CASE STUDY OF THE CITY OF STOCKHOLM AND THE GREATER STOCKHOLM AREA MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATION URBAN PLANNING TOOLS AND ISSUES PLANNING OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE GREEN NETWORK HOUSING ISSUES SUMMARY Research report submitted to the Ville de Montréal, the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole du Québec and the Société d’habitation du Québec by Sylvain Ducas, Urban Planner October 2000 This research report has been published thanks to the financial support Provided by the following organisations: Ville de Montréal Ministère des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole du Québec Société d’habitation du Québec Agence métropolitaine de transport de Montréal Legal deposit, 2nd trimester 2001 Bibliothèque nationale du Québec ISBN: 2-550-37388-X Case Study of the City of Stockholm and the Greater Stockholm Area – Summary 2 Table of contents PAGE Introduction 5 1. Swedish society and institutions 9 1.1 An overview of Swedish society and the foundations of social democracy 9 1.2 Political and administrative institutions 10 2. Urban planning and the tools used 15 3. Metropolitan management in Stockholm 19 3.1 The Stockholm County Council 19 3.2 The regional development plan 19 3.3 Planning of regional transportation networks 22 3.4 The regional green network 28 3.5 Promoting Stockholm internationally 30 4. Management of urban planning in the City of Stockholm 33 4.1 Political and administrative structure of the City of Stockholm 34 4.2 The city plan: content, process and structural role 35 4.3 Municipal green spaces 37 4.4 Transportation planning 38 4.5 Planning of strategic areas: two examples of recycling industrial land, two planning approaches 39 4.6 Kista Science Park and its metro neighbourhood 39 5. Housing issues 43 5.1 Housing policy and financing 43 5.2 The current housing situation in Greater Stockholm 47 5.3 Elder care and home care 50 5.4 Housing assistance for people with disabilities 52 Conclusion 55 Bibliography 63 Contacts 66 Figures 3.1 The territory of Stockholm County 20 3.3 Initiatives suggested under the Dennis Agreement 25 3.4 The light rail system 27 3.5 The green network of Greater Stockholm 29 4.1 Proposed land use under the City of Stockholm city plan 36 Tables 3.1 The Stockholm public transit system, 1999 23 4.1 Area of green spaces - City of Stockholm – 1999 37 5.1 Number of dwellings according to the tenure, Sweden, 1999 44 5.5 General housing statistics – County and City of Stockholm, 1996 50 Case Study of the City of Stockholm and the Greater Stockholm Area – Summary 3 Introduction This is a summary of a research report on different aspects of the organization of local communities and urban planning in the city of Stockholm and the Greater Stockholm area.1 The research was conducted between April and July 2000, on behalf of the Economic and Urban Development Department of the Ville de Montréal, the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole du Québec, and the Société d'habitation du Québec. The sponsors of the research selected the research themes. There is much to learn from the Swedish experience, and particularly that of Stockholm, in the area of municipal and regional management, urban planning, transportation management, planning of green spaces and housing. Like any case study of this kind, the experience must be examined in light of its specific social and historical context. It is often difficult to borrow a model and apply it in a different context. Nevertheless, there are similarities between Swedish society and the urban development of Stockholm and those of Quebec society and the Montreal region. Consequently, the findings of this case study may be useful in the current debate in Quebec on municipal and regional reform, and on the methods and tools used in urban planning in general. This report comprises five chapters. The first sketches certain characteristics of Swedish society and national and local institutions, and summarizes the municipal merger process that took place between 1952 and 1974. The second chapter examines the basics of urban planning in Sweden and discusses current urban planning tools. We will look at the metropolitan management of Greater Stockholm in the third chapter: the political and administrative structure of the County Council, the regional development plan, planning of transportation networks, planning of the green structure and international promotion. The fourth chapter deals with the management of urban planning in the city of Stockholm: the political and administrative structure of the city, the city plan, green spaces, transportation, planning of strategic areas and the science park. The fifth and last chapter addresses housing issues, i.e. the financial assistance system, issues in Greater Stockholm and assistance for the elderly and disabled. 