Regional Development Plan 2001 for the Stockholm Region

Regional development plan for the County of Stockholm. Adopted by the County Council at the council meeting on 14 May 2002.

RUFS 2001

Short Summary

Regionplane- och trafikkontoret

Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportatio

A plan for long-term sustainable development in the Stockholm region

After many years of work, the Regional Development Plan for the Stockholm region RUFS 2001 is now finished and can be used. The overall vision is that the region must have a long-term sustainable development with social and economic balance. The vision is based on three basic objectives: international competitiveness good and equal living conditions long-term sustainable living environment. These objectives have been the starting point when the strong and weak sides, the possibilities, and the needs of the region have been analysed. The Stockholm region is the administrative and economic centre of Sweden and has good prerequisites of being the engine for development in the whole country. The region has a good starting position it is attractive, innovative, and in many respects efficient. But if the development possibilities of the region are to be utilised fully, an active regional planning is needed and bottlenecks and other obstacles for development must be removed. In May 2002 the County Council, which is the regional planning authority, approved the Regional Development Plan 2001 for the Stockholm region, RUFS. A planning process was thus terminated, one that had been in progress for more than a decade and involved many of the stakeholders in the region: the municipalities, government and regional authorities, as well as organisations. The plan has been circulated for comment a number of times and is thus well established. During this process, regional mutual viewpoints were developed around important objectives, strategies, and measures. In this way the region will be able to pursue pressing issues better in the future. The development plan has a wide base. Besides the physical planning, it deals with issues concerning trade and industry, innovations, integration, and competence development. At the same time it is a regional plan in the full meaning of the Planning and Building Act. The complete version of the development plan can be ordered from Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation, Box 4414, 102 69 Stockholm, by email from rtk@rtk.sll.se, or be downloaded from www.rtk.sll.se. More information about the various parts of RUFS as well as interactive maps are available at: www.stockholmsregionen2030.nu

www.stockholmsregionen2030.nu

Regional Development Plan 2001 for the Stockholm region Project leader: Gran Johnson Responsible for maps: Julie Mostert, Sara Webjrn From GSD Lantmteriverket Gvle 2003. Permissions: M 2003/4591. Cover illustration: Kerstin Rundlf, RTK Graphic design: SOYA, www.soya.se Printed by: Katarina Tryck, Stockholm 2003 ISSN 1402-1331

Starting point the region at the beginning of the 21st century

The regions strong sides The Stockholm region has Swedens largest domestic market. There are more businesses here than anywhere else in Sweden. A number of prominent scientific institutions are also active in the international exchange of ideas. The labour market is large and differentiated and unemployment is low. However there is one weakness, unemployment is concentrated to certain groups of immigrants. Compared to other metropolitan areas, the Stockholm region has a good environment with clean air and water as well as extensive green areas. At the same time, development is so dense that there are good prerequisites for resourcesaving solutions and for an extensive public transport system. Regional growing pains During the past fifteen years the population of the county has increased by one percent per annum on average. If the population continues to increase at the same rate during the coming 30 years, there will be 400,000 to 600,000 more people living in the region in the year 2030. The lower figure reflects an increase in population at the same rate as during the 1980s. The higher figure reflects a growth similar to that of the 1990s. Housing construction and the extension of the traffic system have however not kept pace with the growth in population. People in the greater Stockholm area live in more cramped accommodation than others and young people here have difficulty in finding their own flat. Companies run into trouble when recruiting personnel from other parts of the country because vacant dwellings are scarce and expensive. A well functioning housing market is therefore an important prerequisite for development in the region. The flow of traffic on many of the roads leading into Stockholm has already reached full capacity. The traffic system is very sensitive to disturbances and there are long queues on the major roads every day. The problem can get worse because when the population grows by one percent, the traffic increases by two percent. There is a lack of places for higher education in the region. Young people in the county are experiencing tougher competition than those in other parts of the country when it comes to getting into colleges and universities in their home county. The Stockholm region and the world The Stockholm region does not compete with the remainder of Sweden but with other metropolitan areas. But competition must be combined with co-operation and the region has close connections with important regions abroad. The region has particularly good prerequisites for developing into a centre for the Baltic Sea Region and several indicators show that the exchanges between the large cities in the area are increasing.

