Planning for eco-friendly living in diverse societies

Abstract

Swedish cities are becoming increasingly multicultural and diverse in terms of lifestyles and socioeconomic conditions. However, cultural and social diversity is seldom considered when planning for sustainable urban development. This paper examines planning for more eco-friendly living in the increasingly diverse population of a city district of Stockholm. The study reveals the prevalence of a discourse in which a Swedish identity carries environmental responsibility in the form of tidiness, recycling and familiarity with nature. It is argued that planning for urban sustainability is underpinned by Swedish middle-class norms, indirectly entailing processes of (self-) disciplining and transforming the other (foreign and/or troublesome dwellers) into well-behaving Swedes. A clearer definition of the environmental improvement intended, its goals and target groups is needed. Finally, an appreciation of the multiple ways we can save natural resources would make urban planning policies more attuned to social and cultural diversity as well as more environmentally progressive.