– Urban development can do a lot for social sustainability. It can influence the people we meet. It can create more equal conditions and make everyday and working life easier. The potential is enormous – and can be much better exploited, says Katarina Borg, Project Manager for Urban Development at RISE.

She has a long history of working on urban planning issues at the community level and knows that many smaller communities lack the resources to drive change. Ideas are there – time and the ability to analyze them are scarcer resources.

Going further with research

A project with RISE can therefore be a way for a small community to make more progress on an issue than would otherwise be possible. It provides access to the latest research and expertise.

– It is a way of empowering a community to do something.

Trend to test solutions before deployment

An ongoing project in Kristianstad – Tätorternas vardagsrum (Urban living room) – aims to use flexible, small and quick solutions to bring life to four central locations in the community. According to RISE researcher Stefan Molnar, it is part of a larger trend in the world of urban planning – work with temporary initiatives to address challenges in public spaces or as a way to test solutions for possible permanence. He mentions the measures taken by the city of Gothenburg during the pandemic, with a high priority on social distancing, walking and cycling, strengthening of shops, cafés and restaurants, etc. Here Stefan participated with colleagues experienced in evaluating.

– Then you might want to temporarily close a road and make it a walking one. Widen the bike lane. Parking lots have been converted into parks and recreational areas. There is a similar level of interest in the project with the municipality of Kristianstad, says Stefan Molnar.

– Even in small town public spaces, in underpopulated and underfunded contexts, the same approach can transform a place. You can create more life and movement, make people stop and strengthen the local economy through these rapid changes.

The right indicators and measurement methods

For variables such as involuntary loneliness or inclusive and accessible green spaces, the two RISE experts are struggling to find the right indicators and measurement methods. In one of their projects, they are working on the development of a digital tool to predict the impact of the transformation of streets.

– When roads are planned or redesigned, things such as traffic flow have been measured and projections have been made. But there is often a lack of measures of social or environmental sustainability. It is just as important to be able to measure social values and make predictions about them, says Katarina Borg.

– What are the health effects of street tree planting? What does it contribute to the quality of life? And what kind of ecosystem services do we get that can add value in terms of noise reduction, in terms of air purification, in terms of stormwater management, in terms of carbon sequestration?

RISE as a research party

In other contexts, RISE can act as a research partner. It supports projects centrally with existing research and helps municipal officials to develop their own processes. An example of this is the case of five municipalities in Gothenburg that have had problems with residential segregation. The difficulties were different. The municipalities had different ideas about how to proceed.

– The result was a set of tools for dealing with housing segregation. Partille has developed a set of guidelines for the future supply of housing. Lerum has a model for social impact assessment of different urban development measures. And Lilla Edet produced a handbook on how to influence, basically concrete instructions on how best to take in suggestions from young people – the pizza night being one of the methods, properly carried out, an effective qualitative method.

“Yes!” according to Katarina Borg, who works with urban development at RISE. “Many are okay when something is happening in their neighbourhood. But you can't just go in and say, 'you're getting new neighbours'. It's important that urban development gives those already living there something extra. It can be about how the common areas are developed, that environments become safer or public transport better. And it is not possible to implement new development in a district without understanding it.”

Katarina Borg mentions previous work she had been involved in where a municipality chose to conduct a cultural life analysis in a district created during the Million Programme* that was slated for growth and development. This enabled the municipality to get to know the district in more depth, beyond its physical characteristics, architecture, traffic patterns and environmental conditions.

“It was an analysis in a very broad sense. By talking to individuals in the arts, residents, property owners, young people and after-school recreation leaders, we attained a grasp of which residents are in the district and their interests. Cultural interest, local involvement and cohesion were strong, but were not in the form of associations with statutes and municipal support. Interest in urban gardening was high and brought together many people who had lived in the district for quite some time, as well as newer residents. Many wanted more space for urban gardening and to garden together with others. Also evident in the area was the strong youth culture and interest in street art and hip hop – and the lack of facilities and activities for young people.”

