NATURVATION - Case Study Working Paper - MALMÖ Written by Bernadett Kiss (20 November 2017)
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
NATURVATION – Case Study Working Paper
MALMÖ
Written by Bernadett Kiss
(20 November 2017)
Table of Content
Section 1 – Introduction 3
1.1 Profile of the city and NBS prominence 3
1.2 NBS interventions in focus 7
1.3 How are sustainability challenges framed within the city? 9
Section 2 – Methods 12
2.1 Interviews and interview transcript analysis 12
2.2 Policy documents, media and grey literature analysis 12
2.3 URIP meetings 13
2.4 Site visits 13
2.3 Mobile labs 13
Section 3 – Intervention 1 – [BIODIVERCITY] 14
3.1 Challenges and solutions and the role of NBS 14
3.2 Governing NBS and public participation 17
3.2.1 Policies and regulations 18
3.2.2 Financial incentives and resource provision 20
3.2.3 Organizational and human resources 20
3.2.4 Communicational channels and networks 21
3.3 NBS intervention histories 23
3.3.1 The story behind BiodiverCity and the Seashore green roof NBS 23
3.3.2 Challenges BiodiverCity and Seashore encountered 25
3.3.3 Envisioned users, ambitions and promises of Seashore 27
3.3.2 Assessment tools of Seashore 27
3.4 Structural conditions for NBS 27
3.5 Configuring NBS interventions 29
3.5.1 The aims of the NBS of BiodiverCity 29
3.5.2 Success factors of BiodiverCity and Seashore green roofs 33
3.5.3 Evaluation of BiodiverCity 34
3.6 Contradictions and contestation around NBS interventions 34
3.6.1 Contradictions between different visions 34
3.6.2 Contestations, inclusion and exclusion of stakeholders 35
3.7 Innovation within and around NBS interventions 36
3.7.1 Innovations and their origin 36
3.7.2 Learning and replication 38
3.8 NBS interventions versus traditional solutions 39
Section 4 – Intervention 2 – [EcoCity Augustenborg] 41
4.1 Challenges and solutions and the role of NBS 41
4.2 Governing NBS and public participation 43
4.2.1 Policies and financial incentives 43
4.2.2 Partnerships and citizens’ engagement 46
4.3 NBS intervention histories 48
4.3.1 The emergence of EcoCity Augustenborg 48
4.3.2 Some challenges encountered in EcoCity 49
4.4 Structural conditions for NBS 51
1
4.5 Configuring NBS interventions 52
4.5.1 Successful trajectories of EcoCity and its beneficiaries 52
4.5.2 Some impacts and effects of the EcoCity 55
4.6 Contradictions and contestation around NBS interventions 57
4.7 Innovation within and around NBS interventions 58
4.8 NBS interventions versus traditional solutions 60
Section 5 – Intervention 3 – [Tree Strategy of Malmö City] 62
5.1 Challenges and solutions and the role of NBS 62
5.2 Governing NBS and public participation 65
5.3 NBS intervention histories 67
5.3.1 The emergence of the Tree Strategy 67
5.3.2 Envisaged challenges of the implementation of the Tree Strategy 68
5.3.3 Techniques for the actualization of the Tree Strategy 68
5.4 Structural conditions for NBS 69
5.5 Configuring NBS interventions 72
5.6 Contradictions and contestation around NBS interventions 72
5.7 Innovation within and around NBS interventions 73
5.7.1 Different types of innovations 73
5.7.2 Learning through knowledge networks and collaborations 74
5.8 NBS interventions versus traditional solutions 75
Section 6 - Comparative Discussion 76
6.1 NBS agenda in Malmö City 76
6.2 Change agents – lead partners 76
6.3 Privileged areas 77
6.4 Citizens’ engagement 77
6.5 Conditions for continuum 78
6.6 Sustainability and maintenance 78
6.7 Mainstreaming NBS 79
6.8 Vertical and horizontal knowledge development 79
Section 7 - Conclusions 80
References 81
Appendix – Key interview transcripts 85
Appendix 1 – Municipal governance system in Sweden, Skåne and Malmö 86
Appendix 2 – List of NBS implemented in the frame of BiodiverCity in Malmö 87
Appendix 3 – Map of NBS implemented in the frame of BiodiverCity in Malmö 88
Appendix 4 – Map of NBS implemented in the frame of BiodiverCity in Western Harbour
Area 89
Appendix 5 – Mobile Lab Report 90
Appendix 6 – Key interview data 97
2
Section 1 – Introduction
1.1 Profile of the city and NBS prominence
This section introduces Malmö’s geography, demographics, governance structure,
economy, and infrastructure, as well as sets out the scene for the NBS in the city. Malmö is
an important economic, educational and cultural regional center, and currently
undergoing restructuring and densification. Malmö is transforming from an industrial to a
service-oriented city, and a front-runner in sustainable urban development. As part of the
transition, the potential of NBS in delivering social, ecological, and economic benefits is
currently being tested and evaluated here.
