Developing a Practical Framework for Municipal Transitions to More Sustainable Transportation: A Case Study from Eskilstuna

This thesis develops a practical framework for municipal transitions to sustainable transportation as part of broader energy system changes. Through a qualitative case study of Eskilstuna Municipality, Sweden, the research examines the challenges municipalities face when implementing sustainable transport policies and the coordination required between transport and energy planning. The study employs document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and a validation workshop to understand implementation barriers and opportunities. Findings reveal that while municipalities have strong strategic climate goals, significant gaps exist at tactical and operational levels, including weak interdepartmental coordination, limited technical knowledge, resource constraints, and fragmented responsibilities across governance levels. The research demonstrates that current efforts focus heavily on efficiency and renewable energy solutions while neglecting sufficiency measures that reduce transport demand. Using the Transition Management and Sufficiency-Efficiency-Renewables theoretical frameworks, a five-phase implementation framework was developed: Preconditions, Planning & Strategy, Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Adaptive Management. The framework emphasises integrated energy-transport planning, behavioural change interventions, and dual metrics tracking, which includes both efficiency improvements and demand reduction. Validation confirms its practical relevance for municipal practitioners seeking systematic approaches to sustainable transport transitions, contributing actionable guidance for bridging the gap between policy ambitions and implementation realities in municipal sustainability planning.