Local development agreements as a tool to stop segregation in vulnerable metropolitan areas

Host Country : Sweden

Place and date : Stockholm , 22. - 23.4.2004

Peer countries : Belgium - Finland - Italy - Lithuania - The Netherlands - Portugal - Spain

The Swedish government, following a decision in the Swedish parliament in December 1998, has developed a national metropolitan policy. Local development agreements are the main tool for achieving sustainable development. These agreements are based on the assumption that the best results will be achieved if efforts are co-ordinated, and spring from the inhabitants' perspective of what will work in their own community.

The Swedish metropolitan policy rests upon two overall objectives, namely:

To support development in the urban areas towards long-term sustainable economic growth.
To break down social, ethnic and discriminatory segregation in these areas and work for equal opportunities on both an individual and gender level.

From 1999-2001, seven local development agreements were established between the Swedish state and seven municipalities, covering 24 distressed urban areas. The agreements focus on individuals and city districts and take a holistic approach combining a variety of measures addressing unemployment, language training, crime prevention, education and participation. Over 1000 cross-sector measures have been initiated within the agreements in order to combat social exclusion. Every agreement is revised annually.

The development agreements include locally developed objectives, an individual action plan for each city district covered by the local agreement, the regulation of central and local measures in the respective areas, and a follow-up and assessment plan. They are based on trust, co-operation and common objectives at central and municipal levels. The local agreements include an accord on how measures are to be financed. Progress towards meeting the local goals is reported annually to the government's Commission on Metropolitan Areas.

The metropolitan work is based on four major principles:

The bottom-up perspective means that all measures make the inhabitants' interests and participation their first priority.
Management by objectives means that each measure taken should relate to a given objective and be a part of a major plan.
Co-operation means that measures should - as far as possible - involve cross-sector activities.
Long-term work means that this development process will extend over a long period of time.

A major programme of evaluation is ongoing, at both national and local level. A report covering the work so far was presented to the Parliament in 2003. In parallel, a discussion is taking place on what forms the continued work on metropolitan issues should take and the possible continuation of the development work within the framework of regular resources.

The project is well documented and evaluated. More information can be found on http://www.storstad.gov.se/english.

Source: Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and Ministry of Justice

Peer Review manager

Dr. Wolfgang Schlegel ( INBAS )

Document Actions

Local development agreements as a tool to stop segregation in vulnerable metropolitan areas

Host Country : Sweden

Place and date : Stockholm , 22. - 23.4.2004

Peer countries : Belgium - Finland - Italy - Lithuania - The Netherlands - Portugal - Spain

Peer Review manager

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