Environmental Systems Analysis Tools

Environmental Management and Assessment Research Group (EMA)

A sustainable development will depend on planning and development of technical systems with low impact on climate and environment. The development of a systematic methodology for creating an enduring balance between people, infrastructure and resource use requires planning and decision making processes where technical, environmental, economic and social issues are considered together in a systematic way.

In order to achieve this, system analytical methods and tools are developed that link social science, natural science and real world systems in holistic approaches. Within this research, spatial and environmental systems analysis tools within e.g. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), biodiversity and ecological assessment, green procurement, participatory GIS, green procurement and environmental information management are developed to meet the urgent questions posed by policy and planning of today.

Selected publications

2021	Mörtberg, U., Pang, X.-L., Treinys, R., Trubins, R., Mozgeris, G., 2021. Sustainability assessment of intensified forestry - Forest bioenergy pathways versus forest biodiversity targeting forest birds . Sustainability 13: 2789.
2021	Wretling, V., Balfors, B., 2021. Building Institutional Capacity to Plan for Climate Neutrality: The Role of Local Co-Operation and Inter-Municipal Networks at the Regional Level. Sustainability 13.
2021	Wretling, V., Hörnberg, C., Gunnarsson-Östling, U., Balfors, B., 2021. SEA screening practice and the inclusion of environmental objectives in Swedish energy and climate planning. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 39: 151-166.
2020	Khoshkar, S., Hammer, M., Borgström, S., Dinnétz, P., Balfors, B., 2020. Moving from vision to action- integrating ecosystem services in the Swedish local planning context. Land Use Policy 97: 104791.
2020	Page, J., Mörtberg, U., Destouni, G., Ferreira, C., Näsström, H., Kalantari, Z., 2020. Open-source planning support system use for sustainable regional planning: A case study of Stockholm County, Sweden . Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 47: 1508-1523.
2020	Jönsson, M.T., Rudolphi, J., Hannrup, B., LarsOlle, A., Mörtberg, U., Nordström, M., Olsson, B., Strömgren, M., 2020. A spatially explicit decision support system for assessment of tree stump harvest using biodiversity and economic criteria . Sustainability 12: 8900.
2019	Pang, X., Trubins, R., Lekavicius, V., Galinis, A., Mozgeris, G., Kulbokas, G., Mörtberg, U., 2019. Forest bioenergy feedstock in Lithuania – renewable energy goals and the use of forest resources . Energy Strategy Reviews 24: 244-253.
2019	Freitas, F., 2019, Brazilian public protection regulations and the preservation of ecosystem services and biodiversity , KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, PhD thesis, 64 pp
2018	Wretling, V., 2018, Strengthening the municipal energy planning – Integration into comprehensive planning, performance of impact assessment and inclusion of national environmental objectives, Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 31 pp.
2018	Khoshkar, S., Uttam, K., Balfors, B., Hörnberg, C., Fischer, T., 2021. Chapter 20 Towards advancing strategic environmental assessment practice: learning from experiences of eight European countries, pp. 319-331.
2018	Balfors, B., Antonson, H., Faith-Ell, C., Finnveden, G., Gunnarsson-Östling, U., Hörnberg, C., Isaksson, K., Lundberg, K., Pädam, S., Söderqvist, T., Wärnbäck, A., 2018. Strategisk miljöbedömning för hållbar samhällsplanering - Slutrapport från forskningsprogrammet SPEAK. Rapport 6810, Naturvårdsverket, 92 pp.
2017	Pang, X., Nordström, E.-M., Böttcher, H., Trubins, R., Mörtberg, U., 2017. . Ecosystem Services 28: 67-79.
2017	Pang, X. 2017. . PhD thesis, TRITA-SEED-PHD 2017:02. Dept. of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
2017	Goldenberg, R., Kalantari, Z., Cvetkovic, V., Mörtberg, U., Deal, B., Destouni, G., 2017. . Science of the Total Environment 593-594: 599-609.
2017	Pang, X., Mörtberg, U., Sallnäs, O., Trubins, R., Nordström, E.-M. and Böttcher, H. 2017. . Ecological Modelling 345: 99-112.
2017	Olsson, B., Hannrup, B., Jönsson, M., Larsolle, A., Nordström, M., Mörtberg, U., Rudolphi, J. and Strömgren, M. 2017. . Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 32: 246-259.
2017	Giuffrida, G., Gozzo, S., Mazzeo Rinaldi, F., Tomaselli, V., 2017. Big data and network analysis: A promising integration for decision-making, in: Lauro, N.C., Amaturo, E., Grassia, M.G., Aragona, B., Marino, M. (eds.), Data Science and Social Research: Epistemology, methods, technology and applications. Springer, pp. 165-174.
2017	Khoshkar, S., 2017, Paving the way for green qualities - Role of environmental assessment, Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary, 2017:02, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 24 pp.
2017	Eckersten, S., Balfors, B., Gunnarsson-Östling, U., 2021. Challenges and Opportunities in Early Stage Planning of Transport Infrastructure Projects: Environmental Aspects in the Strategic Choice of Measures Approach. Sustainability 13.
2017	Balfors, B., Wallström, J., Lundberg, K., Söderqvist, T., Hörnberg, C., Högström, J., 2018b. Strategic environmental assessment in Swedish municipal planning. Trends and challenges. Environmental impact assessment review 73: 152-163.
2017	Babelon, I., Ståhle, A., Balfors, B., 2017. Toward Cyborg PPGIS: exploring socio-technical requirements for the use of web-based PPGIS in two municipal planning cases, Stockholm region, Sweden. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 60: 1366-1390.
