Social sustainability
Social sustainability is an important element of sustainable development. It is about how people can live productive lives and feel safe in their community.
The dream is often self-sufficiency, and the way to get there is just as often a good education. It is also about feeling safe in your everyday life and trusting the community around you.
Social sustainability is often about how we plan services such as school and social care, but also how we plan the physical environment: houses, streets and squares. Proximity to workplaces, services, public transport, culture and green areas enhances the quality of life and increases public safety and well-being.
When it comes to urban planning, the City is improving so that more people can meet in safe and pleasant places. City districts that are geographically separated have to be linked to the rest of the city.
Commission for a Socially Sustainable Stockholm
In 2015, the Commission for a Socially Sustainable Stockholm was established, in order to analyse differences in living conditions and make proposals for an equal and socially sustainable City.
The Commission worked on four sub-areas:
- Democracy and public safety
- Work and income
- Housing and urban environment
- Early life and education.
Analyses and suggested measures were collected in over twenty reports. Each report is also accompanied by one or more background reports, written by independent researchers.
Studies and reports on social sustainability
Organisation
Developing a socially sustainable city encompasses a large proportion of the City’s departments and operations. It also requires close collaboration with several actors outside the City: civil society, urban planners and architects, government agencies, etc.