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Publications

Policy briefs

Can Planning Combat Segregation and Strengthen Social Sustainability?

Within Nordic cities, residential segregation is high on the agenda and a hotly debated topic, often discussed alongside concerns relating to socio-economic inequality, welfare provision, immigration and integration. Social sustainability is another recurrent ‘buzzword’, but what does it actually mean and imply in practice? This policy brief presents Nordic perspectives on segregated cities and planning for social sustainability.

Nordregio Policy Brief 2016:2 Can planning combat segregation and strengthen social sustainability?

City-Region Planning for Everyday Life

Whether cities can provide a high quality of life for their inhabitants is an increasingly pressing question, especially in the light of rapid urbanization and climate change. This policy brief proposes that city-region planners could adopt everyday life theory to (1) influence everyday life practices in support of city-region sustainability and to (2) connect spatial structure/ urban form better with existing sustainability challenges.

Nordregio Policy Brief 2015:7 City-Region Planning for Everyday Life: Experiences from Four Nordic City-Regions.

Planning Nordic City-Regions: Challenges and Opportunities

Contemporary challenges for the development of sustainable urban regions in the Nordic countries relate to how physical planning can contribute to green growth and city-regional competitiveness. This policy brief presents an overview of the different challenges and opportunities faced by the larger Nordic city-regions. These challenges relate to (1) urban form and growth, (2) social cohesion and diversity and (3) implementation and governance.

Nordregio Policy Brief 2015:3 Planning Nordic City Regions: Challenges and Opportunities.

Indicator frameworks: Helping planners monitor urban sustainability

This policy brief aims to provide planners with a clearer understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of sustainability indicators to support urban planning and policy-making.

Nordregio Policy Brief 2015:1 Indicator frameworks: Helping Planners Monitor Urban Sustainability.

Integrated Models: Planning Urban Sustainability

This policy brief offers local and regional planners an introduction to the world of integrated urban modelling. It provides information on its potential benefits, implementation process and current use in the Nordic city-regions.

Nordregio Policy Brief 2014:1 Integrated Models: Planning Urban Sustainability.

Nordregio working papers

Segregated cities and planning for social sustainability – a Nordic perspective

Within Nordic cities, residential segregation is a hotly debated topic, often discussed in conjunction with concerns relating to socio economic inequality, welfare provision, immigration, and integration. Nordic capital cities have experienced similar patterns of segregation and face shared problems.

Nordregio Working Paper 2016:3. Segregated cities and planning for social sustainability – a Nordic perspective

A Spatial Analysis of City-Regions: Urban Form and Service Accessibility

This project was completed on behalf of the Nordic Working Group for Green Growth – Sustainable Urban Regions under the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy, Nordic Council of Ministers. This working group focuses on how spatial planning can support the development of attractive and sustainable city-regions, along with contributing to the development of beneficial tools for city-regional planning.

Nordregio Working Paper 2016:2. A Spatial Analysis of City-Regions: Urban Form and Service Accessibility.

Green Growth and Spatial Planning in the Nordic City-Regions: An Overview of Concepts and Policies

Nordic co-operation on green growth is important if we are to improve common infrastructure for coping with shared economic and climate challenges, and if we are to move research and innovation forward in order to create a more environmentally friendly Nordic region.

Nordregio Working Paper 2014:5. Green Growth and Spatial planning in the Nordic City Regions: An overview of Concepts and Policies.

The Use of Integrated Urban Models in the Nordic Countries: Summary and Documentation of an Online Survey

This working paper presents the results of a survey on the use of Integrated Urban Models in the Nordic countries, carried out by Nordregio’s researchers (with preparatory support from WSP Analysis and Strategy). It reveals that the use of models is limited in the Nordic countries and provides an account of the underlying reasons that, despite the potential benefits they offer, models are not more widely used.

Nordregio Working Paper 2014:1. The Use of Integrated Urban Models in the Nordic Countries: Summary and Documentation of an Online Survey.

Other Reports

This report is the result of an inventory and assessment of different land-use models that are (or have been) in use in different parts of the world. The report has been written by Lars Berglund and Svante Berglund, senior analysts at WSP Analysis & Strategy.

WSP Report: Review of Land-Use Models: Summary and Documentation.

Nordregio News

A new wave of reforms sweeping over the Nordic countries?

Municipal reforms are gaining political momentum in the Nordic countries, which all face great social changes. Some countries have already pushed their reforms through; others are still struggling with decisions on the matter. In this issue of Nordregio News, we review current initiatives on municipal reforms in the Nordic countries. What exactly is happening now, and why?

Nordregio News Issue 3, 2015. A new wave of reforms sweeping over the Nordic countries?

Planning Tools for Urban Sustainability

In this issue of Nordregio News, researchers explore new technologies and new tools for sustainable urban planning. From different perspectives the three articles provide new insights on innovative planning tools and models for managing complexity at different scales.

Nordregio News Issue 1 2014 Planning Tools for Sustainability.