Den svenska slummen - en undersökning av dess förekomst och orsaker

Sammanfattning: To suggest that slums exist in Sweden is still rather controversial. However, several cases of highly unacceptable housing conditions have been revealed lately. The aim of this study is to examine whether there is slum in Sweden today, and further and more importantly, to identify the mechanisms that enables slum to arise. The fundamental theoretical perspective for the essay lies in “the right to the city”. Thence theories considered useful for explaining slum in Sweden and its mechanisms have been selected. Among others the works of David Harvey, Eric Clark and Iris Marion Young. Except for analysing a wide range of literature, documents and statistics, interviews with professionals working with poor housing conditions have been conducted. I argue that slum is a relational concept, and that it certainly exists in Sweden. It is created by many factors, both political and economical as well as social and cultural. The last decades there has been a shift towards neoliberal ideals that have changed housing policy to a more market oriented approach with less regulation. Due to this, the inherent goal of capitalism (profit) can be achieved through more dubious methods. The same ideals have caused a significant socio-economic polarization within the population, and a growing market for poor housing.