2017	Larsolle, A., Hannrup, B., Jönsson, M., Mörtberg, U., Nordström, M., Olsson, B., Rudolphi, J. and Strömgren, M. 2017. . Report 094, Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
2016	Balfors, B., Azcarate, J., Mörtberg, U., Karlson, M. and Odelius Gordon, S. 2016. . Chapter 8 in: Geneletti, D. (ed.). Handbook on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp 167-194.
2016	Mazzeo Rinaldi, F. 2016. . Evaluation and Program Planning 56: 76-87.
2015	Azcarate, J. 2015. . TRITA-LWR PHD 2015:02, doctoral thesis in Planning and Decision Analysis, KTH Architecture and the Built Environment, Stockholm.
2014	Pang, X., Mörtberg, U. & Brown, N. 2014. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 33: 353-362.
2014	Uttam, K. 2014. . TRITA-LWR PHD 2014:03, doctoral thesis in Land and Water Resources Engineering, KTH Architecture and the Built Environment, Stockholm.
2013	Azcarate, J., Balfors, B., Bring, A. & Destouni, G. 2013. . Environmental Research Letters 8: 044033.
2013	Bergsten, A. & Zetterberg, A. 2013. To model the landscape as a network: A practitioner's perspective. Landscape and Urban Planning 119: 35-43.
2012	Arts, J. & Faith-Ell C. 2012. New governance approaches for sustainable project delivery. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 48: 3239-3250.
2012	Uttam K., Faith-Ell C. & Balfors B. 2012. EIA and green procurement: Opportunities for strengthening their coordination. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 33: 73-79.
2011	Lundberg, K. 2011. A systems thinking approach to environmental follow-up in a Swedish central public authority: Hindrances and possibilities for learning from experience. Environmental Management 48: 123-133.
2011	Zetterberg, A. 2011. Connecting the dots: Network analysis, landscape ecology, and practical application. TRITA-LWR PHD 1062. Doctoral Thesis in Land and Water Resources Engineering, KTH Architecture and the Built Environment, Stockholm.
2010	Gontier, M., Mörtberg, U. & Balfors, B. 2010. . Environmental Impact Assessment Review 30: 8-18.
2010	Zetterberg, A., Mörtberg, U. & Balfors, B. 2010. . Landscape and Urban Planning 95: 181-191.
2010	Lundberg, K., Balfors, B., Folkeson, L., Nilsson, M. 2010. SEA monitoring in Swedish regional transport infrastructure plans - Improvement opportunities identified in practical experience. Environmental Impact Assessment Revew 30: 400-406.
2010	Mizgajski, A., Breuste, J., Albert, C., Gruehn, D., Kozová, M., Miklós, L. and Mörtberg, U. 2010. . The Problems of Landscape Ecology XXVIII: 9-13.
2009		Lundberg, K. 2009. Monitoring as an instrument for improving environmental performance in public authorities - experience from Swedish Infrastucture Management. TRITA-LWR PHD 1048. Doctoral Thesis in Land and Water Resources Engineering, KTH Architecture and the Built Environment, Stockholm.
2009	Lundberg, K., Balfors, B., Folkeson, L. 2009. Framework for environmental performance measurement in a Swedish public sector organization. Journal of Cleaner Production 17: 1017-1024.
2009	Nilsson, M., Wiklund, H., Finnveden G., Jonsson J.K., Lundberg K., Tyskeng S., Wallgren O. 2009. Analytical framework and tool kit for SEA follow-up. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 29: 186-199.
2008	Gontier, M. 2008. Spatial prediction tools for biodiversity in environmental assessment. TRITA-LWR PHD 1041. Doctoral Thesis in Land and Water Resources Engineering, KTH Architecture and the Built Environment, Stockholm.
2007	Gontier, M. 2007. Scale issues in the assessment of ecological impacts using a GIS-based habitat model - A case study for the Stockholm region. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 27: 440-459.
2007	Mörtberg, U. 2007. GIS-based habitat models in spatial planning. In: Brainerd, S.M., Seiler A. & Kastdalen, L. (eds.) 2007 Habitat modelling - A tool for managing landscapes? Report from a workshop held in Sunnersta, Sweden, 14-17 February 2006. NINA Report 195, pp 22-26.
2007	Mörtberg, U.M., Balfors, B. & Knol, W.C. 2007. . Journal of Environmental Management 82: 457-470.
2006	Faith-Ell, C., Balfors, B., Folkeson, L. 2006. The application of environmental requirements in Swedish road maintenance contracts. Journal of Cleaner Production 14: 163-171.
2006	Gontier, M. 2006. Integrating landscape ecology in environmental impact assessment using GIS and ecological modelling. In: Tress, B., Tress, G., Fry, G., Opdam, P. (eds.) 2006. From landscape research to landscape planning: Aspects of integration, education and application. Springer, pp 345-354.
2006	Gontier, M., Balfors, B. & Mörtberg, U. 2006. . Environmental Impact Assessment Review 26: 268-286.
2006	Lundberg, K., Balfors, B., Folkeson, L. 2006. Identification of environmental aspects in an EMS context: a methodological framework for the Swedish National Rail Administration. Journal of Cleaner Production 15: 385-394.
2005	Mörtberg, U. & Karlström, A. 2005. . Journal for Nature Conservation 13: 147-159.
2002	Balfors, B., Schmidtbauer, J. 2002. Swedish Guidelines for Strategic Environmental Assessment for EU Structural Funds. European Environment 12: 35-48.
2002	Koku, J.E. 2002. Environment, livelihood and natural recource management in the Lower Volta Basin of Ghana. TRITA-LWR PHD 1003, Department of Land and Water Resources Engineering, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden.
2001	Koku, J. E. 2001. Socio-cultural factors and land degradation in the South Tongu District of Ghana: Some implications for resource protection and environmental health in the Lower Volta Catchment. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 44: 309-330.