NOT IN MY LIMHAMN : Investigating the implications of social mixing in an affluent area, through the case of Limhamns Sjöstad

Sammanfattning: In 2020, reports were made of local opposition directed towards the development of public housing in a new residential area called Limhamns Sjöstad (Limhamn's seaside town), located in one of the most affluent districts of Malmö, Sweden. The reports of the local opposition initiated a media debate regarding the municipal housing provision and aim to promote social mixing to counteract segregation within the city. In contrast to international examples of social mixing, which tend to target only deprived areas, the Swedish policy on social mixing promotes a strategy that equally includes affluent areas. Building on prior research on the subject of social mixing, this case study of Limhamns Sjöstad aims to contribute to a scarcity of research regarding the implications of social mixing within an affluent area. With special emphasis on the local opposition, it aims to examine and explain the reactions and opposition to social mixing, connected to local ideas of who should be able to live in a place like Limhamns Sjöstad. Furthermore, how the mode of implementation and interests among different stakeholders involved have affected the development and expectations of its end result, in ways that might have contributed to the emergence of local opposition. For these purposes, the study investigates Malmö's municipal aim to promote social mixing and role of public housing, in comparison to international research. Through a document analysis, the local opposition and reactions against the social mixing in Limhamns Sjöstad are analysed with the help of theories of difference, fear of the stranger, self-segregation and NIMBYism. Additionally, complementary qualitative interviews with planning professionals provided a deeper understanding of the case and the interests of involved stakeholders. The study shows how opposition against social mixing in Limhamns Sjöstad is connected both to a demographic change and to the character of the new built environment, where local ideas of identity and status have influenced who and what is considered to fit in and belong there. Thus, the municipal strategy is perceived to inflict on local interests which are perceived to be ignored and overlooked. Furthermore, the case illustrates the ambiguity of municipal planning in private planning developments. As such, the case reveals a complexity in terms of how municipal, private and local interests come into conflict both among each other and among themselves.