DEGREE PROJECT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, SECOND CYCLE, 30 CREDITS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2018 Socially Sustainable Planning for Ursvik’s Development and Integration KRISTEN VERONICA KOEHLER KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT TRITA TRITA-ABE-MBT-18277 www.kth.se Socially Sustainable Planning for Ursvik’s Development and Integration Kristen Koehler Socialt hållbar planering för Ursviks utveckling och integration Degree Project in Urban and Regional Planning, Second Cycle, AG212X, 30 credits Supervisor: Stefan Lundberg Examiner: Hans Westlund Department of Urban Planning and Environment. Division of Urban and Regional Studies. School of Architecture and the Built Environment. KTH Royal Institute of Technology Abstract As the City of Stockholm continues to grow, there is a looming fear that there will not be enough housing for a growing population. Municipalities within Stockholm County are building up their housing stock to contribute solutions to the infamous housing crisis that is on the rise. With this increase of built development, there is also a faint shadow of the Million Homes Project problems that daunts new projects. The last time the city of Stockholm had built up so much new development, some of the Million Homes Project neighborhoods descended into segregated and vulnerable areas. This project looks at how Riksbyggen, a housing developer, can build housing developments that align with social sustainability practices for integrated neighborhoods, in order to avoid the process of segregation. The research focuses on the study area of Ursvik, a residential neighborhood that has plans to grow by 15,000 new residents in the next 10-15 years. This new neighborhood development will border more vulnerable neighborhoods, Rissne, Hallonbergen, and Rinkeby, which have reputations for being high in crime, immigrant dense, and segregated from neighboring areas. Riksbyggen has two existing housing developments in the area and has plans to build one more. Their recently established indicators for social sustainability can help make a long lasting impact on the social sustainability in the neighborhood. Through this project I hope to contribute knowledge on how social sustainability indicators can be used for planning for more integrated and open neighborhoods. The methods used were observations of Riksbyggen’s sustainability department, meetings with city planners from Stockholms and Sundbybergs stad, a survey of current Riksbyggen residents in Ursvik, talking with members of the housing boards, an analysis of indicators, and testing planning solutions. I found that the sustainability indicators are well focused on the needs of residents but could be improved through better communication of social sustainability goals throughout Riksbyggen and through a better follow-up measuring of indicators over time. More concrete measures, like including a diversity of services as well as tracking neighborhood progress over time can help ease residents’ biggest fear of integration: higher crime and lowered security. Sammanfattning Allt eftersom Stockholm stad fortsätter att växa finns det en hotande rädsla för att det inte kommer att finnas tillräckligt med bostäder för en växande befolkning. Kommuner runt om i Stockholms län försöker bidra till bostadskrisen genom att öka sitt bostadsbestånd. Men problemen från miljonprogrammets byggande, där en del stadsdelar över tiden blivit alltmer utsatta och segregerade, kastar en skugga och skapar rädsla bland beslutsfattare och planerare för att göra om samma misstag. Den här studien tittar på hur Riksbyggen, som är en stor byggaktör, kan bygga bostäder som ligger i linje med socialhållbarhetspraxis för integrerade grannskap och kan motverka segregation. Studien fokuserar på området Ursvik, ett bostadsområde som har planer på att växa med 15 000 nya invånare under de kommande 10- 15 åren. Detta nya område kommer att angränsa mot mer utsatta områden som Rissne, Hallonbergen och Rinkeby, som har ryktet om sig att ha hög brottslighet, vara invandrartäta samt segregerade från omkringliggande områden. Riksbyggen har två befintliga bostadrättsföreningar i Ursvik och har planer att bygga en till. Deras nyligen etablerade indikatorer för social hållbarhet kan bidra till att långsiktigt påverkar den sociala hållbarheten i grannskapet. Genom det här projektet hoppas jag kunna bidra med ytterligare kunskap om hur sociala hållbarhetsindikatorer kan användas för planering för bättre integrerade och öppna grannskap. Metoderna som används är egna observationer av hur Riksbyggens enhet för hållbarhetsfrågor arbetar, möten med stadsplanerare från Stockholms stad och Sundbybergs stad, en enkät bland nuvarande boende i Riksbyggens