Bil - Miljö - Protest : En planerad stadsomvandling av Västervik

Sammanfattning: The aim of this essay is to explore the planned urban transformations of Västervik which would be implemented with a traffic plan and the protest movement who started against this. The method used is qualitative interpretive with some quantitative moments. The time period 1950 to the late 1970s saw a radical urban transformation of the cities both on local- and national level. The investigation shows that the causes for the planned urban transformation of Västervik were many and intertwined by each other. The functionalism ideas with a preference to pave way for the car apparatus in the city of the town, the political and ideological thoughts in connection with the municipality merge are some examples. Further causes are the optimistic population-, car- and store area prognosis and collaboration between politicians, officials and representatives for business. The traffic plan for the urban transformation of Västervik consisted among other things of a circle road that included a beach way outlaid in front of the old part of the city. The circle-road consisted at some parts of a four-lane way. Along the circle-road were six multistory carparks planed for. The protest movement towards the planned transformation of Västervik started with two letters to the editor.  The content was directed against the pollution cars inflict on the environment and also at the influence the transformation plans would have on the historical quarter environment along the seashore.  This was followed by a protest march and a petition. A social movement was formed and named MOTIV, which was apolitical. Further work was conducted when MOTIV draw up an alternative traffic plan, sent letters of protests to different authorities and assisted parties concerned.