Assessing present space with the help of future scenarios

This chapter evaluates that how well the Swedish municipal plans and planning respond to national legislation with regard to the European Union's (EU's) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) directive and climate change and energy efficiency and to what extent SEA directive and climate change and energy efficiency goals are integrated in the Swedish municipal comprehensive planning. The chapter presents two case studies, in the first case study it examines plans to find out if they have fulfilled the SEA directives issued by the EU. In the second study it reviews plans in order to assess the actual impact of integrating national climate change and energy efficiency goals to municipal comprehensive plans. Integration of environmental objectives in planning poses several challenges because environmental issues, as opposed to other policy fields, are not bound by geographical, administrative or teleological boundaries. The Environmental issues are multi-level, multifaceted, controversial and complex and environmental policy evaluation provokes controversies.