At what price? Searching for environmentally sustainable and socially just urban greening strategies in Malmö, Sweden
(2019) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20191LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- With sustainability at the forefront of many cities’ urban development plans, it is possible that sustainable polices are targeted to attract a certain group of inhabitants. Malmö, Sweden, has implemented changes in order to gain international recognition as a green city but has also been experiencing growing residential segregation. The presence of urban greening projects is a keystone to human health and the
soundness of the built environment but improving access to such projects risks environmental
gentrification. I seek to understand why, despite evidence of environmental gentrification, do planners continue to develop urban areas in a market-orientated sustainable fashion. Through the lens of Critical Urban Theory, this is... (More) - With sustainability at the forefront of many cities’ urban development plans, it is possible that sustainable polices are targeted to attract a certain group of inhabitants. Malmö, Sweden, has implemented changes in order to gain international recognition as a green city but has also been experiencing growing residential segregation. The presence of urban greening projects is a keystone to human health and the
soundness of the built environment but improving access to such projects risks environmental
gentrification. I seek to understand why, despite evidence of environmental gentrification, do planners continue to develop urban areas in a market-orientated sustainable fashion. Through the lens of Critical Urban Theory, this is demonstrated by an analysis of municipal planning documents and municipal housing trends, as well as a survey of academic literature on both environmental gentrification and the city of Malmö. The results show that planners are responding to bigger structural forces such as
competition, urban attractiveness, and profit-making. This has broader implications for questioning whether justice and sustainability should go hand-in-hand and how urban sustainable policies can improve the quality of life for all urban dwellers. Further research focused specifically on urban dwellers would identify whether displaced inhabitants leave their dwelling based on the same structural forces that influence the urban planners. In conclusion, Malmö makes for an interesting case study given its history of Social Democratic leadership and recent changes to housing policies that used to be the cornerstone of the typical “Swedish Model”. Malmö’s sustainable urban planning demonstrates how governance can be influenced by broader structural forces and that without addressing the profit-making structures behind urban planning, the continuation of market-orientated sustainability will further exacerbate inequalities and alienate some urban inhabitants from the benefits of urban greening. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8981525
- author
- Jepson, Victoria LU
- supervisor
-
- Turaj Faran LU
- organization
- course
- MESM02 20191
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Sustainability Science, Urban Greening, Social Justice, Urban Planning, Critical Urban Theory, Malmö
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2019:036
- language
- English
- id
- 8981525
- date added to LUP
- 2019-06-11 11:31:31
- date last changed
- 2019-06-11 11:31:31
@misc{8981525,
abstract = {{With sustainability at the forefront of many cities’ urban development plans, it is possible that sustainable polices are targeted to attract a certain group of inhabitants. Malmö, Sweden, has implemented changes in order to gain international recognition as a green city but has also been experiencing growing residential segregation. The presence of urban greening projects is a keystone to human health and the
soundness of the built environment but improving access to such projects risks environmental
gentrification. I seek to understand why, despite evidence of environmental gentrification, do planners continue to develop urban areas in a market-orientated sustainable fashion. Through the lens of Critical Urban Theory, this is demonstrated by an analysis of municipal planning documents and municipal housing trends, as well as a survey of academic literature on both environmental gentrification and the city of Malmö. The results show that planners are responding to bigger structural forces such as
competition, urban attractiveness, and profit-making. This has broader implications for questioning whether justice and sustainability should go hand-in-hand and how urban sustainable policies can improve the quality of life for all urban dwellers. Further research focused specifically on urban dwellers would identify whether displaced inhabitants leave their dwelling based on the same structural forces that influence the urban planners. In conclusion, Malmö makes for an interesting case study given its history of Social Democratic leadership and recent changes to housing policies that used to be the cornerstone of the typical “Swedish Model”. Malmö’s sustainable urban planning demonstrates how governance can be influenced by broader structural forces and that without addressing the profit-making structures behind urban planning, the continuation of market-orientated sustainability will further exacerbate inequalities and alienate some urban inhabitants from the benefits of urban greening.}},
author = {{Jepson, Victoria}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
title = {{At what price? Searching for environmentally sustainable and socially just urban greening strategies in Malmö, Sweden}},
year = {{2019}},
}