What’s on in small and medium sized
cities in the Nordics?
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Moa Tunström, Nordregio
The Nordic Thematic Groups
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The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy (EK-R)
The Nordic co-operation programme for regional development and planning
Members: Representatives of relevant ministries and national authorities, regional administrations and the cross-border committees.
Nordregio acting as secretariat.
Three Thematic groups 2017-2020:
1. Sustainable rural development 2. Innovative and resilient regions
3. Sustainable cities and urban development
Purpose:
to implement the co-operation programme
to bring together relevant and interested
stakeholders at the national and regional level in the Nordic countries
to contribute to the exchange of knowledge and experience between regional policy stakeholders
promote the Nordic perspectives in the area of
policy, and the importance of regional policy issues
for sustainable development and growth
Challenges and possibilities for Nordic city regions
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Continuous urbanization – accommodating growth in a sustainable way
Densification and mix of functions – the compact city norm and its contradictions
Socio-economic differences – segregation
Diverse everyday life – accommodating a variety of life styles
Governing across administrative borders Co-ordination of plans and policies
Practising communicative planning
Planning regional development
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Investigating small and
medium sized cities in the Nordics
The Nordic cooperation programme Nordregios activities
• to increase knowledge concerning the local urban qualities and socioeconomic conditions of small and medium sized Nordic and Arctic cities,
• to help improve governance practices for sustainable development of small and medium sized Nordic and Arctic cities, based on their local urban qualities and socioeconomic conditions,
• to deepen the understanding of linkages and external relations (regional, national, global) of small and medium sized Nordic and Arctic cities with particular focus on urban-rural relations.
Social sustainability
Contribute to a small/medium sized cities perspective on international urban theory
What IS a small/medium sized city, and what is particular
about it?
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What’s on in small and medium sized cities in the Nordics?
― Urban design aspects – city centers, public spaces
― Transportation, smart growth – car dependency, public transport
― Digitalization and smart cities – promises and threats
― Housing – lack of housing, social housing, tourism, migration etc.
And how to approach it in research?
Upcoming research activities
― Long term planning for inclusive cities: urban planning in small and medium sized cities in times of migration
― Urban-rural relations: Small and medium sized cities as mediators between the urban and the rural, flows of people, flows of goods, discursive categories
― Strategies for city centres? Digitalisation and its benefits and
challenges? Transportation futures for small and medium sized cities?
Transportation for cross-border regions in the Nordics?
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