ABSTRACT
Marks Kommun is one of Sweden's 286 municipalities, which include on the one hand large cities such as Stockholm, with a population of 684576, and, on the other, small rural communities such as Bjurholm with a population of 2901. The average population is about 30000. With a population of 33402 and an area of 939km2, Marks Kommun represents an average municipality. It is situated to the southeast of Goteborg, the second largest city in Sweden (433 811 inhabitants) and southwest of the city of Bonis (102840 inhabitants). Within a commuting time of an hour from Marks Kommun, there are about 1.5 million people. The GoteborgLandvetter International Airport is situated adjacent to the municipality's northwest boundary. Despite the municipality's proximity to the two major communication thoroughfares (the RV40 highway and the railway linking Goteborg and Bonis), urban centres have developed around the Boras-Varberg axis to the southwest (Fig. 11.1). There is a heavy pressure for settlement in the areas adjacent to these two cities. The location of the international airport near to the municipality represents considerable restrictions on development.
