Limits to local democracy in practice? The case of governing sustainable land use in Norwegian municipalities

Abstract

The article investigates governance processes’ performance in securing sustainable land use in Norwegian municipalities, drawing on a survey sent out to decision-makers combined with in-depth interviews with decision-makers and local stakeholders. Local governance processes have to date been unsuccessful in securing environmentally sustainable land use in the investigated municipalities for several reasons. First, environmental concerns lose out in goal conflicts with competing societal concerns. Second, the gradual character of processes building down nature makes it difficult to recognise the accumulated environmental cost. Third, forces beyond municipal control drive a certain kind of development at the expense of nature. Fourth, there is limited power and capacity in the land use planning system to govern effectively. Finally, there are inequities in the capacity and power of individual actors to influence local land use, putting the commons and key democratic principles under pressure. The article points to several challenges in the current model of local land use governance when it comes to securing legitimacy and environmental justice, most importantly the issue of current institutions and practices empowering the already powerful, at the expense of the natural resources the system is supposed to safeguard. The discussion questions the ability of the current model of governance to secure environmentally sustainable land use and suggests ways in which land use governance may be changed to better secure sustainable land use.