Affordable housing through inclusionary zoning – the case of Frihamnen, Gothenburg

Sammanfattning: The current housing crisis in Sweden affects more municipalities today than ever before. There is a high demand for all type of tenures and the housing shortage is primarily evident in the metropolitan cities. Sweden has during the last 15 year focused on building for high-income households, with the vision to create migratory chains providing other society groups with housing as well. The migratory chains unfortunately often become significantly short and the housing shortage remains for low-income households. Municipalities are now facing an unsustainable situation, with an urgent need to resolve the situation for low-income households. This needs to be performed without the stigmatization and segregation that clusters of only affordable housing brings. A Swedish pilot project, RiverCity, including affordable housing through inclusionary zoning is currently under development in Frihamnen, Gothenburg. The first phase of the RiverCity that will be completed is called "RiverCity 2021" and includes parts of Frihamnen and Ringön. The completion will coincide with Gothenburg's 400th anniversary in 2021.There are ongoing discussion, and some factors regarding rent setting and distribution of the affordable housing units are not yet determined. It is a new, interesting and innovative development project that has not yet been studied, and therefore considered suitable for a Master of Science thesis project. The thesis and case study was conducted through a qualitative inductive research approach, with a case study of the pilot project in Frihamnen, Gothenburg. The study indicates a high level of innovation among the actors to fulfill the requirements for the assignment of a land allocation. The impression is that the aktors are keen to determine criteria that ensure that the apartments are distributed to households without the financial ability to afford a lease in a new construction building. Inclusionary zoning and requirements in land allocation to develop affordable housing seems to be a prerequisite for the current development of affordable housing. The study provides a basis for further research on the outcomes of the current plans in the future.