Geography
Malmö is located on the southwest coast of Sweden (at 13°00' East and 55°35' North) on low
altitudes of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Malmö is a small municipality (app. 150 km2) in
which the agglomeration occupies almost half the land area (almost 70 km2). Between the
city border and the municipal border there is a 3-5 km wide zone with rural areas, mainly
agricultural land (app. 60 km2). Malmö municipality is the biggest land owner in the city.
The climate is tempered; winters are cold and windy, average lows are -1 to -6 °C, it rarely
drops below −10 °C. Scania's summers are moderate with occasional heat waves; average
low temperatures are 11 to 13 °C and average highs are 20 to 23 C° (SMHI, 2007). Rainfall is
light to moderate throughout the year with 169 wet days, around 670 mm/year (Pocacito,
2015).
Demographics
Malmö is the country´s third largest city, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the fifth
largest city in Scandinavia with a population of 326 645 (SCB, 2017). Almost half of the
population is under the age of 35 (Malmö, 2013), circa 43% of the population have a foreign
background (Malmö Stad, 2014) and 14% of the population are foreign nationals (Malmö
Stad, 2012). In 2011, 174 countries and about 150 languages were represented in Malmö
(Malmö Stad, 2011).
Economy
Traditionally, the economy of Malmö was based on shipbuilding and construction related
industries. However, following the mid-1970s Malmö experienced a troubled economic
situation, between 1990-1995 almost 30,000 jobs were lost accompanied by a substantial
budget deficit, which in turn kick-started a political visionary process in search for a new
identity. Since 2000, there has been a continuous urban revival, partly due to a political
vision that was inspired by the notion of sustainable development as a key component in the
search for renewal1, and other economic, social and infrastructural drivers. These include
the economic integration with Denmark, changing industrial to knowledge based economy,
the bridge and the plans for the new underground railway. Today, there are seven economic
profile focus areas in Malmö with high growth potential: life science, logistics, cleantech,
hospitality industry, commerce, headquarters and creative industries (Malmö Stad,
1 Interestingly, Malmö by this time probably had a favorable position since the former Prime Minister Göran
Persson lived in the city (1996-2003), so the connection to the political establishment in the capital was by this
time rather strong.
3
2017). There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit in Malmö and for several years the city has
been placed high up the list of new enterprises in Sweden. In 2015, 8 companies were
started every day. In the last decade, the number of national and international companies
establishing their headquarters in Malmö has steadily grown, amongst others IKEA,
Mercedes-Benz, Honda Nordic, and IBM client innovation center (Malmö, 2016a). Two
higher education institutions have been contributing to the economic development and
regional integration; one of Sweden’s leading universities, Lund University, located 20 km
away from Malmö, along with its associated hi-tech and pharmaceutical industries, and the
newly founded Malmö Högskola (1998), which is getting university status in 2018.
Infrastructure
In terms of transport infrastructure, the proximity to the sea and a well-developed road and
rail network makes it easy to transport goods and people, both within Sweden and to
Scandinavia and Europe. In terms of energy system, and most importantly heating energy,
Malmö relies on a well-developed district heating system, which was initiated in 1959 and
since has been provided by “waste” sources. 96% of household waste in Malmö is collected,
and that portion which cannot be recycled or reused is used to produce biogas (organic
waste) or burnt in the waste-to-energy facility to create electricity and heat energy. Today a
large proportion of the city is connected to district heating networks, which is one of
Sweden’s largest. The electricity, which is generated from old water-power plants are to be
gradually phased out to be exchanged for wind power. Investments in solar, wind, water,
and biogas are now being investigated in order to increase the use of renewable energy. It is
to comply with the ambitious 20-20-20 climate targets and their even more ambitious local
equivalents (Malmö, 2016b).
