Projects in social sustainability in urban development

RISE is conducting a socio-economic analysis of the real estate company Hemmaplan's efforts in Gottsunda Centrum, with support from SROI and GLP. The purpose of the analysis is to highlight and evaluate the economic and social impacts generated by the center's development and its repercussions on the surrounding community.

Gällivare Narratives explores how mining communities can become more attractive, inclusive, and sustainable through design research, system innovation, and local collaboration. With people's stories at the center, we develop concrete tools for building the communities of the future.

Droppvis explores how digital nudging methods can reduce household water consumption through behavioral changes, while also analyzing consumption patterns in relation to external factors. The project investigates scalable solutions for sustainable water use and contributes to more efficient resource utilization.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of robust and well-functioning public spaces in cities and communities. It also revealed, through emerging everyday patterns, the need to rethink how we use these “urban living rooms” in the future. This challenge formed the starting point for the project.

Visualizations used in urban development are often based on stereotypical representations of age, gender and ethnicity. At the same time, visualizations can serve as powerful tools to contribute to more accessable and inclusive design solutions. NormViz developed methods and training for norm-creative visualization in urban planning and design.

Climate neutral Luleå 2030 is a collaborative initiative exploring innovative forms of cooperation, processes, and working methods to enable the transformative changes needed to accelerate the climate transition—both within and beyond the municipality. At the heart of the project is the creation of a long-term platform for dialogue and inclusive pa

Across the country, there are villages and small towns where a state-owned road passes through. These are places where walking and cycling are not the obvious choices, and solutions to address the shortcomings are out of reach. The "Village Road for Movement" initiative aims to explore the potential for innovative solutions t

NEXRUR tackles rural and agricultural challenges by developing and testing community-driven business models. Focusing on social, environmental, and economic sustainability, EU and Chinese partners collaborate through case studies, digital tools, and shared solutions.

In Sweden, it is estimated that around 70,000 women and girls have been subjected to female genital mutilation, FGM. With an aging population, more and more elderly individuals will live with FGM. Despite this, according Socialstyrelsen, there is very little research and clinical experience regarding aging and FGM.

The URSOILL project will establish five Living Labs across diverse climatic zones and socio-economic contexts in Europe. Each lab will serve as a collaborative hub where researchers, municipalities, businesses, and citizens co-create and test innovative practices for urban soil restoration:

Developing a neuro-aware framework designed to create integrated transport mobility strategies for neurodivergent children.

MOUSERS is a four-year research project investigating how residents of Swedish households use common spaces. The goal is to guide future building designs that encourage more circular and optimal use of space through sharing.

Cultural and community centers play a key role in the green transition. Co-PED develops new models where these spaces become central to local energy communities and Positive Energy Districts – with RISE as a core research partner.

The project explores pathways to a sufficiency-oriented circular economy. Rather than only focusing on stopping and slowing resource flows, the project explores ways to reduce resource use and thus contribute to a circular economy that fits within the planetary boundaries.

The prototype functioned as a pop-up exhibition. It was designed as a four-course dinner around a large table. The experiences at the table took participants on a journey where they got to create a relationship with their future older selves. They also got to speculate about how they can change the meal situations of older people here and now.

Win the Future is an initiative with a focus on the next generation of climate leaders, with a focus on start-ups with the potential to contribute to global sustainability by providing solutions that support a future where everyone can live flourishing lives on a flourishing planet while staying below 1.5 °C.

Reducing the environmental impacts of textile production requires prolonging the useful life of clothes. Repairing and mending clothes used to be common societal practices, now wiped out to a great extent by mass production. The project examines whether and the conditions under which consumers are willing to repair clothes.

The aim of the project is to explore and develop future collaborative business models that accelerate and support societal transformation. The project complements established research by developing traditional business model concepts with additional functions for transformation and multi-actor collaboration.

Over the past year, Sundsvall Municipality, Din Tur, and the research institute RISE have examined mobility challenges in Sundsbruk. Through dialogue with residents and decision-makers, they have established a new foundation of knowledge about future perspectives and the importance of efficient travel.

This study examines how municipalities' transition capacity can be strengthened through effective leadership and coordination of cross-sectoral work. Through qualitative studies, interviews, and a policy lab, tools are developed to create more integrated and sustainable urban development processes.

Sustainable micromobility, Reduced travel consumption, Data-driven urban planning

School choice policies and demographic shifts place new demands on how municipality schools are sited and organised. In this R&I project, RISE — working with two local authorities and twelve schools — developed a prototype valuation tool that incorporates the perceived and economic value of accessibility and social inclusion in school planning.

Senior residence Flaggskeppet provided in-depth knowledge of how we should build the elderly residence of the future. It contributed to an increased quality of life for the residents, more cost-effective operations and a good working environment.

This interdisciplinary research aims to offer new perspectives on how integrating the participation of the autism community in public transport planning processes can help initiate and improve the social participation of individuals with ASD in society.

In this project we explore - through an co-creation design driven process - what happens if we explore how AI, gaming methodology, and, for example, norm creativity can contribute to make gender equality top of mind in the everyday life of the industry? 

Innovation within the public sector through shared leadership and self-leadership for health and well-being 

From policy to practice – developing new ways of working for self-leadership and shared leadership 

Do consumers perceive homes as more valueable if they include access to sharing services? CDCUL is a multi-national research project that will use choice modelling and other methods to determine whether consumers are willing to pay extra to share appliances, facilities, and spaces with their neighbors.  

Center facilities bring together shops, restaurants and services. Properly designed, such environments can contribute to not only economic but also a range of social values. In this project, RISE collaborates with the real estate company Hemmaplan to develop and test new working methods and models for design, follow-up, and investment in Gottsunda

RISE is conducting a current situation analysis that will clarify the prevailing conditions for the urban area of Frövi in Lindesberg municipality. In addition, Frövi's community development needs must be investigated in a local, municipal and regional context.

  The social challenge for the project Mission: Mental health in school is about promoting a sustainable school with a focus on students' well-being and quality of life via mission- and innovation-driven efforts. RISE's mission is to follow up, evaluate and proactively support the development of the project led by Region Blekinge

Energy poverty is a relatively new term in Sweden and needs to be mapped conceptually, geographically and in policy. This project is based on previous research in the group that worked with building stock analysis at RISE to map energy poverty in Sweden, as support for Swedish authorities as well as academic contribution.