Urban förslumning i utvecklade länder: En komparativ analys av de ekonomiska faktorerna bakom förslumning i USA och särskilt utsatta områden i Sverige.

Sammanfattning: This paper aims to analyze economical factors behind urban decay, also referred to as slums, in The United States and particularly vulnerable areas in Sweden. The purpose with this paper is to conclude whether or not urban decay in the U.S can be compared with particularly vulnerable areas in Sweden by examining the predominant economic factors behind decayed and particularly vulnerable areas in each country. A regression analysis has been conducted to study urban decay and particularly vulnerable areas with economic variables in San Francisco and Malmö as a basis for comparison. Economic variables that have been measured in the regression analysis are: income level, employment rate, educational attainment, real estate prices and number of ownership rights. The results of the regression analysis show that income level, employment rate, educational attainment, real estate prices and number of ownership rights have a significant impact on both urban decay and particularly vulnerable areas. The result further shows that real estate prices are the most dominant factor behind urban decay in San Francisco, while employment rate is the most dominant factor behind particularly vulnerable areas in Malmö. The result also shows that all economic variables have a greater significance in San Francisco than in Malmö. In conclusion, the general economic development towards urban decay in the U.S can be equated with the development towards particularly vulnerable areas in Sweden. However, the economical conditions of urban decay are more strenuous than the conditions in particularly vulnerable areas and cannot be equated with the same precision. Predominant economical factors behind urban decay in San Francisco and Malmö vary significantly, which imply that unique regional and national factors are very important to understand urban decay and particularly vulnerable areas in each country. Key Words: Urban decay, Particularly vulnerable areas, Income, Employment rate, Real estate prices, Ownership rights, Education, Regression analysis. Nyckelord: Förslumning, Särskilt utsatta områden, Inkomst, Förvärvsgrad, Fastighetspriser, Äganderätter, Utbildning, Regressionsanalys