bostadsrättföreningar i Ursvik, samtal med styrelsemedlemmar, en analys av indikatorer, samt tester av planeringslösningar. Resultatet visar att hållbarhetsindikatorerna är väl fokuserade på behoven hos men de sociala hållbarhetsmålen kan förbättras om de tydligare kommuniceras och implementeras i hela organisationen samt om Riksbyggen gör bättre uppföljningsstudier av indikatorerna över tid. Mer konkreta åtgärder såsom att Riksbyggen tillsammans med andra aktörer ser till att det blir ett större utbud och mångfaldav tjänster samtidigt som uppföljning av grannskapens framsteg över tid kan hjälpa lindra boendes rädsla inför att Ursviks integration med omgivande stadsdelar skall leda till högre brottslighet och försämrad trygghet. Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the consistent and insightful guidance from my supervisor, Stefan Lundberg from KTH. Thank you for your continual support throughout the researching and writing process. I would like to thank Therese Berg from Riksbyggen for providing me with the amazing opportunity to research and learn at Riksbyggen’s Unit for Sustainable Development. I feel honored to have the opportunity to learn, observe, and participate with Riksbyggen’s ongoing work towards a sustainable future for housing in Sweden. I would also like to thank Ulrika Sax for her continual guidance and advising. Your wisdom from many years of experience with Stockholm’s urban planning gave me inspiration and support throughout my research. I am immensely grateful for the help of Ewa Sundman, Fariba Daryani, and all other informants who aided me in the methods design and research process. Without your help, my methods would have been fruitless endeavors. Lastly, thank you to all the family, friends, and colleagues that have supported me throughout the master’s program here at KTH. I especially want to thank Oscar for his unconditional support and patience with me throughout this entire process. My greatest appreciations, Kristen Koehler May 2018 Forward During the Swedish Almedalen Week, politicians and companies hold speeches and seminars to increase political discussions on important topics in Swedish public life. The discussions become especially interesting during an election year, when politicians want their voices heard loud and clear. In preparation for this week many companies hold presentations and seminars to open discussions. Riksbyggen held a seminar on Stefan Fölster’s report Den inkluderande staden. At this seminar, I found myself observing a panel discussing the topic I had been researching over the past few months for this thesis project. The topic of segregation and inclusion in the development of Järva and the Järvalyftet program was what had gathered these researchers, politicians, and developers in one place. I was fascinated that this topic that I had been having so much trouble clarifying, defining, and analyzing would finally be illuminated on by experts. Yet through this panel discussion, it became more difficult for all of us in the room to agree upon one common definition of segregation, of how to promote better citizen dialog, or which, if any, structural neighborhood changes could actually improve social relationships amongst neighborhood parts. The discussion slowly became more heated as subjects of race and economic outcomes were debated further. Everyone on the panel brought with them a different background of research and experience that brought with it a different viewpoint of how to solve problems of segregation in new neighborhood developments. And although I did not feel that suddenly I was enlightened on the right answers, I did feel like I had more understanding for why this topic is so complicated and difficult to put into clean boxes of ‘problem’ and ‘solution.’ This here was the perfect example of planning as a ‘messy problem;’ the kind we attempt to tackle in a class projects but haven’t had the real-world experience yet to understand fully. Because there is such a diversity of political views, social structures, urban planning opinions and infinite dimensions of personal experiences with place and understanding of our city, that of course this topic would be a bit touchy and controversial. Of course, there is not one solution that we can take from our research and apply to the real life. Of course, there is not one individual who has the power to make the final decisions or to influence change. There are compromises, there are hasty last-minute solutions added, and there are touchy subjects that some choose to tip toe around and others trample over. I noted this conclusion as vitally important to my research as I look through my documents, maps, and results and think, “well what is the solution?” There is no one perfect solution to bettering the Järva area.