Eurocities 2009

Deep Dives > Future Suburbia

Future suburbia - Sustainable renovation for social and economic development for the future

The Järva Area consists of six districts 15 kilometres northwest of the city centre, built between 1965 and 1975 as a part of the Swedish One Million Dwellings Programme of that time. They are all products of the large scale modernistic planning ideals that were dominant during that era. Today the area is home to around 60 000 people, and about 30 000 people have their workplaces there.

Problems occurred early, not only related to architectural and planning mistakes, but also because of the social structure of the area, with high rates of unemployment, low average income and a growing number of immigrants.

During the last decades a number of different programmes have been launched to improve the situation in Järva and similar areas, but without any obvious long term effects. The Invest in Järva Programme is an attempt to address the issue in a different way using ordinary budgets, engaging both the City's own organization and external partners.

• Can you transform the large scale post war suburbs into attractive districts with good housing, varied urban environment and sustainable energy solutions? 
   
• Can you get local municipal authorities to cooperate with government authorities and non-governmental organisations to reach common goals?
  
  
• Can you develop new ways to work with young people to give them better chances for the future - despite problematic conditions? 
   

Those are some of the questions that right now are handled within the Invest in Järva Programme - a project of urban renovation to promote social and economic development in the Järva area. A project launched in cooperation between Stockholm, authorities, companies, organizations and local citizens.

The theme for the excursion focuses on how to work with young people to keep them off the streets, offering them more meaningful activities and giving them better chances for the future. This is achieved through cooperation between social authorities, police, school and many others. The Deep Dive will give you an opportunity to see how we've gone about it and if we've been successful.

A number of young people who are actively involved in the initiatives will inform you about their work and their experiences. 

Wolfgang Förster (Vienna), Chair of the EUROCITIES WG Housing will present some reflections based on the new EUROCITIES Position Paper on Affordable Housing and on similar experiences in post-war Vienna public housing estates. Such programmes in Vienna combine technical improvements with activities focusing e.g. on youth, integration of immigrants, and conflict management in housing estates.

You will also meet Ulf Kristersson, Vice Mayor of Stockholm and responsible for the Social Welfare and Labour Market Division and Joakim Larsson, Vice Mayor of Stockholm and responsible for the Housing and Urban Development Divison.

Welcome to the Järva Area!

 Your hosts for this deep dive are Anna Mattsson, Head of European Forum, Social Welfare and Labour market Administration, Magnus Andersson and Lotta Vidén from the Järva Programme

          

Programme:

Contact details:

magnus.andersson@stadshuset.stockholm.se
anna.mattsson@saf.stockholm.se
lotta.viden@stadshuset.stockholm.se
wolfgang.foerster@wien.gv.at