Different Problems, Similar Solutions: A WPR Analysis of Social Mix in Malmö’s Urban Planning
(2026) SGEM08 20261Department of Human Geography
- Abstract
- Social mix has emerged as an essential planning ideal in contemporary urban development, with the assumption that greater diversity in housing tenure and population composition can lead to more socially sustainable communities. This study examines the implementation of social mix as a solution to solving the segregation problem in the city of Malmö. Through a comparative case study of two planning programmes, Holma-Kroksbäck and Klagshamn, the study examines how segregation is represented at two contrasting ends of the socio-economic spectrum and what planning rationalities underpin the proposed interventions. The study is based on a qualitative document analysis with the help of Carol Bacchi’s What’s the Problem Represented to Be? (WPR)... (More)
- Social mix has emerged as an essential planning ideal in contemporary urban development, with the assumption that greater diversity in housing tenure and population composition can lead to more socially sustainable communities. This study examines the implementation of social mix as a solution to solving the segregation problem in the city of Malmö. Through a comparative case study of two planning programmes, Holma-Kroksbäck and Klagshamn, the study examines how segregation is represented at two contrasting ends of the socio-economic spectrum and what planning rationalities underpin the proposed interventions. The study is based on a qualitative document analysis with the help of Carol Bacchi’s What’s the Problem Represented to Be? (WPR) approach, as well as being complemented by descriptive quantitative data on housing tenure and socio-economic characteristics. The two cases illustrate contrasting views on segregation. In Holma-Kroksbäck, the primary problem representations revolve around physical isolation, uniformity in housing types and social and functional insufficiencies in the neighbourhood. Klagshamn, on the other hand, faces issues tied to demographic exclusion, housing stock uniformity and an imbalance within Malmö’s broader housing supply. Yet, despite this difference in problem representations, both neighbourhoods rely on the same cure, that is diversifying housing types and tenure forms, but in opposite directions. The study concludes that Malmö’s social mix strategies are underpinned by a shared planning rationality, the assumption that changes to the physical environment and tenure forms will automatically generate demographic diversification and broader social transformation. Therefore, even though the problem representations are framed differently in each of the neighbourhoods, the underlying planning rationality remains surprisingly consistent regardless of the socio-economic context with social mix remaining a similar solution despite different problem representations. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Social blandning har framträtt som ett väsentligt planeringsideal i samtida stadsutveckling, med antagandet att större mångfald i bostadsinnehav och befolkningssammansättning kan leda till mer socialt hållbara samhällen. Denna studie undersöker implementeringen av social mix som en lösning för att lösa segregationsproblemet i Malmö stad. Genom en jämförande fallstudie av två planeringsprogram, Holma-Kroksbäck och Klagshamn, undersöker studien hur segregation representeras i två motsatta ändar av det socioekonomiska spektrumet och vilka planeringsrationaliteter som ligger till grund för de föreslagna interventionerna. Studien är baserad på en kvalitativ dokumentanalys med hjälp av Carol Bacchis What’s the Problem Represented to Be?... (More)
- Social blandning har framträtt som ett väsentligt planeringsideal i samtida stadsutveckling, med antagandet att större mångfald i bostadsinnehav och befolkningssammansättning kan leda till mer socialt hållbara samhällen. Denna studie undersöker implementeringen av social mix som en lösning för att lösa segregationsproblemet i Malmö stad. Genom en jämförande fallstudie av två planeringsprogram, Holma-Kroksbäck och Klagshamn, undersöker studien hur segregation representeras i två motsatta ändar av det socioekonomiska spektrumet och vilka planeringsrationaliteter som ligger till grund för de föreslagna interventionerna. Studien är baserad på en kvalitativ dokumentanalys med hjälp av Carol Bacchis What’s the Problem Represented to Be? (WPR)-metod, samt kompletteras av beskrivande kvantitativa data om bostadsinnehav och socioekonomiska egenskaper. De två fallen illustrerar motsatta synpunkter på segregation. I Holma-Kroksbäck kretsar de primära problemrepresentationerna kring fysisk isolering, enhetlighet i bostadstyper och sociala och funktionella brister i grannskapet. Klagshamn, å andra sidan, står inför problem kopplade till demografisk exkludering, enhetlighet i bostadsbeståndet och en obalans inom Malmös bredare bostadsutbud. Trots denna skillnad i problemrepresentationer förlitar sig båda stadsdelarna på samma botemedel, nämligen att diversifiera bostadstyper och upplåtelseformer, men i motsatta riktningar. Studien drar slutsatsen att Malmös strategier för social mix bygger på en gemensam planeringsrationalitet, antagandet att förändringar i den fysiska miljön och upplåtelseformerna automatiskt kommer att generera demografisk diversifiering och bredare social omvandling. Därför, även om problemrepresentationerna utformas olika i varje stadsdel, förblir den underliggande planeringsrationaliteten förvånansvärt konsekvent oavsett det socioekonomiska sammanhanget, där den sociala mixen förblir en liknande lösning trots olika problemrepresentationer. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9249435
- author
- Stanekzai, Najibullah LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SGEM08 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Social mix, Residential segregation, Tenure mix, Urban planning, WPR, Malmö
- language
- English
- id
- 9249435
- date added to LUP
- 2026-08-31 08:17:01
- date last changed
- 2026-08-31 08:17:01
@misc{9249435,
abstract = {{Social mix has emerged as an essential planning ideal in contemporary urban development, with the assumption that greater diversity in housing tenure and population composition can lead to more socially sustainable communities. This study examines the implementation of social mix as a solution to solving the segregation problem in the city of Malmö. Through a comparative case study of two planning programmes, Holma-Kroksbäck and Klagshamn, the study examines how segregation is represented at two contrasting ends of the socio-economic spectrum and what planning rationalities underpin the proposed interventions. The study is based on a qualitative document analysis with the help of Carol Bacchi’s What’s the Problem Represented to Be? (WPR) approach, as well as being complemented by descriptive quantitative data on housing tenure and socio-economic characteristics. The two cases illustrate contrasting views on segregation. In Holma-Kroksbäck, the primary problem representations revolve around physical isolation, uniformity in housing types and social and functional insufficiencies in the neighbourhood. Klagshamn, on the other hand, faces issues tied to demographic exclusion, housing stock uniformity and an imbalance within Malmö’s broader housing supply. Yet, despite this difference in problem representations, both neighbourhoods rely on the same cure, that is diversifying housing types and tenure forms, but in opposite directions. The study concludes that Malmö’s social mix strategies are underpinned by a shared planning rationality, the assumption that changes to the physical environment and tenure forms will automatically generate demographic diversification and broader social transformation. Therefore, even though the problem representations are framed differently in each of the neighbourhoods, the underlying planning rationality remains surprisingly consistent regardless of the socio-economic context with social mix remaining a similar solution despite different problem representations.}},
author = {{Stanekzai, Najibullah}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Different Problems, Similar Solutions: A WPR Analysis of Social Mix in Malmö’s Urban Planning}},
year = {{2026}},
}