Abstract Transport infrastructure is increasingly discussed in relation to social concerns as it matters for the ability of the urban population to manage and prosper in their daily lives. In this context, the study explores social effects and outcomes of physical interventions in the transport system that have been implemented as part of a strategy to address questions of social development in an urban/semi-urban context. The topic is explored by reviewing the case of infrastructure investments in Hyllie-Holma-Kroksbäck, in Malmö, Sweden. To collect data, semi-structured interviews with local representatives and statistical indicators are compared and analyzed in relation to planning documents. The findings of the study show that transport infrastructure has been implemented in order to promote physical as well as social integration, but that such effects are difficult to determine. The study suggests that the difficulty lies in the complexity of urban infrastructure, it is not possible to isolate a single project as it is part of the urban sphere where it affects and is affected by relations beyond the primary area of influence, geographically and temporally. In conclusion, the study suggests viewing the city as a system of connections. An infrastructural approach to urban development could contribute to a more holistic way of thinking and a better understanding of potential desirable or undesirable effects of physical development. Lastly, the sub-districts in the study area differed socially and economically, despite sharing a similar physical structure. Indicating the limitations of physical measures, and opening up for questioning today’s urban ideal, as one solution may have different outcomes depending on the context. Thank you During this project I have been lucky to receive valuable help and support. I owe a special thanks to the participating organizations and the three representatives for their warm welcome, time, patience and interest. Thank you to my friends and family for your invaluable encouragement and finally thank you to my supervisor Marcus Adolphson at KTH Royal Institute of Technology for guidance through this educating project. 1 1.​ ​Introduction 4 2. Overview of theory and research 6 2.1 Theories of space - production of space and socio-spatial dialectics 7 2.2 Urban theory - about community spirit and urban design 7 2.3 About social capital, integration and exclusion 9 2.4 Accessibility planning - planning for opportunities 10 2.5 Critical reflection - infrastructure as a sustainability fix 11 2.6 Summary - theoretical framework 12 3. Empirical procedures 13 3.1 Case study 13 3.2 Ethical considerations 18 3.3 Critical reflection of methodology 19 4. Case study: Kroksbäck-Holma and Hyllie 20 5. Empirical findings 25 5.1 Economic change 26 5.2 Transport and accessibility 32 5.3 Participation and community 37 5.4 Safety and well-being 41 5.5 Summary of findings 45 6. Analysis and discussion 46 6.1 Targets, strategies and measures 46 6.2 Have the targets been achieved? - About accessibility and movement 47 6.3 Have the measures contributed to achieving the targets? - About social interaction and community engagement. 50 7. Conclusion 54 References 57 Appendix 1. List of indicators 61 Appendix 2. Indicators, tables 63 Appendix 3. Summary of planning documents 67 Appendix 4. Interview guide 71 Appendix 5. Original quotes in Swedish 72 2 List of figures Figure 1. Orientation map of study area. Figure 2. Overview map. Figure 3. Suggested development. Figure 4. Extension of Hyllievångsvägen. Figure 5. Development of the study area 2001-2020. Figure 6. Employment, share of total population 20-64 years. Figure 7. Education level Holma, compared to Malmö total population 20-64. Figure 8. Education level Kroksbäck, compared to Malmö total population 20-64. Figure 9. Education level Hyllievång, compared to Malmö total population 20-64. Figure 10. Annual income, median and average. Figure 11. Modal split, share of trips by mode of transport. Figure 12. Frequency of trips, average number per day and person. Figure 13. Car ownership. Figure 14. Voter turnout (%) in general election. Figure 15. Sickness rate, average number of days per person and year. List of tables Table 1. Strategic planning documents Table 2. List of participants Table 3. Example of qualitative content analysis 3 1. Introduction In today’s planning practice and theory, the importance of considering transport in the development of urban areas is often particularly highlighted. Transport is related to challenges such as space efficiency, climate impact and not least, transport is a social matter - determining prerequisites for the urban population to manage and prosper in their own daily lives. Social sustainability is a complex concept and even though several researchers have set out to explore the concept (see Colantonio & Dixon, 2011) there is no clear definition of what makes a socially sustainable city. ​However, ​integration and opportunities to develop ​social capital are recurring themes in descriptions and analyses of social sustainability and these features have come to shape contemporary planning strategies that aim to pursue a socially sustainable city (for example Boverket, 2010; Dahlin, 2016; Stockholms Läns Landsting, 2008). In short, social capital could be seen as the sum of individual contacts and trust, potential resources that are assets to the individual as well as to the society as a whole. Integration refers to an efficient combination of things, a framework in which resources can be utilized. The efficiency relies largely on trust between people and institutions. The connections between social capital and physical space in these contemporary strategies can be traced by reviewing research on how the built environment enables or impedes flows and transports of people and opportunities to gain experience of different types of urban environments (Legeby, 2013). It is based on notions of socio-economic gains of exchange and meetings between people of different backgrounds and lifestyles, leading to an integrated and cohesive city (Legeby et al, 2015). Following this, transport infrastructure and physical connections enabling flows are, in planning documents, repeatedly being referred to as means for driving social development, promoting integration and reducing alienation. Transportation infrastructure have been suggested not only as strategies for new developments but also to identify shortcomings in existing areas and plans for interventions and actions to improve the infrastructure as a way of tackling social issues (Boverket, 2010; Malmö stad, 2009). The concept of accessibility is central to this approach to urban planning. Accessibility refers to “the ease of reaching opportunities or the ease of being reached” (Jones, 1981 in Halden, 2011:12), but the concept is multidimensional and the relation between the social and physical environment is complex. Transport deprivation does not per se mean social deprivation (Lucas, 2012) and over-simplifying this relation risks leading to ineffective solutions (Legeby et al, 2015). The widespread use of investments in transport infrastructure as a response to social issues could be seen as a form of ‘quick fix’, a copy-paste formula designed more as a selling point for urban renewal rather than designed to tackle root causes of complex societal challenges, an expression of capitalist urban development (Mould, 2015). This dual background provides the context in which this study takes place, the study emerged from a need to verify that planning makes the difference it is intended to make. Edvardsen (2011) points to the lack of ex post evaluations in planning practice and stress that these evaluations are needed to ensure transfer of knowledge between theory and practice. 4 Figure 1. Orientation map of study area. (Source: CNES/Airbus, Lantmäteriet/Metria, Maxar Technologies, Google Maps 2020. The image is processed by the author.) 1.1 Aim and objectives The purpose of the study is to explore the social effects and outcomes of physical interventions in the transport system that have been implemented as part of a strategy to address questions of social development in an urban/semi-urban context. It seeks to answer ​what these particular infrastructure investments are intended to achieve and ​what measures are suggested for realizing those intentions. The study also seeks to answer if the area of study has changed according to the intentions and ​if such a change can be derived from the implementation of the suggested measures​. Exploring how transportation as a driver for social and physical integration has worked in practice is done by reviewing the case of Hyllievångsvägen in Malmö, Sweden. Hyllievångsvägen is a public street, located in an area called Kroksbäck which was mainly built during the 1960’s as part of the ‘Million homes program’. The city of Malmö is in the process of creating a new city district, Hyllie, bordering Kroksbäck and Holma. While planning the new district, Hyllievångsvägen was identified as an important key to connect Hyllie to Kroksbäck and Holma and the road was extended and connected to Hyllie Boulevard in early 2010’s as part of a strategy to promote integration by creating a flow through the area (Malmö stad, 2009). The investigation focuses on planning and implementation of transport infrastructure between the years 2007-2018 in order to capture the area before, during, as well as after construction. The objectives of the study are: ● to identify goals