Densify or die? : A study of the city's comprehensive planning versus the outcome

Densification is a summary word to devote denser housing in the city centre, yet airy and varied. The goal is for more people to move to the city centre to live, work and perform all kinds of activities such as shopping, work out or just go out and have a good time. Karlstad's vision is densification with a living and growing centre as a goal, as well as well-functioning public transport for commuters from near and far. Extended housing and activities with environmental thinking and well-being as well as more jobs are the goals the municipality wants to achieve with densification. Hence, the study partakes attempts to evaluate how Karlstad municipality's detailed plans are in line with today's six-year-old general plan visions regarding densification. This is done by a categorization based on an article from Boyko & Cooper 2011 that created a summary of several researchers' views regarding the concept of densification and its inclusion. Here, compromises have been made by putting interesting theories against each other to make as fair a review as possible. An account of theories leads to reclarification of parts of the material to realize the current densification. The result of my study shows densification as something active that takes place in cities, either by increasing or getting closer to people or housing. How the densification is visualized or not determines the established extent shifts, but something that is often encountered is the accumulation of built-in surface, the number of people in a certain place or the proportion of a specific spatial space that has been built. Karlstad describes densification and it is also something that is exemplified, however, if the starting point is that increased possibilities for more people to choose public transport should not be considered implemented based on my study. Furthermore, there is a description of how Karlstad wants to densify with focus on the central parts to further grow beyond what cannot be noted in the detailed plans discussed. To some extent, Karlstad creates densification, but if it in turn leads to increased opportunities for individuals to use more sustainable alternatives to relocation should not be considered realized. Karlstad's vision of building inside and out is not infused, and the densification described in the overview plan has not given an impression in the detailed plans adopted toda