Governance
In 2009, Malmö City2 launched the “Environmental Program,” a city-wide project with a
progressive environmental agenda to improve the sustainability of the city and the quality of
life of its citizens. According to the Program, by 2020 the city will be climate neutral and by
2030 the entire city will run on 100% renewable energy. The city has already been reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by placing great emphasis on energy efficiency, reducing energy
use, encouraging a green modal shift in transportation and investing in renewable energy.
These targets are ambitious and well above the European Union and Sweden’s own goals.
They have been set after thorough consultation with relevant local government departments
(C40Cities, 2017). In addition, the Program engages city officials and citizens in a dialogue
and leaves a great amount of room for creativeness in the implementation phase, both with
regards to activities and financing. A vast number of EU-funded and national state-funded
demonstration and innovation projects has also helped to advance the transition towards a
more sustainable city development by allocating resources to various innovation and test
activities. Malmö has also engaged private companies to participate in the program.
Companies are able to use the city as a test bed for products and services, contributing to an
innovative atmosphere and resulting in a wide range of solutions that best fit Malmö’s urban
environment (C40Cities, 2017).
2Malmö Municipality is an administrative unit defined by geographical borders, consisting of the City of Malmö
and its immediate surroundings. In all official contexts, the town Malmö calls itself "Malmö stad" (or Malmö
City, City of Malmö), as does a small number of other Swedish municipalities. However, the term city has
administratively been discontinued in Sweden.
4
Swedish municipalities are amongst others responsible for physical and urban planning,
social services, education, health and environmental protection and emergency
preparedness, thus they have a key role in achieving national sustainability and climate
targets, such as the EU 20-20-20 targets, the milestones of the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment framework3 or the recently adapted sustainable development goals (see
Appendix 1). In general, the Swedish planning process is organized in comprehensive and
detail planning. Comprehensive Plans provide strategic, non-legally binding orientation for
spatial planning and planning on a more detailed level. They cover the whole city, focus on a
time horizon between 10 and 25 years and are updated every four years. Detail Plans are
legally binding and comprise a specific residential area or a single plot. They cover built-up
areas, create the preconditions for construction, define the purpose for the development
and determine the townscape.
NBS prominence
This short section intends to provide a background to the selected NBS. It is about two
world-leading examples of sustainable construction and regeneration in Malmö and the
challenges of densification and green and blue amenities in urban transformations.
“We have these types of solutions in several places in Malmö but it’s not all over the city.
What is going on at the moment in that respect is that we do a sort of a mapping or a
survey of risks and vulnerability from flooding that covers the entire city and then based on
that we are going to develop an action plan. Then we’ll use all different kind of solutions,
but nature-based ones are certainly in the, sort of in the catalogue of measures.” (Climate
and environmental specialist, Malmö City, 2016)
“… the last ten or fifteen years in Malmö we’ve been talking about sustainability, but
we’ve had mostly focus on the ecology, so all our large flagship projects like Bo01 and
Augustenborg they’ve had the ecology standpoint, but now we’re starting more and more
with the social side of sustainability…” (Environmental Strategist, Malmö City, 2014)
Bo01 is a new city district, built on former industrial land, and Eco-city Augustenborg is a
retrofitted existing residential area. Historically, Kockums shipyard was located in the
Western Harbor, which today hosts Bo01, Sweden’s first climate neutral city district. The
area is supplied 100% by local renewable energy over the course of a year. Buildings receive
energy from solar, wind and a heat pump that extracts heat from seawater and an aquifer
that facilitates seasonal storage of heat and cold water. Each complex includes a separate
structure for waste separation. 200 households have food waste disposers to generate
biogas from organic waste. Bo01 integrates green-space to promote biodiversity,
incorporating local vegetation, as well as rainwater through open storm water management
and connection to the sea. (Many projects of the selected NBS, BiodiverCity is located in this
area.) Green points, including bathouses, birdhouses and deadwood, create habitats for
non-human residents. Bo01 incorporates an eco-friendly transport system, with buses
connecting Bo01 every 10 minutes. Bus stops feature real-time displays so passengers know
when the next bus will arrive. Bicycles are common and the district features a carpool
3The Swedish government has adopted the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework at the national level
and decided on a milestone target within the environmental quality objective system stating that ecosystem
services should be generally known and implemented in societal decision-making and planning processes by
2018 (SOU, 2013; Wamsler, 2014).
5
(Malmö, 2009). Some of the latest housing projects include CO2-neutral test-buildings, and a
zero parking-norm bicycle hotel and residential house.
