Managing sustainability conflicts in urban development projects: Planners' perceptions and strategies in Oceanhamnen, Helsingborg

Urban planning is intertwined with conflicts, and urban planning theories suggest various approaches to addressing and managing them. This paper focuses on the misalignment of sustainability goals as conflicting and “wicked” issues in the planning process. Drawing on critical planning theory, it addresses a notable gap in understanding how communication and conflict management strategies manifest in practice. The study aims to explore the role of planners in identifying and managing sustainability conflicts, using Oceanhamnen—a recent brownfield development in Helsingborg, Sweden—as a case study. Touted as a model for sustainable place-making, Oceanhamnen has nonetheless fallen short in addressing key sustainability demands. Through document reviews and semi-structured interviews with eleven planners and key actors, the research examines how sustainability conflicts and paradoxes were perceived and managed. The findings highlight the dynamic and context-dependent nature of sustainability, elucidating how influential stakeholders' perceptions shaped the trajectory of place-making. In Oceanhamnen, planners wielded significant authority in decision-making, including land allocation, land use, design criteria, identifying needs and priorities, and initiating conflict management strategies. Primary strategies included dialogue , knowledge collection , agenda-setting , and feedback collection , while citizen involvement and mobilizing support were less emphasized. The paper discusses how planners' perceptions of “needs” and the importance of certain sustainability objectives influenced the strategies employed. Using critical planning theory, it discusses how identified needs are influenced from planners' implicit and explicit knowledge, as well as the power dynamics framing this knowledge and their perceived and actual ability to influence. • Key stakeholders' perceptions shape sustainability and conflict management strategies. • Sustainability conflicts are wicked problems in planning. • Dialogue is used when building consensus or when collaboration is deemed necessary. • Planners guide involvement by setting agendas and priorities. • Consensus-seeking strategies alone cannot effectively address wicked problems.