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Sustainable Urban Development and the Urban Waterfront: A Case study of Western Harbor, Malmö

Urfels, Marie LU (2019) SGED10 20191
Human Geography
Abstract
Increasing urbanization and the commodification of housing have contributed to limited availability of affordable housing in many cities worldwide. Marked-based rent regulations and the redevelop-ment of post-industrial harbor districts have given rise to the emergence of new-build gentrification in many cities. Sweden, formerly known for its social democratic and welfare state policies, has undergone legislative changes in housing policy in the past quarter decade which has made housing prices more dependent on the market. Malmö, one of Sweden’s biggest and most segregated cities, is internationally known for its sustainable waterfront development called Western Harbor. This study applies a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11... (More)
Increasing urbanization and the commodification of housing have contributed to limited availability of affordable housing in many cities worldwide. Marked-based rent regulations and the redevelop-ment of post-industrial harbor districts have given rise to the emergence of new-build gentrification in many cities. Sweden, formerly known for its social democratic and welfare state policies, has undergone legislative changes in housing policy in the past quarter decade which has made housing prices more dependent on the market. Malmö, one of Sweden’s biggest and most segregated cities, is internationally known for its sustainable waterfront development called Western Harbor. This study applies a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 macro-narrative that unfolds onto the micro-narrative of sustainable waterfront development in Malmö. Accordingly, it investigates how inclusive the housing landscape in Western Harbor is. A critical discourse analysis of the English policy reports made it possible to get an in-depth understanding of how adequate housing is represented in the reports. The major finding is that adequate housing, in terms of affordability and accessibility to low-income groups, has been barely mentioned. There are three developments with a focus on building housing at affordable prices, yet, so far, the rent levels are higher than the average rent in Malmö. Moreover, the other sub-districts, which take up most of the land in the waterfront district, do not mention anything regarding adequate housing. In addition, the reports indicate that the aim is to attract the knowledge-based society/ creative class (Florida 2002). The study concludes that the discourse within the reports imply the development of new-build gentrification. Consequently, it is argued that a neoliberal market-based approach hinders the succession of providing for adequate housing as the main focus lies on competition instead of housing. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Urfels, Marie LU
supervisor
organization
course
SGED10 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
SDG 11, waterfront development, new-build gentrification, adequate housing, social equity
language
English
id
8982236
date added to LUP
2020-02-03 09:38:00
date last changed
2020-02-03 09:38:00
@misc{8982236,
  abstract     = {{Increasing urbanization and the commodification of housing have contributed to limited availability of affordable housing in many cities worldwide. Marked-based rent regulations and the redevelop-ment of post-industrial harbor districts have given rise to the emergence of new-build gentrification in many cities. Sweden, formerly known for its social democratic and welfare state policies, has undergone legislative changes in housing policy in the past quarter decade which has made housing prices more dependent on the market. Malmö, one of Sweden’s biggest and most segregated cities, is internationally known for its sustainable waterfront development called Western Harbor. This study applies a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 macro-narrative that unfolds onto the micro-narrative of sustainable waterfront development in Malmö. Accordingly, it investigates how inclusive the housing landscape in Western Harbor is. A critical discourse analysis of the English policy reports made it possible to get an in-depth understanding of how adequate housing is represented in the reports. The major finding is that adequate housing, in terms of affordability and accessibility to low-income groups, has been barely mentioned. There are three developments with a focus on building housing at affordable prices, yet, so far, the rent levels are higher than the average rent in Malmö. Moreover, the other sub-districts, which take up most of the land in the waterfront district, do not mention anything regarding adequate housing. In addition, the reports indicate that the aim is to attract the knowledge-based society/ creative class (Florida 2002). The study concludes that the discourse within the reports imply the development of new-build gentrification. Consequently, it is argued that a neoliberal market-based approach hinders the succession of providing for adequate housing as the main focus lies on competition instead of housing.}},
  author       = {{Urfels, Marie}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Sustainable Urban Development and the Urban Waterfront: A Case study of Western Harbor, Malmö}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}