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Despite the apparent fact that churches, including cathedrals, are constructed for specific purposes, namely to provide a physical frame for the execution of the various rites and acts demanded by the Christian cult and liturgy, such aspects have rarely been seriously considered in the scholarly research on Scandinavian medieval architecture. The monuments have usually been treated primarily as art historical and archaeological objects, with the main interest directed towards their building history, including possible international connections as regards formal characteristics, and sometimes also towards the buildings as manifestations of political, secular and/or ecclesiastical, processes. An ambitious effort to compensate for this lack of a more comprehensive view of the churches in their totality, i.e. as built structures providing room for cult and ritual, is made in the anthology The Medieval Cathedral of Trondheim. Architectural and Ritual Constructions in their European Context. In altogether eight articles plus an introduction, various manifestations of medieval cult and liturgy are examined in relation to the grand Gothic cathedral of Trondheim. The volume is the outcome of a conference in Trondheim in 2004, co-arranged by the Centre for Medieval Studies at NTNU (the Norwegian University of Technology and Science) and the Centre for the Study of the Cultural Heritage of Medieval Rituals at the University of Copenhagen.

A pragmatic and polity-focused solution for governing a smart city in the direction of sustainability is still missing in theory and practice. A debate about whether a smart city is a pragmatic solution for modern challenges or just a technology-led urban utopia is entangled with the vexed issue of governance. While &lsquo ; smart governance&rsquo ; has drawn unprecedented interest, the combination of its conceptual vagueness and broad applications couple with a lack of focus on its underlying international and local political paradigms have raised concerns about its utility. This study contributes to restoring attention to the original concept of governance, its differences with governing and government, and the potential challenges resulting from its functionality in its real, multi-layered, and complex contexts. This paper explores the intellectual connection between governance and smart cities, from both an empirical and a conceptual/analytical perspective. From the empirical side, we examine which actors, processes, and relational mechanisms at different levels that have had an impact on the initiation of smart cities in three Norwegian cities: Trondheim, Bergen, and Bodø ; . We illustrate how the structural sources of the interests, roles, and power in smart city initiatives have caused governance to emerge and change, but have also affected the goals designed by specific actors.

Negative effects of a massive use of cars, such as congestion, air pollution, noise, and traffic injuries, are affecting the cities everywhere. Recently introduced shared vehicles, such as e-scooters and electric bicycles, could potentially accelerate the transition towards sustainable mobility. Although these vehicles are becoming increasingly common and accepted within regulatory frameworks, some local governments are not yet ready to integrate e-scooters into their transport systems. Indeed, the legislation is unclear as it is not easy to determine whether the e-scooter is more like a bicycle or a vehicle. Moreover, it is difficult to predict the impact of e-scooters on road traffic, as well as the type of road infrastructure chosen by e-scooter drivers or the possible interaction of such vehicles with weak road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists. This study showed an analysis of speed and behaviour of e-scooter drivers in the city of Trondheim (Norway) to investigate how to manage this mode of transport. A total of 204 e-scooters were observed on six different roads in the city centre. The speed of e-scooter drivers was measured by a speed tracker (average value 15.4 km/h) and their behaviour recorded by a hidden observer in the field. Gender, age, distance from pedestrians, speed adaptation to the environment, and type of vehicle used were registered for each e-scooter. Through a Binomial Logit analysis, the data obtained were used to analyse the type of road infrastructure preferred by e-scooter drivers. Results showed that the cycle path is more widely used with percentage value from 60% to 90% of users. In addition, the probability of choice depended mainly on the road environment. The aim of this analysis was to assist local authorities in regulating the safe use of e-scooters and developing appropriate policies for their integration into cities.

