Sustainable Nordic Cities With Focus On Climate Smart Mobility

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2021-505/# Sustainable Nordic cities with a focus on climate-smart mobility is one of four projects launched under the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2018. The aim of the project is to contribute to a sustainable urban development by supporting the transition to fossil free and sustainable transportation in Nordic cities and their surround-ing regions. The project involves collaborating and exchanging experi-ences with other Nordic countries to find solutions for charging electric vehicles and creating attractive and climate-smart urban transport. This report has been compiled from some of the most interesting applicable examples found in the Nordic countries. In here we present policy recom-mendations and good examples on how to accelerate the transition to cli-mate-smart mobility and accessibility based firmly on these Nordic exchang-es of knowledge and experiences.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-727/ Our Vision 2030 seeks to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. When pursuing such an ambitious goal, it is important to monitor progress closely and regularly. The Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned Rambøll Management Consulting to draw up a baseline measurement for Our Vision and paint a picture of where the Nordic Region stands now. While the report shows that the foundations for the work are solid and progress generally good, it also identifies a number of challenges and points out where there is room for improvement, especially in terms of the green transition.

The idea of smart cities has become enormously popular during the past decade. Environmental governance is one issue in which smart city ideas seem to hold potential. However, there is an incredible variety in what it means for a city to be ‘smart’. For some, it involves the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to solve problems; for others, it has more to do with economic growth and city branding. Many social science researchers have criticised the idea of smart cities. They worry that it might allow multinational corporations to take control of municipal governance and lead to an undue focus on technological solutions to societal issues. However, only a few previous studies have examined the influence on urban environmental governance in practice. This thesis investigates the influence of smart city ideas on urban environmental governance through a study of Hyllie, a climate-smart city district in Malmö, Sweden. It applies a theoretical perspective based on science and technology studies and the concept of assemblage. It combines participant-observation of inter-organisational meetings, interviews with professionals and document analysis. This thesis contributes a more comprehensive picture of which actors influence the direction of the climate-smart city—beyond the usual suspects of municipal governments and multinational companies. Still, it shows how ICT-based smart city solutions have taken precedence in urban environmental governance at the expense of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Smarta städer har blivit oerhört populärt koncept under det senaste decenniet. Miljöstyrning är ett område där smarta städer visar potential. Det finns dock många tolkningar av vad ordet ’smart’ betyder för städer. För vissa handlar det om tillämpning av informations- och kommunikationsteknik (IKT) för att lösa problem, för andra om ekonomisk tillväxt och marknadsföring av städer. Många samhällsvetenskapliga forskare kritiserar föreställningen om den smarta staden. De bekymrar sig över att multinationella företag tillåts ta makt över miljöstyrning och ett alltför stort fokus på teknologiska lösningar för samhällsfrågor. Få tidigare studier har undersökt påverkan på miljöstyrning i praktiken. Avhandlingen utforskar hur föreställningar om smarta städer påverkar miljöstyrning genom en studie av Hyllie, en klimatsmart stadsdel i Malmö. Den tillämpar ett teoretiskt perspektiv som bygger på teknik- och vetenskapsstudier samt begreppet assemblage. I avhandlingen används deltagande-observation av möten mellan olika organisationer, intervjuer med professionella och dokumentanalys. Avhandlingen bidrar med en mer mångsidig bild av vilka aktörer som påverkar utvecklingen av den klimatsmarta staden, utöver kommuner och multinationella företag. Den visar dock även att IKT-lösningar i den smarta staden blir viktigare i städers miljöstyrning på bekostnad av energieffektivitet och förnybar energi.

As decision-makers apply digitalization in global cities to achieve their SDG goals, contributors from around the world here shed light on forthcoming developments in Smart Cities, and set out how to plan for increasingly rapid changes,

This book sheds new light on the current and future challenges faced by cities, and presents approaches, options and solutions enabled by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the smart city context. By focusing on sustainability objectives within a rapidly changing social, economic, environmental and technological setting, it explores a variety of planning challenges faced by contemporary cities and the power of smart city developments in terms of providing innovative tools, approaches, methodologies and technologies to help cities cope with these challenges. Key issues addressed include smart city (e-) planning and (e-)participation; smart data management to facilitate decision-making processes in cities and insular communities on a variety of topics; smart and sustainable management aspects of climate change, water scarcity, mobility, energy, infrastructure, tourism, blue growth, risk assessment; etc. The book presents current and potential pathways and applications for the evolution of smart cities and communities, taking into consideration the unique problems and opportunities emanating from their specific geographical location. The case study examples mainly concern small and medium-sized cities and communities as well as insular areas in the Mediterranean region, while also incorporating lessons learned from other parts of the world. Their focus is on the specific opportunities and threats emerging in these urban and insular environments, which are characterized by their role as globally known tourist destinations, their coastal or port character, and unique cultural resources, as well as the high rated vulnerability in very many sustainability respects (social, economic, biodiversity, urbanization, migration, poverty, etc.) to be found in the Mediterranean region at large

The idea of smart cities has become enormously popular during the past decade. Environmental governance is one issue in which smart city ideas seem to hold potential. However, there is an incredible variety in what it means for a city to be ‘smart’. For some, it involves the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to solve problems; for others, it has more to do with economic growth and city branding. Many social science researchers have criticised the idea of smart cities. They worry that it might allow multinational corporations to take control of municipal governance and lead to an undue focus on technological solutions to societal issues. However, only a few previous studies have examined the influence on urban environmental governance in practice. This thesis investigates the influence of smart city ideas on urban environmental governance through a study of Hyllie, a climate-smart city district in Malmö, Sweden. It applies a theoretical perspective based on science and technology studies and the concept of assemblage. It combines participant-observation of inter-organisational meetings, interviews with professionals and document analysis. This thesis contributes a more comprehensive picture of which actors influence the direction of the climate-smart city—beyond the usual suspects of municipal governments and multinational companies. Still, it shows how ICT-based smart city solutions have taken precedence in urban environmental governance at the expense of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Sustainable Stockholm provides a historical overview of Stockholm’s environmental development, and also discusses a number of cross-disciplinary themes presenting the urban sustainability work behind Stockholm’s unique position, and importantly the question of how well Stockholm’s practices can be exported and transposed to other places and contexts. By using the case of Stockholm as the pivot of discussions, Sustainable Stockholm investigates the core issues of sustainable urban environmental development and planning, in all their entanglements. The book shows how intersecting fields such as urban planning and architecture, traffic planning, land-use regulation, building, waste management, regional development, water management, infrastructure engineering—together and in combination—have contributed to making Stockholm Europe’s "greenest" city.

This edited volume discusses the socioeconomic, environmental, and policy implications of smart cities. Written by international experts in energy economics and policy, the chapters present wide range of high quality theoretical and empirical studies at the nexus of social, entrepreneurial, governmental and ecological transformation. The book covers a wide range of topics, with a view towards providing empirical evidence of the benefits of smart cities as well as practical frameworks for smart city initiatives. Topics discussed include: smart city transition pillars, innovation for smart and sustainable cities design and implementation, smart city governance, smart mobility within cities, and smart cities in emerging economies. This volume will be of use to students and researchers interested in resource economics, energy economics, sustainability, ICT, and governance, as well as policymakers working on smart city initiatives. This is an open access book.