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Becoming knowledgeable stakeholders: Enacting political and epistemic authority in a Swedish strategic urban planning project

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  • Hannah Saldert

Abstract

Strategic urban planning has long been promoted as an important approach to transitioning to sustainable communities. However, previous literature on the Nordic context has critiqued strategic activities because they often take place outside of statutory planning procedures and therefore present legitimacy deficiencies. While the inclusion of both stakeholders and diverse expertise has been recognised as important in strategic planning, previous planning literature has focused either on the role of politics or knowledge in planning, but not as much on the relationship between the two. This paper aims to deepen our understanding of how political and epistemic authority affect the legitimacy of strategic planning by exploring how participants in an informal strategic planning process enact authority. By applying a theoretical framework of stakeholderness and boundary work, the paper shows how the balance between political and epistemic authority is important when legitimizing strategic planning processes. The paper concludes by suggesting the concept of knowledgeable stakeholders to describe actors’ enactment of political and epistemic authority. This paper argues for a need to re politicise participation in strategic planning by illuminating the interrelatedness of politics and expertise, to which the concept of knowledgeable stakeholders can contribute.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Saldert, 2025. "Becoming knowledgeable stakeholders: Enacting political and epistemic authority in a Swedish strategic urban planning project," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 43(3), pages 591-607, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:43:y:2025:i:3:p:591-607
    DOI: 10.1177/23996544241270330
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Raine Mäntysalo & Karoliina Jarenko & Kristina L. Nilsson & Inger-Lise Saglie, 2015. "Legitimacy of Informal Strategic Urban Planning-Observations from Finland, Sweden and Norway," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 349-366, February.
    2. Nazem Tahvilzadeh, 2015. "Understanding participatory governance arrangements in urban politics: idealist and cynical perspectives on the politics of citizen dialogues in Göteborg, Sweden," Urban Research & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 238-254, July.
    3. Kibukho, Kennedy, 2021. "Mediating role of citizen empowerment in the relationship between participatory monitoring and evaluation and social sustainability," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Hannah Saldert, 2021. "Spanning Boundaries Between Policy and Practice: Strategic Urban Planning in Gothenburg, Sweden," Planning Theory & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 397-413, May.
    5. Christer Persson, 2020. "Perform or conform? Looking for the strategic in municipal spatial planning in Sweden," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(6), pages 1183-1199, June.
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