This paper aims to contribute to a qualitative understanding of rescaling and its impact on planning strategies and governance relations across scales. In Sweden, such a rescaling took place in 2012 when 21 regional public transport authorities (RTA) were inagurated, which meant the rescaling of this task from the local to the regional scale. In this paper we will discuss how the scale 'left behind', i.e. the municipalities, continue to plan for public transport, despite being formally deprived this mandate over 10 years ago. Through this discussion, we can illustrate how the effects of rescaling are spatially unevenly distributed between different municipalities, and that the reform of rescaling has qualitative effects on how some targets for public transport planning are prioritized, while others are downplayed. The discussion is guided by 3 research questions: What values guide the municipal planning for public transport in Sweden? In what ways have Swedish municipalities continued to plan for public transport after the rescaling of public transport in Sweden? What are the municipal perceptions of ‘tensions’ between the old and the new scale after the rescaling of public transport planning in Sweden?

The empirical material consists of two sets of data: public planning documents and personal interviews with municipal planners. We have analysed comprehensive plans (in Swedish 'Översiktsplan') ratified between 2012 and 2020 in 21 Swedish municipalities. The municipalities are situated in two nonmetropolitan counties in Sweden – Örebro and Östergötland – quite closely located to the Stockholm region. Personal interviews were carried out with planners in ten municipalities during the spring of 2020 and the selection was made to cover a variety of geographical structures such as urban/rural, big/small, as well as locations within each county (central and peripheral). The analysis of the municipal comprehensive plans is based on qualitative content analysis and divided into three steps. The results of the analysis is presented using GIS.