Eco-city (Ekostaden) Augustenborg, where one of the selected NBS is located, is a residential
area which was built in the 1950s. It was in need of renewal, suffering from social and
environmental challenges, including urban flooding. During the 1980s and 1990s the area
was frequently flooded by an overflowing drainage system. It was partly due to the rough
weather conditions, and partly due to Malmö’s old sewer system4. To address the
challenges, collaboration between Malmö City, MKB (housing company) and Augustenborg’s
inhabitants was established and between 1998 and 2002 the area was regenerated and an
open storm water system was incorporated. The rainwater from roofs, roads and car parks is
channeled through trenches, ditches, ponds and wetlands, with only the surplus being
directed into a conventional sewer system. Now this system is managed locally. As a result,
problems with flooding have ceased and the image of the area has been significantly
improved. Augustenborg has also become well-known of its incorporation of urban green
spaces. Green roofs have been installed on all developments built after 1998, and retrofitted
on 10,000 m2 on an existing building. Augustenborg hosts the Green Roof Institute.
Augustenborg is also equipped with 450 m2 solar panels, connected to the district-heating
system (Malmö, 2009).
Malmö is a compact and dense city, but values urban green space. Parks and the city’s close
proximity to the sea are complemented by green roofs and landscaping in city squares.
Bicycle and walking paths are lined by trees. Once Malmö was called the City of Parks.
Although it has a long tradition of park management, the municipality's total area used for
parks and green spaces is today just over 1,000 hectares (10 km2). This corresponds to less
than 50 m2 per inhabitant, which is relatively small according to Swedish conditions. A
comparison between Malmö and the average of the ten largest urban centers in Sweden
shows that there is a great lack of recreational land in Malmö both inside and outside the
urban area (Malmö, 2014). In addition to the decision in the Comprehensive Plan (2012) to
“grow inwards” by densification, i.e. inside the outer ringroad, in the last years there has
been a high pressure on providing housing and schools to cope with the rapid population
growth (approx. 2% per year for more than 20 consecutive years). It adds on to the challenge
of spatial planning and allocation of land/space for green and blue qualities. Malmö’s Tree
Strategy in progress, one of the selected NBS, is partly addressing these sustainability
challenges.
4 About 35% (~2800 hectares) of Malmö city has combined sewer system of which about 20% (~550 hectares) is
a non-effective separate system. Non-effective separate storm water system is a duplicate system, which is not
diverted to the recipient directly so the storm water eventually flows into the combined system and is then led
to wastewater treatment plants (VA, 2014). The combined sewer is traditionally present in the older parts of
the cities, which are normally tightly constructed and highly populated. These circumstances make the
application of new solutions such as open systems almost impossible moreover substitution of combined sewer
with a separate sewer seems to be an extremely costly and complicated process. However, the outskirts of the
city and new and relatively recent developments of Malmö city has been supplied with a duplicate sewer
system together with a few open solutions in certain areas (VA, 2014).
6
1.2 NBS interventions in focus
The following three NBS interventions were selected from Malmö City: 1) Seashore
extensive green roof project, which is part of the overarching BiodiverCity project, 2) the
open storm water management system of Ecocity Augustenborg, which is part of an entire
urban regeneration program of Augustenborg, and the 3) Tree Strategy, which is a
municipal planning document, in progress, for conserving and creating urban greenery.
We have chosen these examples, because they address diverse sustainability challenges
Malmö is facing, such as the lack of biodiversity, heavy cloudbursts and growing density vs.
the lack of green spaces. These examples represent diversity and variety across the
ecological domains of nature-based approaches, including green roofs (green), storm water
system (green and blue), and increasing green crown-coverage (green). The NBS are
different in their ways of development and implementation, thus we have the possibility to
assess the diversity of governance arrangements, political processes, inter- and intra-
organizational processes, multidisciplinary approaches and stakeholder engagement
practices. Despite the differences, the selected NBS all seem to be interesting from a
governance perspective. The selected NBS are different in terms of technical and social
innovations, the origin of the innovations and its mainstreaming, thus can provide
interesting insights in potential roads of innovation processes of different NBS. They also
show slight differences in their means of financial sources and financial management, which
provide the possibility to assess Swedish municipal organizational structures and practices.
Box 1 BiodiverCity: Seashore green roof project
Time period: The project was implemented in three stages between 2011 and 2018.
