Actors in planning: Municipal & Developers in Interaction : A Qualitative Study on Goals, Motivations and Collaboration in theDevelopment Process in Karlstad.

This study explores how private developers and municipal actors articulate their motives,goals, and perceptions of collaboration in the planning processes of new urban spaces. Thestudy is grounded in a qualitative methodological approach and is based on twosemistructured expert interviews one with a municipal planner and one with a privatedeveloper conducted within the context of land use planning in Karlstad Municipality,Sweden.The material was analysed inductively using thematic analysis according to Braun andClarke, focusing on the semantic level. Themes were identified through close reading of thedata and later interpreted through the conceptual lenses of sustainable development andgovernance. The study does not apply theory to steer the analysis but uses it to supportinterpretation in the later stages.The results show that the two actors have differing interpretations of sustainability, divergingmotives, and operate under asymmetrical power relations. While municipalities act underlong term public mandates and institutional authority, developers are driven by economicfeasibility and strategic adaptation. Despite these differences, both actors recognise thenecessity of collaboration. The study concludes that planning processes are shaped bynegotiation, compromise, and interdependence, and that sustainability and governance serveas key frameworks to understand the dynamics between public and private actors.