Can We Plan for Social Sustainability? : A study of Stora Sköndal, Stockholm

Sammanfattning: The foundation Stora Sköndal is currently planning a city development programme with a focus on creation of a modern, socially sustainable urban district. The programme is called “Framtidens Stora Sköndal”. With close collaboration with the city planning office in Stockholm and with the aim to contribute to the goals that the City of Stockholm has set for a development of a coherent and socially sustainable city, the foundation aims to build “an inclusive area, characterized by empathy and an open-minded attitude” where people from different backgrounds, different origins, with different economical, physical, and psychological abilities can meet and live together. The programme plan encompasses new housing for approximately 10,000 additional dwellers and thousands of new workplaces. It also includes for example, six character areas and six principles for urban planning that have been developed for the programme to support the goals of creating a socially sustainable urban district of Sköndal. The programme is planned to be implemented by 2035 hence, within this study it will not be possible to draw any conclusions on the final result. Rather, this study is a descriptive study that discusses theory, visions, programme documents and the process behind the programme and the different actors involved. The study has showed that the programme for Framtidens Stora Sköndal has a potential to deliver at least some part of the visions and goals they aiming at. However, the process and the implantation of a socially sustainable district can meet challenges along the way. The individuals have been shown to play an important role in the development and implementation of the programme. Furthermore, the steering effects of economy seems to trump even strong ideas and visions. Politics are other factors that have been showed being a game changer.