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News | 2021-03-31
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Good proposal to shift focus to mobility measures during construction

The state inquiry Coordination for housing construction yesterday presented a number of new proposals. One of these is to abolish the requirement that there is some space for parking during construction. Instead, the inquiry proposes that mobility measures should ensure accessibility through sustainable transport. The proposals are based, among other things, on studies carried out by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

– It is a welcome proposal that the inquiry presents. A progressive parking policy is one of the municipalities' most important tools for reducing traffic's environmental disruptions, says IVL's mobility expert Anders Roth.

The report Strengthened planning for sustainable development, which was submitted to the Minister for Housing yesterday, proposes amendments to the Planning and Building Act, which means that the car will no longer have a special position in the legislation. Instead of each plot having access to a certain number of parking spaces, car and bicycle pools, infrastructure for home deliveries and other mobility solutions must be within reach. In this way, the focus can be shifted from how many parking spaces are needed in connection with new construction to how the individual's and society's need for solutions for mobility and goods transport can be met.

According to IVL's mobility experts, this is an important step in enabling a transition to a transport-efficient society that achieves climate goals. Several municipalities have stated that they need better tools to streamline transport and make sustainable means of transport available. The requirement that exists today that municipalities must arrange parking when planning has been shown in studies to be an obstacle to developing more transport-efficient areas, increasing the cost of housing construction and also taking up land space that can instead be used for sought-after urban development.

– We have seen that current legislation for construction makes it difficult for municipalities to use parking spaces in urban areas more efficiently, it is therefore gratifying that the investigation has taken a holistic approach and proposes that the legislation be updated, says IVL's environmental lawyer Åsa Romson.

Proposed changes in the PBL mean that when new areas are built:

  • they are located so that the need for transport is kept down and that investments in infrastructure and services are used as efficiently as possible
  • housing and businesses be accessible by foot, bicycle and various energy-efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transport
  • the municipalities may decide on requirements for mobility measures in the detailed plan
  • the municipalities will have increased opportunities to ensure that planned and agreed mobility measures are implemented
  • municipalities have the opportunity to agree in development agreements with developers, property owners and operators on mobility measures and services

For more information, please contact:
Anders Roth, anders.roth@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 69 16
Åsa Romson, asa.romson@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 66 75

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