Suchergebnisse

Within Nordic cities, residential segregation is a hotly debated topic, often discussed in conjunction with concerns relating to socio economic inequality, welfare provision, immigration, and integration. Nordic capital cities have experienced similar patterns of segregation and face shared problems. The objective of this report is to provide a basis for a political discussion on planning for urban social sustainability in the Nordic countries.

Within Nordic cities, residential segregation is a hotly debated topic, often discussed in conjunction with concerns relating to socio economic inequality, welfare provision, immigration, and integration. Nordic capital cities have experienced similar patterns of segregation and face shared problems. The objective of this report is to provide a basis for a political discussion on planning for urban social sustainability in the Nordic countries.

This report is intended as an input to the preparations for the new Cohesion Policy and CAP Rural Development programming period, which is scheduled to begin in January 2014. First we compare and reflect upon experiences of RDPs in Nordic EU member states and in Scotland. The final chapters focus upon the concept of coherence, first in relation to current programmes, and then considering the implications of the draft regulations of the CAP. This report has been written as preparation for a workshop, to be held at Nordregio in Stockholm on May 7th 2012. The workshop is intended as an opportunity to discuss issues raised by the ongoing preparations for the new EU policy programming period, beginning in 2014. More specifically the focus will be upon the process of compiling Partnership Contracts, within the context of the Common Strategic Framework. The draft legislation, which is currently the subject of scrutiny by the European Council and Parliament, requires a greater degree of coordination (known as 'coherence') between Regional and Rural Development policies, and this implies a higher level of interaction and mutual understanding between the two policy communities.

In the aftermath of the latest economic crises, the concept of "Smart specialisation" was presented to increase the efficiency in European investments in research, innovation and entrepreneurship. As the concept is relatively new, the level of implementation at national and regional level in the Nordic countries is rather limited. Still, many of the elements associated with strategies for "Smart specialisation" have already been implemented in the Nordic countries. This paper explores the impact and early implementation of the new concept "Smart specialisation" in regional policy in the Nordic Countries. The study was commissioned by the Nordic Working Group on Third Generation Regional Policy, initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The review is mainly based on a previous literature review and desk research, with a limited number of supplementing interviews, and does not claim to give a complete overview. Since the development of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) is expected to be an ex-ante condition in the new Structural Funds 2014-2020 program period, the concept has reached a high level of attention in a short time span among EU member states. The objective of "Smart specialization" is to ensure an effective use of public funds. Based on an understanding of regional strengths, regions are expected to concentrate resources to a few key priorities rather than spreading investments thinly across areas and business sectors. This requires a well-developed regional governance process, based on broad stakeholder involvement, as well as collaboration between actors at various levels as well as linkages between policy areas, sectors and disciplines. The review indicates that the level of implementation at national and regional level in the Nordic countries is rather limited, even if the interest has increased, particularly among actors responsible for implementation of the new Cohesion Policy in the Nordic EU-member states. However, while Finland seems to have come closest to implement the concept, Swedish authorities are more inclined to talk about smart growth. In Denmark, there seems to be some skepticism at the national as well as regional level and the non-member states, Iceland and Norway, have only started to approach the concept. Even if the concept as such is new, many of the elements of strategies for "Smart specialisation" have already been implemented in the Nordic countries. This indicates that there is a strong potential for Nordic regions, building on existing strategies and policy delivery instruments. Still, there are some aspects which may further strengthen regional development processes in the future: Regional capacity for analysis of economic potential in relation to other regions, within or outside the country Incentives for increased involvement of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), entrepreneurs and representatives of the general public (quadruple helix) Improved dialogues between different levels Increased participation of SMEs in global value chains and EU research programmes, such as Horizon 2020

The report studies cross-border labour mobility in the Central Baltic region together with the policies and measures related to that. It provides background information on the current migration flows between Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden as well as information on the national labour markets and current labour demand in each of the countries. This report is the final report of the INTERREG IVA project "CentralBaltic JobFerry". Based on statistical data and stakeholder interviews conducted in the Latvia, Estonia, South West Finland and Östergötland/Sweden, the report notes that countries in the Central Baltic region are facing labour shortage in the health care, social services, ICT and construction sectors. There is an increased need for specialised and skilled labour force in those sectors. The EU has identified cross-border labour mobility as a way to increase the matching of labour demand and supply. However the actual intra-EU cross-border labour mobility remains low. The report identifies the main obstacles to labour mobility based on stakeholder interviews and policy reviews. Lack of language skills, lack of cooperation between relevant labour market actors and authorities, lack of easily available information as well as problems with the portability of pension rights and social benefits are the main factors that impede the mobility of workers in the Central Baltic region. To tackle these issues, increased cooperation is needed both within countries and regions and across borders. The CentralBaltic JobFerry project has published a separate policy brief presenting several policy recommendations targeted at regional, national and EU level actors. The policy brief can be downloaded at http://cbjobferry.eu/publications/.

Increasing globalization, climate change and shifting demographics are creating a new context for discussion of development and its spatial distribution. This is a new challenge for planners and politicians, who are expected to develop and approve plans encompassing the existing built environment, new settlements and urban infrastructure, at the same time as the context rapidly shifts. This forces a re-assessment of how growth and development are envisioned in planning interventions. Some policymakers support a major shift towards green growth, based on radical improvements in energy systems, as the new paradigm leading to sustainability. Green growth has been embraced in order to mobilize green investments and to mitigate the current economic and environmental crises. It is often criticized, however, for neglecting the effects on the everyday lives of the individuals who reside in the city-regions where green growth is envisioned. Nordic cities are not only growing, but becoming more culturally and socioeconomically diverse. In that context, the quest for green growth raises profound professional, technical, theoretical and ethical questions for planners and politicians, including implications arising from increased socio-cultural diversity and associated perspectives. The objective of the pilot study presented here is (1) to consider whether, and if so, how, knowledge about everyday life practices of different groups of women and men are present and integrated into Nordic cityregion planning; and (2) to test the usefulness, for researchers and planners, of assessing city-region planning through the eyes of everyday life theory. The research included several interviews, a workshop, and text analysis of documents concerning city-region policy and the processes of sustainable urban and regional planning. Local perspectives were scrutinized through the lens of gender, then extended to consider intersectionality. Intersectionality is a theoretical tool that attempts to foster understanding of a multiplicity of social contexts, including the different discourses of power and their implications for individuals and how they relate to their social, economic and ecological situations. Preliminary findings indicate that although the theory of everyday life is not a highly visible and literal component of Nordic city-region planning, the four city-regions all, to varying degrees, express its philosophical inclinations. Awareness of everyday life conditions and perspectives, and consequent fundamental objectives, present particular challenges to planners, who are responding with a number of innovative practical approaches.