1910

1944

1999

10

10

Stockholm housing developments during the 20th century. 3

Five strategies
The regional development plan is based on five strategies that have evolved during the planning and consultation process. The strategies can be realized by input in nine different fields. The strategies and the input form a pattern where a certain effort is included as a part in a number of strategies, e.g. the development of competence or investments in infrastructure. Increasing the regions capacity Two long-term trends are that the population is increasing, by people moving in from other parts of the country and by an excess of births over deaths, and that the economy is growing. The region needs to improve its capacity to house the growing population and create prerequisites for a longterm sustainable economic development. The number of vacant homes on offer must be increased and the capacity of the transport system must be strengthened. More colleges and universities need to be built in the region to meet the long-term demand. Strengthen the innovation environment of the region The regions educational and research resources must be strengthened and further developed. By creating more dense environments and meeting places, the region can improve its innovation climate. Today the inner city of Stockholm is unique in the region because of its density and accessibility. The region needs more places with a sufficiently high density of resources, companies, and customers, that can be attractive to various clusters of trade and industry. Regional cores in the outer areas can also be meeting places, like the inner city. Expand and hold the region together The functional Stockholm region is growing, which is positive. A large and closely connected regional market is robust and can form a base for a wide range of goods and services. The expansion of the region into adjacent counties in the Valley of Lake Mlaren can be supported by improved interregional transport that facilitates commuting to work and other contacts. But at the same time the regions internal connections must be retained, not least the social. The region must be held together, if its size is to be advantageous. Therefore the connections from Lake Mlaren to the Baltic Sea need to be strengthened. There is also a need for strong regional cores in all parts of the region with good connections to the regional centres and with each other.

Subject areas Renewal and innovation Integration and immigration Competence, development and R&D Housing structure Green and blue structures Transport system

Land and premises for work places and services Housing market and house building Technical infrastructure

St ra te gie s Inc rea of s the e th reg e ca Str ion pac ity e en ngth v ir en on me the Ex nt inn pa of ova reg nd the tio a ion nd reg n tog hol ion De d e the the v r an elop ds t tru he r ctu egi re on Int s s ern yst ati em on s ali se the reg ion

Seen internationally, the Stockholm region has a strong social capital. The inhabitants of the region have trust in each other and have confidence in the regions institutions. To be able to retain this capital intact and to enable the region to compete in an internationalised world, a much stronger integration between Swedish-born people and immigrants is needed. Develop the structures and systems in the region The structures of the region housing and transport systems have traditionally been star-like. The important transport systems start in the centre of Stockholm and housing spreads radially along the main roads, railways, and underground. The Baltic Sea and Lake Mlaren as well as the green wedges accentuate the star-like structure. As there is good accessibility to the regional centre but cross-connections are poor, many operations have been concentrated to the central parts of Stockholm. But costs are high and still growing. It must therefore be possible to decentralise work places and service. New companies are favoured by joint localisation and the region needs a structure with a limited number of strengthened outer core areas that can off-load and supplement the city.

It is also advantageous from a transport viewpoint if the cores outside the regional centre can be junctions and changing points in the transport system. Increased co-operation between different forms of public transport gives improved efficiency in the transport system. People living in the greater Stockholm region use public transport to a greater extent today compared to people living in other regions. Public transport must also retain its competitiveness in order to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in the future. Internationalise the region The Stockholm region is much dependent on international contacts and markets. Internationalisation requires openness to the surrounding world and co-operation with other regions. Exchanges and contacts with other regions must be facilitated by developing the international connections of the transport systems.

International direct airline connections from Stockholm Number of departures per week Number of inhabitants, millions

Airline connections in the central Baltic Sea region.