The analysis provided new knowledge and thus new conditions for urban development. It could be used in the dialogue with developers and in setting requirement specifications for land allocation.

“After working for several years in a municipality, it was interesting to find new tools for taking consideration to the local cultural life, as both a prerequisite and driving force. The cultural life analysis becomes a basis for planning and can be used to get developers competing for land allocation to understand the location and produce proposals that meet the area's needs,” explains Katarina Borg.

Build on an existing profile

What she describes is how knowledge of a district, through new forms of working together with residents, makes it possible to develop the district and at the same time strengthen and build on its existing cultural profile.

“RISE is currently conducting a major research project in the Gothenburg district of Tynnered where the aim is to establish long-term conditions for social sustainability, together with municipal and private housing companies, society and businesses. One of the goals is to map the district's capacity for change in order to tailor initiatives that have been tested in urban development. The ambition is to develop models for how different stakeholders can work together to support a district's social development. I believe that RISE can be of assistance for more municipalities, even smaller ones, in such efforts. Either by providing research-based data, or by developing new tools that suit an individual municipality's needs.”

Involvement a tool for environmental and social sustainability

Katarina Borg returns to the fact that it is about seeing the power and capacity of the residents in a district. Of course, some new construction and various aspects of urban development can also involve absolutely necessary conflicts, but by understanding the district you’re working in and involving the residents, urban development can be a tool for both environmental and social sustainability.

“In Million Programme districts, there are major opportunities for housing construction and there is often the need for renovation. With new construction, it is also hoped that it will increase the social diversity of a district. But if you build, for example, in a park that is one of the area's most appreciated resources, the situation will be worse both for those who already live there and for those who move in. Greater potential is often found in traffic surfaces and parking lots, which are often oversized and perceived as dull and unsafe. Working with new mobility opportunities or construction adjoining the district's feeder streets can create more pleasant living environments that improve the quality of life for those already living there, while at the same time creating the opportunity to build new homes that complement the district,” concludes Katarina Borg.

*The Million Programme (Swedish: Miljonprogrammet) was an ambitious public housing program implemented in Sweden between 1965 and 1974 by the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party to ensure the availability of affordable, high quality housing to all Swedish citizens. (Source: Wikipedia)

When the city planning commission in the Helsingborg conducted a safety survey in the district of Söder in central Helsingborg, it was discovered that almost one in four people in the district experienced different types of harassment. This resulted in a project to create spaces that attract women where they can feel safe.

“During the course of the project, we realised two things. First of all, that we needed to make a major change in our way of working,” says Moa Sundberg, urban designer at Helsingborg's urban planning commission. “Secondly, that a person is not just their gender, but that there are a number of other aspects to take into account when you want to create a safe space with equality for all.”

There are seven grounds for discrimination subject to Swedish law. These are gender, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age. In Helsingborg it was felt that there was a need for a toolbox that could help those who work with urban planning – urban planners, architects, property owners, private stakeholders, municipalities and regions - to integrate all aspects of discrimination into their activities.

“We also realised that a new certification would be needed for this work process, and that’s where RISE came into the picture,” says Moa Sundberg.

Mix of skills the recipe for success

The basic prerequisite for successful community development projects that take into account the power imbalance that prevails in terms of equality is that there is an appropriate mix of skills. It is about people who know the rules of urban development, people who have knowledge of both human rights and how the power imbalance manifests itself, and finally employees who are structured and innovative in their work and can drive the process forward. This according Ingrid Isaksson, project manager and auditor at RISE.

“Within most municipalities there is a desire to make urban planning accessible and pleasant for everyone, but unfortunately there is often a lack of knowledge about the importance of design for equality,” she says. “Even if the ambitions are good, they are not fully implemented. By having a third party come in and conduct certification, the municipalities ensure that they reach their set goals in terms of equality in urban planning.”

