Urban development

The point of departure for work on urban development is to reduce the numbers of urban districts in Sweden where there is widespread exclusion and to improve the capacity of urban districts to contribute to the country´s competitiveness. In urban districts where a large proportion of inhabitants are experiencing exclusion due to unemployment, long-term dependence on social welfare allowances, feelings of insecurity or ill health, there are grounds for central government to cooperate with the municipalities involved in order to find effective methods to overcome this exclusion.

A new social landscape has emerged in Sweden in the last decade; a landscape characterised by exclusion from the labour market, housing segregation and benefit dependence. The spread of exclusion is complex. In the cities, exclusion is mostly concentrated to specific urban districts and is often based on multiple factors. At the same time, the spread of segregation and exclusion is no longer merely a problem of large cities, but is found in medium-sized and smaller towns throughout the country.

As part of the Government´s work on overcoming exclusion, urban development efforts are helping to find ways to coordinate and cooperate on long-term reform efforts in urban districts where exclusion is widespread. The point of departure for these efforts is cooperation and support based on the ordinary activities of agencies and municipalities, and not on earmarked project funds. Particular focus is placed on issues involving employment, education, security and growth. Local development agreements signed between central government and the municipalities involved provide the main basis for local cooperation in work on urban development.

Another important tool in urban development work is the collection of information, both nationally and internationally, via follow-ups, evaluations and analysis.