Several strategically important development areas

Renewal and innovation Seen internationally, the Stockholm region is a medium sized metropolitan region and thus needs a more pronounced profile than the larger metropolises. The region should continue to build on the strength of being positively disposed towards innovation and renewal and have an objective of being a world-leading environment for the development of new companies, founded on innovation and technology. New products and services will be developed here together with new methods for production, marketing, and distribution. Companies will be given good opportunities for testing new forms of management, organisation, co-operation, and competence development. The public sector can stimulate the development of companies by participating in the creation of more dense and accessible environments, e.g. in the form of science parks. Municipalities and the county council should draw up an action plan to force the pace of renewal in their procurement and tenders. E-commerce should be the normal thing, both for tenders and for continued contact with suppliers. The contacts with innovative regions in other countries should be strengthened. Integration and immigration The region is multi-cultural and should adapt itself to and take advantage of this. Integration and immigration are important requirements for growth and renewal and for the social functioning of the region. Deficiencies in integration politics and the reception of refugees have produced problems with segregation and regional differences, which is a new and alarming dimension. The work of integration must have a wide perspective and be long-term. Some municipalities have a much greater density of immigrants than others and it is not the task of these municipalities to solve these issues alone. Efforts in problematic areas are valuable but must be supplemented by measures to bring all the inhabitants of the region closer together and to increase mobility in the region. The reception of immigrants must be more individual. When recruiting labour, employers should prioritise variety and the rules for the immigration of manpower should be simplified to meet the expected shortage of labour in many fields. The integration of refugee immigrants is facilitated when places of work become more multi-cultural. Competence development and R&D If the Stockholm region is to stay dynamic and growth oriented even in the future, it is important that efforts are made to develop competence and strengthen research and development (R&D). Only then will companies find it favourable to locate their knowledge intensive operations to the region. If such efforts are made in various parts of the region, all the inhabitants will have the same opportunities for competence development irrespective of ethnic, geographic and social prerequisites and the regional integration will increase. Measures are also needed to increase the number of young people that go on to higher education after leaving school. The number of places in universities and colleges in the county must be increased considerably and Sdertrn University College must be given the prerequisites to allow it to develop into a university. Co-operation between trade and industry and education and research should be developed. Multi-core structure The Stockholm region is today basically single-core and operations and work places are very much concentrated to the inner city. However, the number of houses and work places outside the central area will increase gradually. When the region grows, the potential of new regional cores increases. These can supplement the regional centre at the same time as housing is concentrated and sprawling is counteracted. Good communications with the regional centre and with other core areas are required if a core is to develop. Additions need to be made to the radial track system in the form of transverse roads and public transport connections that can off-load the regional centre and improve accessibility between different areas. At the same time it is important that the advantages of the star structure are utilised. The following outer cores have such a potential that they should be prioritised in the long term: Regional cores: Barkarby Jakobsberg Kista Sollentuna Hggvik Flemingsberg Sdertlje Tby centre Arninge Skrholmen Kungens kurva Haninge centre The cores can be supported by investments in the traffic system and by localising public sector operations there.

An unbalanced housing market

A well functioning housing market with sufficient building of new houses, is an important prerequisite for the development of a dynamic region like the Stockholm region. A shortage of housing causes difficult economic and social consequences. The building of new houses in the region has not kept up with the fast growth of the population. The number of new houses built has dropped from approx. 9,000 dwellings per annum at the beginning of the 1990s to about 3,000 to 5,000 dwellings per annum in recent years. There is now a shortage of housing in nearly all the municipalities in the region. The planning of the municipalities as regards new housing up to the year 2015 is in excess of the needs in the Base Level. But some preparedness is needed to meet the High Level and for a long-term expansion.

House-building and Population growth.