Funding and implementation: The responsible for implementation was the Environmental
Department of Malmö City with funding from Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency. Other actors
involve the Regional administration of Scania (Region Skåne), research institutes (IVL – Svenska
Miljöinstitutet, Scandinavian Green Roof Institute), universities (SLU – Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet),
consulting companies (Markkompaniet, Sydväst, Watreco, White Architects), housing companies
(Briggen, Diligentia, Hauschield and Siegel, MKB) and building developers (ByggVesta, Peab, Skanska).
Driver(s): The main driver(s) for creating the project was to create a basis for evaluation, learning, and
later dissemination and commercialization of innovative solutions for urban greenery. The project
leader is an ecologist and has been the key driver behind bringing in more and more green
infrastructure into the city – even several years before this project kicked off.
Aims: Declared aims are to increase biodiversity by developing new products, services and processes,
which contributes to Malmö’s vision of a green, attractive and healthy city.
Measures/ NBS: Implemented NBS include almost 30 different green-blue structures have been
established in different parts of the city. Out of these, the selected NBS is the Seashore extensive
green roof. Other green structures include urban biotopes, green walls and facades, mobile plant
systems and three-dimensional greenery.
7
Box 2 EcoCity Augustenborg: open storm water management system
Time period: The project was implemented between 1998 and 2002.
Funding and implementation: The responsible for implementation was Malmö City, Fosie District
Administration with governmental funding from the Local Investment Program (LIP). Other actors
involve MKB, the housing company, owing 90% of the properties in Augustenborg, Waterworks (VA-
verket, today VASyd) responsible for the technical implementation, ISS Landscaping, amateur water
experts from the area, other residents.
Driver(s): The main driver(s) for creating the project was to release the pressure on the entire
municipal sewage system, to regenerate the entire neighborhood, to increase well-being, to create
jobs and enhance the attractiveness of the area.
Aims: Declared aims are to eliminate flooding in the area, to create recreational areas with blue and
green amenities, to increase biodiversity, by involving citizens in the process, both generating ideas
and implementing them.
Measures/ NBS: The completed storm water management system includes a total of 6 km of canals
and water channels and ten retention ponds. Rainfall is collected in natural ditches and reservoirs
before directing it into a conventional sewer system. The rainwater from roofs, roads and car parks is
channeled through visible trenches, ditches, ponds and wetlands. In addition to the drainage system,
green roofs have been installed on all developments built after 1998, and retrofitted on almost 10,000
m2 on an existing building.
Box 3 Tree Strategy
Time period: The strategy was sent for approval in August 2017 and is to be implemented after
approval. It has both short-term (1, 2 and 5 years) and long term 10 years targets and a vision.
Funding and implementation: The responsible for implementation is the Streets and Parks
Department of Malmö City, in collaboration with the City Planning Department and the Property
Management Department. Other actors are envisaged to be involved MKB, the housing company, the
Swedish Church, the Public Building Management Office of the Service Department of Malmö City, as
well as citizens and businesses.
Driver(s): The main driver(s) for creating the project was to release the pressure between densification
and greenery, by establishing a collaboration between different municipal department with competing
responsibilities.
Aims: Declared aims are to increase biodiversity, create a comfortable climate, establish conditions to
improve the citizens’ physical and mental health and to contribute to preserve the city’s cultural
history. It also aims to change attitude towards trees: trees are to be seen as common resources, not
obstacles of city development.
Measures/ NBS: There are multiple measures described in the Strategy, each linked to a responsible to
implement the measure and a budget post. In the following 10 years from the approval of the
strategy, 1,000 trees shall be planted every year in Malmö.
8
1.3 How are sustainability challenges framed within the city?
In order to understand how sustainability challenges are framed in Malmö, we looked into
different recent policies, which explicitly frame sustainability challenges. These include the
Environmental Program (2009-2020), the Comprehensive Plan (2012), the Cloudburst Plan
(2017) and the Transport- and Mobility Plan (2012). Based on these documents, we found
that the main sustainability challenges in Malmö are storm and waste water management,
biodiversity, density vs green areas, and social integration.
“We have a big challenge since we have shortage of housing. In the Comprehensive Plan,
we say that the city should be dense and green. And then people say this is not possible.
