En stad i världsklass – hur och för vem? : En studie om Stockholms sociala stadsplanering

Sammanfattning: The city is characterised by unequal living conditions and inequities. Residential segregation – in the sense that people with different socio-economic resources and of various ethnicities live separately from one another – is a major cause of urban inequities. Urban planning has contributed to segregation but also provides the potential for change by facilitating a more just and non-segregated city. Social sustainability and social justice objectives, however, usually conflict with a neoliberal planning mindset, one that shapes both the planning conditions and approach and benefits economic growth. The aim of this thesis is to examine how and for whom Stockholm is being planned in order to thus clarify whether the planning reduces segregation and contributes to creating a more just city. This is done by looking at Stockholm’s overall planning approach, based on the ambitious objective of ‘a world-class Stockholm’, and the present planning of two areas – Järva and Stockholm Royal Seaport. Vision Järva 2030 is a strategy to develop segregated neighbourhoods, while Stockholm Royal Seaport is a new urban development project. The analysis highlights that Stockholm’s planning is in a dialectical state between a socially sustainable approach – with the goal of reducing inequities and segregation – and a neoliberal development logic focusing on competing with other cities to attract investment. The latter, however, predominates, for instance resulting in social strategies taking place on neoliberal terms and so losing their true meaning. The planning focuses primarily on developing the city for a neoliberal subject associated with economic growth. In accordance with this, a lifestyle philosophy based on the city centre’s urban city ideals and middle-class consumption and activity patterns is in evidence in the planning. The overall conclusion is that the planning cannot be deemed to reduce segregation or contribute to the creation of a just city as a result of how and for whom the city is being planned.