1 The complete 165-page version, with plans and figures, is available in French under the title Étude de cas de l’agglomération et de la municipalité de Stockholm. It may be obtained from the author: [email protected] Case Study of the City of Stockholm and the Greater Stockholm Area – Summary 5 Methodology Documentation for the study was obtained mainly from national, regional and municipal institutions.2 Two collections of articles on urban planning, published by the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology in 1991 and 1997, were also excellent sources of information and analyses. The fact sheets published by the Swedish Institute (Svenska Institutet) were a valuable source of background information. A series of meetings and interviews with some twenty representatives of institutions and people in charge of various sectors enriched and rounded out the information gleaned from documents. I wish to personally thank each of the people I spoke with for their assistance. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the help of Suzanne Dufresne, of the Stockholm County Council ORPUT, Torsten Malmberg, of the City of Stockholm, and Thomas Lundén, of the Swedish Institute, for their help in arranging these meetings. 2 The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), the Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation (ORPUT) of the Stockholm County Council (Stockholms län landsting Regionplane -och Trafikkontoret), the Urban Planning Department of the City of Stockholm (Stockholms Stad Stadsbyggnadskontoret). Case Study of the City of Stockholm and the Greater Stockholm Area – Summary 6 1. Swedish society and institutions Sweden has an area of 450,000 km²; half its land surface is covered in forest. It has a population of 8.9 million, of whom 85% live in the southern half of the country, and 83% in urban areas. Sweden has three major urban centres: Stockholm (1.8 million), Göteborg (750,000) and Malmö (500,000). 4.1 An overview of Swedish society and the foundations of social democracy In the early 20th century, Sweden was still a largely agrarian country, and one of the poorest in Europe. Economic growth was particularly strong, however, in the years following the Second World War, up to the mid-1970s. During this period of growth, what particularly distinguished Sweden was the introduction by Social Democratic governments of a social welfare system ensuring equal opportunity for all. Sweden became one of the richest countries in the world, with a model studied and envied by many. The political program implemented by the Social Democrats was supported by a large majority of Swedes for many years. The party came to power in 1932 and remained there without interruption until 1976, and was then re-elected from 1982 to 1991; since 1998, the Social Democratic party has formed a minority government. When they took power, the goal of the Social Democrats was to work toward an equitable distribution of the country’s resources. Rather than nationalizing means of production, the government instead introduced measures to ensure fair distribution of private-sector profits and equality for all, overriding individual freedoms. Social differences shrank as disparities in income were reduced. A range of social welfare measures guaranteed decent living conditions for all, in housing, health and education. Many people have been tempted to call the Swedish experiment “socialism with a prosperous face.” Yet the Swedish state did not nationalize any economic sectors. To the contrary, the Swedish economy is characterized by a very high concentration of capital among a handful of companies, of which some of the best known are Volvo, Electrolux, Ericsson, Saab-Scania, Hasselblad and IKEA. Through its investments in many companies, including the largest ones, the Wallenberg family is said to control one-third of Swedish GNP. This concentration is even considered desirable by the State. It feels that a small country like Sweden depends on its exports and could not otherwise remain competitive and survive by competing against large industrial powers. Accusations of corporatism are often levelled at the system along with allegations that it is dominated by industrial magnates, political leaders, senior public servants and union bosses. But the system is accepted nonetheless. Centralism and uniformity are key characteristics of Swedish society, balanced by a curious mixture of egalitarian and elitist sentiments. In the words of Olof Petersson (1991): “Reluctance that someone should not Case Study of the City of Stockholm and the Greater Stockholm Area – Summary 9 be better than another is combined with a respect for authority.”3 Political and social institutions are largely founded on consensus, developed after lengthy consultations and studies. Working relations in the private and public sectors are also marked by this consensus approach to decision making. These characteristics must be kept in mind when attempting to understand how Swedish society operates. Åke Daun (1999) stresses the key role of rationality in the Swedish mentality. He also emphasizes that no other Western society has given so much power to government and public planners.