Year 2000
Municipality Botkyrka Danderyd Eker Haninge Huddinge Jrflla Liding Nacka Norrtlje Nykvarn Nynshamn Salem Sigtuna Sollentuna Solna Stockholm Sundbyberg Sdertlje Tyres Tby Upplands-Bro Upplands Vsby Vallentuna Vaxholm Vrmd sterker The County Inhabitants 73,0 29,5 22,5 69,5 84,5 60,5 40,5 75,0 52,5 8,0 24,0 14,0 35,0 58,0 56,5 751,0 34,0 78,0 39,0 60,0 21,0 37,5 25,0 9,5 31,5 34,5 1 824,5 Dwellings 30,0 12,0 8,5 30,5 36,5 26,5 19,0 31,5 25,5 3,0 11,0 5,5 15,5 24,0 30,5 405,5 18,5 36,5 16,0 24,5 8,5 16,5 10,0 4,0 13,0 14,0 876,0

Base Level year 2015

Inhabitants 86,5 31,0 27,5 77,0 89,5 64,5 42,0 86,0 65,5 10,5 27,0 17,5 40,5 61,5 68,0 801,0 36,0 82,5 45,0 63,5 30,0 44,5 35,0 12,0 47,0 44,5 2 035,0 Dwellings 36,5 13,5 11,0 37,0 42,0 32,0 21,0 39,0 33,5 4,5 13,5 7,5 19,5 28,0 39,0 433,5 21,0 41,5 19,0 28,5 13,5 21,0 15,0 5,5 20,0 19,5 1 015,0

High Level year 2015

Inhabitants 91,0 32,0 31,5 81,5 97,0 70,0 44,0 89,5 68,5 12,0 28,5 19,5 43,5 68,0 71,0 812,0 39,5 90,0 46,0 67,5 32,0 46,5 37,5 13,0 52,0 48,0 2 132,5 Dwellings 38,5 14,0 12,5 39,0 45,0 34,5 22,0 40,5 35,0 5,5 14,0 8,5 21,0 30,5 40,5 437,5 22,5 44,5 19,5 30,0 14,5 22,0 16,0 6,0 22,0 21,0 1 056,0

Population and dwellings in municipalities in the years 20 2015 in thousands of inhabi

12

A sustainable development
The measures described in the respective subject areas have been considered from a sustainability perspective. The consequence assessment shows that the development plan makes a positive contribution to the sustainability of the region. The stakeholders in the region must co-operate in the process to ensure a long-term sustainable development for the Stockholm region. A regional development plan alone cannot lead to a long-term sustainable development in the region. But the plan can definitely make a contribution on the way. To achieve a long-term sustainable development, other measures are also needed, measures outside the framework of RUFS, e.g. the development of cleaner technology for car engines and fuels. Another requirement is a sufficiently high investment level in housing, education, and infrastructure. There are many things in a large city like Stockholm that give good prerequisites for a sustainable development. Denser housing requires less land for dwellings. It also provides a base for more efficient and environmentally friendly heating using district heating, efficient public transport, shorter travel routes, and improved service.

From the plan to implementation

The Stockholm County Council has the prime responsibility for drawing up and adopting RUFS 2001. According to the planning and building law, it should serve as guidance for decisions about comprehensive land use plans, detailed development plans, and area regulations. The municipalities, together with other national and regional stakeholders, have in various ways a mutual responsibility to continue the process of putting the plan into effect. The intention is that the regional development plan and the mutual viewpoints it represents, should function as a common base for the continued planning and efforts of many stakeholders in the county, individually or in co-operation. The work will be carried out at a number of levels. The stakeholders in the region should work to improve and deepen national metropolitan politics, which are underdeveloped in Sweden compared to other countries. The region should also make quite clear its interests in national and international politics. Co-operation with neighbouring counties in the Lake Mlaren valley should be strengthened in relevant fields. Co-operation in the various parts of the region can be deepened with sub-regional plans and investigations as data for decisions and agreements. The County Council will make up its mind about the up-to-dateness of the development plan during the current term of office. The Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Committee is responsible for following up the plan and for producing decision data before its up-to-dateness is examined. The Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation will report to the Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Committee and other stakeholders about how the implementation is developing and invite people to conferences and negotiations about the continued implementation. The Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Committee also has the intention of initiating and participating in the implementation of certain parts of the plan. The Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Committee will participate during the next few years in realising RUFS in a number of areas, including the following: Multi-core structures Expanded functional region Metropolitan politics Sustainable regional development Infrastructure planning Green structure Sub-regional co-operation International co-operation