Then I travel in different places, and I see that it is possible. In our comprehensive plan, we
say that we have to think in new ways, to question our regulations that are self-imposed,
and which are contradictory to sustainable development of cities.” (Tykesson, 2017)
In relation to the identified sustainability challenges, Malmö City has defined its
sustainability goals, which are presented amongst others in the Environmental Program
(2009-2020), in the Comprehensive Plan (2014), in the Cloudburst Plan (2017) and in the
Transport- and Mobility Plan (2012); in relation to these plans also concrete targets and
action plans are introduced to reach their goals.
The selected NBS interventions directly (or indirectly) address some of Malmö’s main
sustainability challenges, such as biodiversity loss (BiodiverCity NBS), the lack of urban
greenery (Tree Strategy) and the old and inadequate water system especially in the cases of
heavy rainfalls (EcoCity Augustenborg open stormwater management system).
Already in 2003, Malmö’s Green Plan (Grön Plan) mentions the lack of green structures and
biodiversity in the city. The Plan also describes green structures as crucial resource for a
“circular society” and the conservation of biodiversity, which are key pillars of a long-term
sustainable development of the municipality (Malmö City, 2003, p.3-4.). The Plan presents
the mapping and classification of urban biotopes and describes areas affected by the lack of
biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation in the Green Plan, however, mainly focused on the
establishment and development of urban nature reserves.
The report “Making Sustainability Reality” written by Malmö City and ISU – Institute for
Sustainable Urban Development (2008) further describes sustainability challenges that
Malmö is facing in the transition from an industrial shipbuilding city to a sustainably growing
knowledge-based regional hub, which requires:
- attractive and sustainable residential areas and working places (this includes
greenery) (Malmö City, 2008, p.18.) (This is also mentioned in the Comprehensive
Plan: “… offers a broad selection of good homes“ (Malmö City, 2014, p.7.)
- formal and informal sustainable learning platforms – “from adult education to
information projects” (Malmö City, 2008, p.43.)
- collaboration, stakeholders’ involvement and citizens’ engagement in the sustainable
urban transition process (Malmö City, 2008, p.6.)
- socioeconomic integration to overcome social segregation (“The most important
thing for Malmö is the socio-economic development, to integrate the areas that at
9the moment are left a little outside of the development... We must have a good
blend, both of gender, age and ethnicity.” (Malmö City, 2008, p.40.))
The Environmental Program (2009-2020) focuses a lot on the ecological aspect of
sustainability. The program describes Malmö in 2020 as “a denser, greener and more
diverse city” with a mixed-use of spaces, where the “residents will be close to nature and
rich biological diversity” (Malmö, 2009). In order to reach these objectives, the Program
advocates for the development of green and blue amenities in the city through the
expansion of parks, green spaces and water surfaces with a strong recreational and
biological value. “The city environment will gain more greenery and water features,
including vegetation growing on roofs and walls, for example, and open storm water
management.” Biodiversity is also expressed in different terms, as valuable natural assets
for the city: “Malmö’s natural resources, in the form of land, sea, limestone pavement,
freshwater and biological diversity, are valuable assets which will be protected and used
sustainably in 2020 … Biological diversity will be preserved and developed hand in hand
with nature protection and nature management … Malmö’s citizens’ knowledge of and
interest in nature will increase.” In the Action Plan (2011-2014), the implementation of
innovative pilot projects for urban greenery with the focus on health, climate adaptation,
nature conservation and ecosystem services are specifically mentioned (Malmö, 2011, p.7.).
The Program also describes Malmö as a climate smart city, where climate adaptation
measures are essential to prepare for temperature change, increasing sea-level and
increasing rainfalls (Malmö, 2009, p.7). In addition, the Environmental Program also provides
the basis for future comprehensive plans.
Sustainability challenges/main priorities described in the Comprehensive Plan, relevant to
the selected NBS interventions are
- densifying the city with strong elements of greenery: “A more compact city is not
less green. Retaining green qualities in a more dense city is crucial.” (Malmö City,
2014, p.6.) “… (it) requires innovative thinking regarding planting sites, plants and
maintenance.” (Malmö City, 2014, p.36)
- more social spaces: “… better access to improved social spaces.” (Malmö City, 2014,
p.7.) – greenery is implicitly included into “improved social spaces”
- improving public health and social integration: “diverse selection of social spaces,
green areas and parks, nature and recreational areas and leisure and sports
facilities allows for people of all ages and social backgrounds to engage in
recreation, sport and play.” (Malmö, 2014, p.7.)
