plays a central role in shaping societal resilience. This exploratory study investigates how total defence is addressed in Swedish contemporary urban development projects, with a particular focus on the City of Helsingborg.<br/>Through qualitative data collection and analysis, the study examines the presence of defence and preparedness-related goals, the tools and strategies employed to achieve them, and the nature of collaboration between actors. It also explores how total defence considerations interact with other planning objectives and development goals, such as climate adaptation, green transition, urban functionality, digitalisation, cultural heritage, and public safety. Some of these objectives may be conflicting, necessitating strategic trade-offs. The study contributes to the emerging discourse on resilient urban planning by identifying key areas for development and proposing future directions for research and practice.}},
author = {{Ingvarson, Johan and Frykmer, Tove and Cedergren, Alexander and Hassel, Henrik}},
language = {{eng}},
title = {{Considering total defence in spatial planning}},
year = {{2026}},
}