Hand in hand with urban development

Certification for equality goes hand in hand with the normal process of urban development. Step one is fact-gathering and background analyses, and here one may need input from various experts and from research. Step two is to prioritise. When prioritising, the human rights perspective must be indicative and the decisions must be transparent. Step three is to formulate an equality commitment that clarifies the benefit you want to attain and step four is a project plan with activities to find solutions and opportunities to fulfil the commitment. Step five, is about prioritising among the solutions and transferring the requirement to implement these to the next entity in the process.

“RISE is involved throughout the process and ensures that the measures decided on at each step follow over to the next,” says Ingrid Isaksson.

She adds that besides certification, RISE also offers a training service – but to different customers because it is not permitted to train the customer you subsequently certify. Certification is designed to be as cost-effective as possible.

“Certification has two purposes,” says Moa Sundberg. “It is obviously a stamp of quality, but at least as important is that we become aware that not all places are actually accessible to everyone in society. It is very important to gain increased knowledge about these issues.”

Designed to make older people feel safe

The first space to be certified is People’s Walk in Helsingborg. The promenade will be built in connection with the H22 City Expo, which will be inaugurated on 31 May.

“People's Walk is designed with the aim of getting older people from different neighbourhoods, with different economic backgrounds, different beliefs and different sexual orientations to meet and feel safe,” Moa Sundberg explains. “The promenade is designed in accordance with the wishes of the older people we interviewed – this includes considerable greenery to provide shade, many places to sit and a boules court.”

Arvika and Ängelholm are two other cities working on urban development projects that will eventually be certified.

The certification according to FairSHARE will be presented at a seminar at H22 City Expo in Helsingborg on 10 June.

Regardless of whether the project is focused on environmental, economic or socially sustainable development, much of the work revolves around questioning norms that limit our opportunities to think and do things in new ways. The concept of norm-creative innovation is about turning norm-critical analysis into practical solutions that contribute to a more equitable, socially sustainable society of diversity, with different ways of being and doing things. 

“We need to be aware of norms and preconceived ideas that could limit us when, for example, we set up a new project group, recruit talent or develop a new service. As a leader, there is responsibility for creating a dialog in day-to-day life about norm critique and highlighting issues that focus on inclusion. Things like, how do we communicate about a project? Who gets the attention? How do they get the attention? By increasing awareness of norms, like unspoken rules or expected behaviors based on a person’s age, gender, background etc., new ideas are born, we get more creative teams and a better workplace culture,” she says.

Ann-Sofie’s work consists of everything from project management and business development to running trainings and communication activities. All of it is based on the needs of customers and partners. 

“My own training and education is as a media and communication scientist, which is extremely useful to me in my profession. Much of what I do involves inspiring and training leaders in such things as sustainable development, inclusive leadership, the UN Agenda 2030 for a sustainable society and sharing best practice. Often, my job is to ask the difficult questions so we don’t get stuck in old norms and ideas about what things should be like.”

Working with her passion 

Ann-Sofie says that the opportunity to influence, the variety of assignments and the possibility to work with what she is passionate about, is the best thing about her work at RISE.

“I get to work with what I’m passionate about, which is things that contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable society, while also learning a lot from my competent colleagues. No task is like the other, which is very exciting. RISE is a workplace that offers me many opportunities and skill development in a variety of areas. To a large extent, I also get to decide for myself what to focus on. At our unit, we work with many challenges that involve everything from the digital transformation of production, to finding new, circular business models that contribute to sustainable development,” she says.

What makes you curious?

“Warm, genuine people usually have an exciting story to tell!”

What is the best innovation of all time?

“Public daycare. It is an innovation that has enormously impacted Sweden’s evolution into a modern, industrial country.  Many people think that innovation only relates to technology or gadgets. Things you can touch. But that limits our way of thinking about what an innovation is. Maybe we miss opportunities because of our stereotypes about what a true innovation really is?”