Sustainable social development within the field of urban planning in a Swedish contextA casestudy on the creation of a new neighborhood in a midsized Swedish cityBy Axel Ågren

A socially sustainable neighborhood comes to life

Axel Ågren

Master in social and welfare studies, Linköping University, Sweden

Masters thesis on socially sustainable urban development

Research questions How is the term socially

sustainable urban development filled with content?

How is the relation between physical planning and social life viewed upon?

What perceptions constitute the basis for urban renewal?

MethodLitterature, documents and reports

6 interviews, with politicians, social workers, and urban planners

Attended seminars, workshops and conferences with urban planning as the topic

Urban planning and Swedish welfare

1930s, Alva and Gunnar Myrdal ”Folkhemmet”, in English ”The peoples’ home” (1933)

Emphasized the importance of improving homes in Sweden

Better homes, should result in better lifes

”Lort Sverige”, ”Dirt Sweden”, Ludvig Nordstrom(1938)

Prevention of overcrowded houses

Housing and urban planning became a welfare issue

Million programmeLate 1960s the housing standard

was low and population was expected to increase

The idea of building 1 million modern apartments became reality

This political project was named ”miljonprogrammet”

Million programme

These apartments and entire areas were bulit in the outskirts of larger and average sized cities

Spawl is seen as synonymous with million programme where the city is growing apart

Million programme

Million programme

The apartments were built rapily

Little attention was paid to the outside environment and too many apartments were built

These areas were depopulated, and stigmatized by media and politicians.

Segregation in Sweden

The ”miljonprogram” neighborhoods became associated with negative attributes such as criminality, unemployment and poverty

Also associated with a passive inhabitants and lack of unity, or community

Segregation in Sweden

A longing for the ”old society” with active inhabitants with strong feeling of unity within the community

Segregation in Sweden today

Researchers, politicians and media all agree that segregation is increasing and causing an unequal society

How to prevent this through urban planning?

Socially sustainable urban development

Socially sustainable urban development is now promoted by goverments, politicians, reseachers and local authorities

Promoting a mix in housing opportunities, shops and leisure activities within the neighborhood is believed to enable meetings and encourage diversity

Socially sustainable urban development

Improved infrastructure between neighborhoods and increased diversity are believed to prevent segregation and decreasing environmental harm

Socially sustainable urban development

Spawl is seen as very import to prevent and understood as unsustainable

A sustainable neighborhood is everything that the million programme not is

A greater unity within the city and urban life is seen as the solution

Socially sustainable urban development

Mixed, diverse and well connected city is considered to be the solution for problems with democracy, segregation and social exclusion

Underlying ideals

Ideals of meetings, diversity through urban planning are similar to ideals from the New urbanistic movement and the work of Richard Florida: ”Creative class”

These urban areas are thought as attractive and promoting growth

Underlying ideals

The ”creative class”, lives in the city centre, has unregular and highly skilled jobs, and indulge in cultural life

Some positive aspects, however it´s an exclusive perspective with focus on growth rather than equity

Underlying ideals

Ideal that urban life as the motor of growth and future development

Urban life is the norm for social life

Conclusions

Focus on what is happening even outside of the central parts of cities.

Questions of democracy in urban development of great importance

Conclusions

Important issue is to continue raising the question; ”for who we are planning the city?”

Important to understand social life in different parts of the city, not solely dividing cities into ”good” or ”bad” areas

Conclusions

Social dimensions important to consider, rather than finished ”solutions” for how urban life should be

Is planning for growth in the mixed and wellconnected city the solution for a more equal society?

Thank you for your time!

Contact: axel.agren@gmail.comTelephone: +46 735 593 920