Extension, Collaboration and Innovation at LAPM

The Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management (LAPF) has a long tradition of working with the community. Together, we tackle relevant challenges where new knowledge is needed or create new business opportunities. Through collaboration with our outside world, we at LAPF can strengthen both the relevance and quality of research and education, disseminate knowledge and contribute to a positive societal development.

Collaboration is central to our educational programs, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Experts from the practice are continuously participating in the courses and both research and education at the research level take place in close cooperation with several municipalities, organizations, government agencies and consulting companies.

We also work with dissemination of knowledge, advice and research communication to the industry and the general public through popular scientific publishing, contacts with industry organizations and lectures in various contexts. Much of our research and development is based on collaboration, often with research communication as the engine.

Collaboration projects can look in many different ways. A current collaboration project between LAPF and our surroundings is the Vinnova-funded test bed project Blue Green City lab. There, LAPF is included as an evaluation and education partner for blue-green solutions in urban environments. The basic idea of ​​Blue Green City Lab is to create a platform for communication, knowledge exchange and knowledge development about how vegetation can be used to create a nicer, more interesting and environmentally better city. This can be achieved through collaboration that includes evaluation, conversations and joint projects.

Another example is the project Parkliv! which wants to contribute to a more equal use of the city's green spaces by including groups that, for various reasons, rarely or never visit them. Within the project, a toolbox has been developed for how local residents can be involved in the development and management of public green spaces. The tools are tested in practice in three different test beds in collaboration with Tyresö municipality, Östra Göinge municipality and Malmö city. Through this collaboration, underrepresented groups can get better conditions for using existing green areas. 

Märit Jansson is a senior lecturer with assignment as collaboration expert in the subject of Urban Environments at LAPF. You are welcome to get in touch to initiate collaboration projects or build other types of collaborations.