Kommunala satsningar av betydelse – en fråga om identitet, förnuft och tillfälligheter

Abstract

Everywhere we go we encounter buildings and events initiated by local governments, projects which have motives of making the city stand out from the competition and be placed ‘on the map’ in order to create identity and growth. Proponents argue that this type of project ends up attracting visitors, new inhabitants and businesses. But what makes the municipality stand out in contrast to others, is difficult to determine in advance and the concepts of identity and growth are, as motives, vague and broad. The projects are also discussed and criticised because they are risky and their effects are uncertain. Even so, they are carried through. How could this be, and why? But even though there are problems in deciding what the projects lead to, they lead to something - if nothing else they create opinions, which leads to action. Three projects were studied from ideas to establishments and three fundamental questions, why, how and what, framed this study of identity projects. The study has a ‘sense making’ perspective, based on Karl Weicks theories where sense is created retrospectively. The study therefore also has the actors' perceptions in focus and interviews were carried out in three municipalities using forty-one interviews with respondents who, in different forms, had been important in establishing the projects.

The results indicate that the projects take place because they grow over time and have the ability to alter motive after where in the process they are. The projects are formed over a long period even if they, once they are established, are described as news. The projects are flexible due to the vague motives and they might not answer to the initial idea. The process is described in seven phases, in one of them an opportunity arises and visionary ideas are here translated into concrete projects. In the next phase the projects are locked in and cannot be withdrawn - but they can still change. The study showed that the projects lead to more projects, because they alter the municipality and then new problems arise. The projects will also sooner or later be considered as good, or at least they will be accepted, and the projects will find an aim to fulfil. In addition, the projects lives on and because they change and evolve during time there is no ‘after the projects’ to consider.