Vallastaden is a new city district in Linköping, Sweden. The first blocks in the district formed part of a built environment exhibition (Vallastaden Expo) in 2017. The aim of the exhibition was to show the future of sustainable urban planning. This paper explores the planning processes of Vallastaden in terms of a pocket of local order. A pocket of local order is a time-space section designed to accommodate and manage the goals of an organisation or individual, and handle possible constraints that have to do with capability, coupling and authority. Pockets of local order are found on different geographical levels and are protected environments to keep focus on tasks to achieve set goals, but the environment could be challenged by actors trying to influence activities within the pocket of local order. This research show how the Vallastaden pocket of local order was shaped and challenged over the years, from the initial idea to the exhibition.