Articles on social sustainability in urban development

Many societal challenges are too large and complex to be solved by individual measures alone. This is where socially sustainable investments come into play. Those involved are 'tied to the mast', with funding linked to requirements for positive outcomes. But how can we ensure that these investments are as sustainable as possible?

In order to break the cycle of decline in residential areas, various stakeholders from the business community, public sector, academia and civil society must collaborate. While this is easier said than done, positive development has been achieved in Tynnered thanks to the strong commitment of many stakeholders.

In order to reverse the trend in disadvantaged areas and reduce segregation in society, several major initiatives are now being undertaken by authorities and municipal property owners in Sweden. The doctoral project Evaluation of area initiatives in Gothenburg analyses security and segregation using register data and customer satisfaction surveys at Sweden's largest public utility company, Framtidenkoncernen in Gothenburg.

Can innovation contribute to a better life for people while also creating a sustainable society? Innovation expert Dennis Pamlin explains why we need to abandon the 'fossil-free typewriter tactic' and innovate with people at the heart of it. Seniortorget in Umeå is a prime example of this approach in action.

Digitalisation and AI are major enablers of future spatial planning and sustainable growth. Our existing built environments, as well as the new ones that are emerging, need to transform in line with the roadmaps set out in the 2030 Agenda. But there are many challenges in the built environment sector that we need to address to fully benefit from the technology.

Cities rank high in quality of life surveys. Unemployment is low and access to higher education is good. At the same time, they have renewable energy, metals and minerals that are crucial to the development of green technology. It's all about the north of Sweden, of course. Several top politicians have described it as a "shop window to the world" when it comes to industrial change. But it's not just the industry that needs to develop, society also needs to keep pace. To achieve this, the region must act as one, with combined forces.

Society is grappling with many social challenges. Residential segregation, social isolation, threatened public spaces - complex problems that can be tackled in different ways simultaneously. RISE contributes knowledge and new ways of designing and evaluating public spaces where temporary and small-scale solutions can have rapid effects.

RISE helped Sveriges Stadsmissioner to develop and implement methods to measure the impacts of social interventions.

The cities of the future are already built – but they need to become more climate-smart and socially sustainable. To achieve this, we need to become better and wiser in terms of renovating, transforming, and densifying. The research school ASSURE focuses on how we can transform our existing cities into something more sustainable. 

Cities are growing and the housing shortage, however you measure it, is huge. Nonetheless, plans for new housing are often met with protests and appeals from those already living in a district. People feel that what today makes them feel comfortable in their district is threatened by urban development. So, is it possible to allow a district to grow while current residents maintain or increase their sense of well-being?

FairSHARE is a method that helps those who work with societal development to integrate human rights into planning. Certification for equality by a third party ensures that municipalities achieve their set goals in terms of equality in urban planning. The first public space to be certified is People's Walk – a promenade in Helsingborg.

Ann-Sofie Däldehög works with sustainability issues as a business developer at the RISE Regional Transformation Unit in Hudiksvall. Her area of expertise is inclusion and norm-creative innovation, which is about using a norm-critical perspective to become aware of norms that can be excluding and trying to find new, innovative, more inclusive ways of working. “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,” she says.