What does (population) growth mean in shrinking rural municipalities? Spatial planners are expected to promote development and maintain belief in the future while working in municipalities characterized by a long-term population decline. This creates a fundamental tension in spatial planning between established growth-oriented ideals and demographic conditions. Accordingly, this thesis aims to examine how spatial planners in shrinking rural municipalities in Sweden manage the tension between political growth ambitions and population decline. The thesis focuses on how growth-oriented norms and shrinkage are represented in municipal comprehensive planning, as well as the strategies planners use to navigate conflicting demands. Furthermore, it aims to increase understanding of how this tension shapes everyday planning practice.

The thesis is based on qualitative research in which municipal comprehensive plans and semi-structured interviews with planners are analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings show that population decline is rarely addressed explicitly in these planning documents. Instead, it is reframed through growth-oriented, optimistic and politically accepted narratives. The findings further indicate that planners use communicative and economic strategies, based on relationships and collaboration, to strengthen legitimacy and preserve flexibility in planning despite uncertainty and conflicting conditions. The discussion highlights that the tension between growth-oriented ideals and shrinkage constitutes a permanent condition in spatial planning rather than a temporary challenge. Consequently, the role of planners appears to be changing in this context. In addition to implementing political ambitions and priorities, planners increasingly take on roles that involve translating interests, mediating conflicts and negotiating between competing demands. The thesis thereby contributes to a deeper understanding of how spatial planning is practiced in shrinking rural contexts and how planners manage competing demands for growth alongside long-term population decline.