Abstract
From the Swedish experience, we discuss the characteristics of regional planning process under a highly-decen-tralized system where local authorities have strong decision-making power. In September 1992, three major political parties of the Stockholm region entered into the so-called Dennis Agreement, which is an investment program to ameliorate the environmental and traffic problems and to create conditions for economic development in the region. Our analysis shows that there had been conflicts among regional and local interests in the planning process and that a negotiator appointed by the government played an important role to coordinate and presented a set of planning projects which was agreeable.