13

Read more
You can read more about the Regional Development Plan for the Stockholm Region (RUFS 2001) and its various parts in the following publications: Regional Development Plan 2001 for the Stockholm Region. Program & proposals 2:02 The future of the Stockholm region, a long-term strategy. Program & proposals 1:00 Regional plan 2000, Program & proposals 3:00 Traffic in the Regional plan 2000. Program & proposals 4:00 Economic growth, renewal and integration. Program & proposals 5:00 Competence, development and R&D. Program & proposals 6:00 The Baltic Sea Region perspective. Program & proposals 7:00 RUFS 2001, Exhibition proposal. Program & proposals 1:01 RUFS 2001, Consultation report. Program & proposals 2:01 RUFS 2001, Exhibition report. Program & proposals 1:02 Regions, commerce, and growth. Report 6:98 Scenarios for education. Report 1:99 Todays youth are tomorrows adults. Report 3:99 Development politics in three metropolitan regions. Report 4:99 The Stockholm region in the world. Report 2:00 Water in the Stockholm region. Report 3:00 Social atlas of the Stockholm region. Report 4:00 Metropolitan politics in debates and action. Report 5:00 Housing? Report 6:00 Energy supplies 20002030. Report 8:00 The role of the Stockholm region for Swedens growth. Report 1:01 Blue structure in the County of Stockholm. Report 3:01 Experience values, social qualities in the regional green structure. Report 4:01 Information system for the regional green areas. Report 6:01 More cores. Report 1:03 The Stockholm regions interplay with its close surroundings. Report 2:03 Modern national metropolitan politics. Metropolitan politics 5:2003 Other information Information about RUFS 2001 in English Summary of RUFS 2001 in English Planning in the Stockholm region in Swedish and English Fact sheet with statistics about the Stockholm region Ordering All these publications can be ordered free of charge from: Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation, Box 4414, 102 69 Stockholm, Sweden. Email: rtk@rtk.sll.se, fax +46 8 737 25 66. Please state the name of the report(s) required and the quantity, the name of the orderer, organisation/company, address, telephone, fax, and e-mail address. Some of the reports published by the Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation are no longer in stock. All the RTK publications can be downloaded from website: www.rtk.sll.se/publikationer/index

14

Regional Development Plan 2001 for the Stockholm Region

RUFS 2001
The overall vision for the Stockholm region is a long-term sustainable development with social and ecological balance. Three basic objectives have been decided for the development of the region: International competitiveness Good and equal living conditions Long-term sustainable living environment The growth of the Stockholm region makes demands on the planning of the buildings and green areas as well as the infrastructure. The Regional Development Plan 2001 for the Stockholm region (RUFS) describes what needs to be done to meet the expected growth in various areas during the coming 30 years. RUFS is a strategic instrument for uniting the continued growth with a long-term sustainable development. The County Council is responsible for regional planning in the County of Stockholm. In RUFS the perspective has been extended from physical planning to issues concerning innovation, integration, and competence development. The designation Regional Development Plan has been used to underline this change, even if RUFS is still a regional plan as defined in the Planning and Building Act (PBL). The work of drawing up a regional development plan for the Stockholm region has been in progress for several years in close co-operation with municipalities, regional authorities and organisations. The County Council adopted the regional development plan in May 2002. The plan became formally legal in November of the same year and is valid for six years, i.e. until November 2008. It will now form a base for the planning of the municipalities, for government organisations, and for other stakeholders.

Regional development plan for the County of Stockholm. Adopted by the County Council at the council meeting on 14 May 2002.

Regionplane- och trafikkontoret

Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation
Stockholm County Council Medborgarplatsen 25 Box 4414, 102 69 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. +46 8 737 25 00, fax +46 8 737 25 66 Email: rtk@rtk.sll.se Homepages: www.stockholmsregionen2030.nu and www.rtk.sll.se

ISSN 1402-1331