Negative effects of a massive use of cars, such as congestion, air pollution, noise, and traffic injuries, are affecting the cities everywhere. Recently introduced shared vehicles, such as e-scooters and electric bicycles, could potentially accelerate the transition towards sustainable mobility. Although these vehicles are becoming increasingly common and accepted within regulatory frameworks, some local governments are not yet ready to integrate e-scooters into their transport systems. Indeed, the legislation is unclear as it is not easy to determine whether the e-scooter is more like a bicycle or a vehicle. Moreover, it is difficult to predict the impact of e-scooters on road traffic, as well as the type of road infrastructure chosen by e-scooter drivers or the possible interaction of such vehicles with weak road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists. This study showed an analysis of speed and behaviour of e-scooter drivers in the city of Trondheim (Norway) to investigate how to manage this mode of transport. A total of 204 e-scooters were observed on six different roads in the city centre. The speed of e-scooter drivers was measured by a speed tracker (average value 15.4 km/h) and their behaviour recorded by a hidden observer in the field. Gender, age, distance from pedestrians, speed adaptation to the environment, and type of vehicle used were registered for each e-scooter. Through a Binomial Logit analysis, the data obtained were used to analyse the type of road infrastructure preferred by e-scooter drivers. Results showed that the cycle path is more widely used with percentage value from 60% to 90% of users. In addition, the probability of choice depended mainly on the road environment. The aim of this analysis was to assist local authorities in regulating the safe use of e-scooters and developing appropriate policies for their integration into cities.

Citizen participation has become an important aspect in the design of smart cities. This paper investigates the frame and modality of citizen participation in a European Horizon2020 smart city project, +CityxChange, in Trondheim. +CityxChange aims at enabling citizen participation and co-creation in the transition to a positive energy city. The question is &ldquo ; what are the prevailing approaches and practices in relation to citizen participation amongst the key actors involved in +CityxChange? Which structures and processes have inhibited or fostered the participation mechanisms (e.g., for, by, and of people) and practices in Trondheim?&rdquo ; Through participatory observations and interviews with key local actors and citizens, we found that the focus of +CityxChange on efficiency and creating innovative solutions &ldquo ; for&rdquo ; people in partnership with the private sector has disturbed the &ldquo ; by&rdquo ; and &ldquo ; of&rdquo ; people mechanisms of participation. Citizens&rsquo ; power and roles are not delegated to challenge or replace the project&rsquo ; s predetermined issue or plan. The anchorage of the project outside of the formal administrative structure has caused other functional barriers that inhibit citizen participation, rather than facilitate it. This paper discusses the causal relationships between these interconnected barriers and suggests how authorities can possibly overcome them.

Citizen participation has become an important aspect in the design of smart cities. This paper investigates the frame and modality of citizen participation in a European Horizon2020 smart city project, +CityxChange, in Trondheim. +CityxChange aims at enabling citizen participation and co-creation in the transition to a positive energy city. The question is "what are the prevailing approaches and practices in relation to citizen participation amongst the key actors involved in +CityxChange? Which structures and processes have inhibited or fostered the participation mechanisms (e.g., for, by, and of people) and practices in Trondheim?" Through participatory observations and interviews with key local actors and citizens, we found that the focus of +CityxChange on efficiency and creating innovative solutions "for" people in partnership with the private sector has disturbed the "by" and "of" people mechanisms of participation. Citizens' power and roles are not delegated to challenge or replace the project's predetermined issue or plan. The anchorage of the project outside of the formal administrative structure has caused other functional barriers that inhibit citizen participation, rather than facilitate it. This paper discusses the causal relationships between these interconnected barriers and suggests how authorities can possibly overcome them. ; publishedVersion

A pragmatic and polity-focused solution for governing a smart city in the direction of sustainability is still missing in theory and practice. A debate about whether a smart city is a pragmatic solution for modern challenges or just a technology-led urban utopia is entangled with the vexed issue of governance. While 'smart governance' has drawn unprecedented interest, the combination of its conceptual vagueness and broad applications couple with a lack of focus on its underlying international and local political paradigms have raised concerns about its utility. This study contributes to restoring attention to the original concept of governance, its differences with governing and government, and the potential challenges resulting from its functionality in its real, multi-layered, and complex contexts. This paper explores the intellectual connection between governance and smart cities, from both an empirical and a conceptual/analytical perspective. From the empirical side, we examine which actors, processes, and relational mechanisms at different levels that have had an impact on the initiation of smart cities in three Norwegian cities: Trondheim, Bergen, and Bodø. We illustrate how the structural sources of the interests, roles, and power in smart city initiatives have caused governance to emerge and change, but have also affected the goals designed by specific actors. ; publishedVersion