Fysisk aktivitet som planeringsproblem: En kritisk analys av fysisk planering i Varvsstaden och dess implikationer för rättvisa i stadsrummet
(2026) SGEL36 20261Department of Human Geography
- Abstract
- Inadequate physical activity constitutes one of today's most significant public health challenges in Sweden and is associated with several physical and mental health risks. At the same time, there is growing evidence that highlights how the built environment shapes opportunities for everyday physical activity. Physical planning can therefore work as an important tool to promote public health. Against this background this thesis sets out to examine how physical activity is framed as a planning problem in municipal policy- and planning documents. Through a qualitative case study of Varvsstaden in Malmö and the utilization of Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be” (WPR) approach, the thesis specifically scrutinize how physical... (More)
- Inadequate physical activity constitutes one of today's most significant public health challenges in Sweden and is associated with several physical and mental health risks. At the same time, there is growing evidence that highlights how the built environment shapes opportunities for everyday physical activity. Physical planning can therefore work as an important tool to promote public health. Against this background this thesis sets out to examine how physical activity is framed as a planning problem in municipal policy- and planning documents. Through a qualitative case study of Varvsstaden in Malmö and the utilization of Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be” (WPR) approach, the thesis specifically scrutinize how physical activity is represented as a problem in these documents and what is left unproblematized. The document analysis is complemented by an unstructured observation to capture the lived environment of Varvsstaden. Furthermore, these findings are discussed and analyzed through the theoretical lens of spatial justice, physical justice and transport justice to critically examine how discourse can reproduce injustice and which groups risk being marginalized in the planning to promote physical activity. The findings indicate a strong belief in the capacity of physical planning in promoting physical activity through the design and distribution supportive environments. At the same time the findings show limitations in the representations, where the documents primarily focus on the material and distributional aspects while leaving the experience and access of different groups unproblematized. The study therefore highlights the importance of a broader understanding of accessibility and how that can shape equal opportunities for physical activity through both discourse and the shaping of public urban space. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9231145
- author
- Malmvik, Siri LU
- supervisor
-
- Till Koglin LU
- organization
- course
- SGEL36 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Urban planning, Physical activity, Active mobility, Spatial justice, Public space
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9231145
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-16 12:17:57
- date last changed
- 2026-06-16 12:17:57
@misc{9231145,
abstract = {{Inadequate physical activity constitutes one of today's most significant public health challenges in Sweden and is associated with several physical and mental health risks. At the same time, there is growing evidence that highlights how the built environment shapes opportunities for everyday physical activity. Physical planning can therefore work as an important tool to promote public health. Against this background this thesis sets out to examine how physical activity is framed as a planning problem in municipal policy- and planning documents. Through a qualitative case study of Varvsstaden in Malmö and the utilization of Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be” (WPR) approach, the thesis specifically scrutinize how physical activity is represented as a problem in these documents and what is left unproblematized. The document analysis is complemented by an unstructured observation to capture the lived environment of Varvsstaden. Furthermore, these findings are discussed and analyzed through the theoretical lens of spatial justice, physical justice and transport justice to critically examine how discourse can reproduce injustice and which groups risk being marginalized in the planning to promote physical activity. The findings indicate a strong belief in the capacity of physical planning in promoting physical activity through the design and distribution supportive environments. At the same time the findings show limitations in the representations, where the documents primarily focus on the material and distributional aspects while leaving the experience and access of different groups unproblematized. The study therefore highlights the importance of a broader understanding of accessibility and how that can shape equal opportunities for physical activity through both discourse and the shaping of public urban space.}},
author = {{Malmvik, Siri}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Fysisk aktivitet som planeringsproblem: En kritisk analys av fysisk planering i Varvsstaden och dess implikationer för rättvisa i stadsrummet}},
year = {{2026}},
}