PLANNING FOR SOCIALLY MIXED �AND INCLUSIVE NEIGHBOURHOODS�

24 Nov 2022

Mats Stjernberg

Nordregio

Photo: Volker von Bonin, Helsinki City Museum

• Planning for socially mixed and inclusive neighbourhoods (2021-2023)

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• Long-term planning for inclusive cities in the Nordic Region (2018-2020)

• Stjernberg (2019) Concrete Suburbia: Suburban housing estates and socio-spatial differentiation in Finland (PhD study)

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Nordic cities have traditionally had low levels of segregation.� �In recent years, growing concerns about increasing disparities between different population groups, which is reflected in greater socio-economic and ethnic segregation in many cities.

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Unemployment rate 1990

Helsinki was one of the least segregated cities in Europe in the early 1990s.

(Varady & Schulman 2007).

HELSINKI (1990)

Mats Stjernberg

Source Grid Database

(Statistics Finland)

(Unemployment 2.0%)

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Unemployment rate 2000

Mats Stjernberg

Source Grid Database

(Statistics Finland)

(Unemployment 8.3%)

HELSINKI (2000)

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Unemployment rate 2010

Mats Stjernberg

Source Grid Database

(Statistics Finland)

HELSINKI (2010)

(Unemployment 7.8%)

“Segregation in Helsinki is generally not severe, but some worrying signs are present.” (City of Helsinki 2019)�

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While no part of the city has deteriorated in absolute terms, the most affluent areas have experienced faster welfare growth than other areas, widening the gaps. ��Also, deprivation has become more increasingly multi-layered concentrated in the same areas.�

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Image source: Segregation Europe

Increasing socio-economic inequality

Manifested spatially in the form of segregation

Key structural causes of segregation:

• Inequality
• Changes in welfare and housing systems
• Global economic/labour market restructuring

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In Finland, employment opportunities have diminished for people with low levels of education: the number of jobs that were held by people with only basic level education decreased from 875,000 to 260,000 between 1987-2015 (Myrskylä 2017).

The Nordic policy landscape

• All Nordic countries, to a varying degree, have different policies for counteracting segregation and promoting social inclusion in cities and neighbourhoods.

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• Strategies in the Nordic countries cover a wide range of policy sectors and themes:
• Housing, education, labour market, integration, social welfare, democratic participation, children and youth, crime, spatial planning, etc.

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• Collaboration and coordination between actors at different territorial levels:
• Partnerships and participation
• Ministries and state agencies, regions, municipalities, civil society organisations, residents and local communities.

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An important part of Nordic policy and planning interventions are carried out through area-based regeneration initiatives targeting specific areas, associated with various problems.

”In Western Europe mass housing estates have become associated with physical, social and economic decline” (Musterd & van Kempen 2005)

Area-based regeneration in post-war housing estates

• FI: Regeneration programmes for post-war suburban housing estates (lähiöohjelmat)
• NO: Area-based initiatives in specific districts (områdesatsninger)
• DK: Policies targeting “parallel societies” or “ghettos”

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Residential block in Gellerup, Denmark. Photo: Sandra Oliveira e Costa.

• Initially, housing estates were symbols of social progress and a modern society, and the first estates were generally of high quality according to the standards of the time .
• However, the public opinion soon turned against them.
• Similar tendencies across Western Europe.

Photos: Helsinki City Museum

• The first minor renewal projects targeting suburban housing estates in the 1970s.
• Focus on design, spatial and physical measures, as well as social measures targeting social and cultural services.
• Increased concerns about unemployment and social problems following the deep economic recession in the early 1990s.
• A series of projects relying on both area-based and cross-sectoral approaches were launched.
• Five national programmes for housing estate renewal since the 90s (the most recent 2020–2022).
• State funding and project implementation in cities.

Source: Satakunta Museum; Photo: Sven Raita

Renewal initiatives in the Finnish ‘lähiö’

Neighbourhood regeneration in Pori, Finland

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Photo source: City of Pori

• 9 projects carried out in the city of Pori 1980–2015
• The most recent efforts in 2020–2022
• Various measures implemented:
• e.g., upgrading the built environment and housing stock; social measures to strengthen participation; address unemployment and enhance well-being.
• The aims and the implementation of the projects has not changed radically over time (path-dependency).

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Neighbourhood regeneration in Pori, Finland

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Successes

• Several successive projects → more favourable development of the areas, and stimulated dialogue over sectoral boundaries.
• Residents have become accustomed to these types of projects → increased participation.
• Refurbishment of the housing stock and outdoor spaces has improved the quality and appearance of these areas → greater housing satisfaction.
• Renovations in the social-rented housing stock, made possible by state funding.

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Light-art event organized in Sampola in 2014.

Source: City of Pori. Photo Antti Wallin

Neighbourhood regeneration in Pori, Finland

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Challenges

• More difficult to address problems connected to broader structural causes.
• High unemployment since the 90s.
• Changes in household composition.

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Source: Housing estate data aggregated from the Grid Database and YKR database by Mats Stjernberg.

Neighbourhood regeneration in Pori, Finland

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Challenges

• More difficult to address problems connected to broader structural causes.
• High unemployment since the 90s.
• Changes in household composition.
• Population decrease is a challenge for maintaining vitality and services.
• Difficult to fund costly refurbishments as real estate values are low.
• Ensuring longevity, as the regeneration projects have relied on a few individuals.

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Source: Housing estate data aggregated from the Grid Database and YKR database by Mats Stjernberg.

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Common features of area-based regeneration:

• Focus on similar areas (post-war housing estates)
• Deal with similar problems (built environment, housing stock and socio-economic composition).
• Several objectives often pursued simultaneously (place-based and people-based ones).
• Area-based approaches more effective in addressing locally based problems.
• …but have more limited effects on problems where the causes are located outside the neighbourhood.

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Aerial view of Sampola in Pori

Source: Lentokuva Vallas

Conclusions

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• Area-based approaches should not be simply deemed as ineffective, but the limitations of these approaches in addressing specific neighbourhood problems should be acknowledged.

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• No universally applicable recipe for creating more inclusive cities and neighbourhoods.

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• Long-term planning and continuous efforts and preparedness to tackle new challenges is vital.

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Conclusions

Mikkola in Vantaa, Finland

Photo: Mats Stjernberg

Thank you!