- resource efficient and environmentally benign construction: “vegetation and
innovative storm water management solutions can minimize the negative
environmental and climate impacts of the building sector… green and blue
infrastructure contribute to good storm water management and to a more pleasant
and healthy microclimate” (Malmö, 2014, p.50)
- climate adaptation: “Storm water should be handled to ensure safety margins for
extreme precipitation to be achieved. VA Syd (Water Management company)
should apply the research being carried out on changing weather conditions.”
(Malmö, 2014, p.55) At the same time, it is mentioned that the Storm Water
Management Strategy for Malmö advocates for open storm water treatment
wherever possible. It recognizes however, that in a denser city the surface area for
managing water is less. Therefore, creativity and willingness to try out new ideas and
10innovations are encouraged – but then it recognizes that it might collide with other
interests.
Box 4 Greener City – in the Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan includes a separate chapter (and strategies) on a greener city:
“An attractive and sustainable urban environment needs to be both dense and green. Greenery has health
improving qualities as well as reducing pollution and noise in the city. When the number of people sharing
the same space increases, more greenery of different kinds is needed. Creating a greener city requires
innovation concerning, for example, space efficiency and maintenance. Increased multi-functionality and
use value in the green areas of the city is needed. Larger, interconnected parks and nature areas are
important for recreation, biodiversity and ecosystem services. By connecting parks and recreational areas
with green links they become more accessible and easier to use. By adding new green qualities such as
green city squares, trees and greenery along streets, the green links are strengthened further.” (Malmö
City, 2014, p.12.)
11Section 2 – Methods
The case-study has involved the following research methods to collect data: Interviews5,
Policy/document analysis, URIP meetings, Site visits and Mobile labs. The framework for
analysis was designed and provided by the NATURVATION project; this framework formed
research themes and thus set the basis for the first categories of analysis and the coding the
collected data. Further categories/patterns were identified during the data collection and
analysis process, which lead to the identification of common patterns discussed in the
Discussion section of this study.
2.1 Interviews and interview transcript analysis
To access specialist expertise from key actors and organizations involved in NBS related
processes and events, semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with the
following types of actors:
• Municipality/city authorities;
• NGOs;
• Community groups;
• Urban redevelopment, regeneration, planning and housing agencies;
• Utilities (e.g. energy, water, waste);
• Knowledge institutions, academia and research groups;
• Engineering, urban development, design, architecture and other relevant companies;
• Small and Middle-sized Enterprises.
Most of the interviews were digitally recorded; when interviews were not recorded detailed
field-notes were taken. In each instance, field notes were taken to support and/or confirm
interview data. In addition to interviews, the transcripts and notes of previous interviews
from topic-related research projects were analyzed. Interview data is stored on individual
computers of project partners. The list of interviews is presented in Appendix 6.
2.2 Policy documents, media and grey literature analysis
Material related to NBS interventions were collected from official and semi-official sources,
including policy, business and community organizations, consultancies, think tanks,
newspapers, blogs, social media, and websites.
The analysis of policy documents, media and grey literature provides initial inputs to the
research themes and research questions. This secondary data is stored online (on the
Naturvation website or on ULUND project website).
5 This included new interviews and interviews which were carried out earlier. For the latter, recordings,
transcripts and notes were the basis of the analysis. For the new interviews and mobile labs, informed consent
forms were required from all research participants to whom an information sheet for the NATURVATION
Project was communicated.
122.3 URIP meetings
The URIP meetings are participative workshops which also include discussions on the
selected NBS. Besides the research team and the URIP members, participants have included
business participants, consultants and other municipal representatives interested or
involved in the selected NBS. They involve group discussions, the use of visual methods,
including diagramming, photo-elicitation and interactive mapping. There has been an
extensive note-taking in Swedish or English on these meetings, which were also used as a
basis for analysis. The lists of participants on each URIP meeting are stored online on ULUND
project website.
2.4 Site visits
In addition to the Mobile Lab, there have been several site visits taken by researchers of
Naturvation project, especially those in charge of writing this report, alone and/or as a part
of a study group, guided by project leaders from Malmö municipality. Individual visits
allowed for detailed investigation and documentation of the site, while group visits allowed
for discussions and further elaborations on relevant issues.
Site Date Type of visit Participants
Augustenborg 17 June 2017 Individual visit Bernadett Kiss
17 July 2017
7 August
BiodiverCity sites in 29 June 2017 Individual visit Bernadett Kiss
Western Harbour 1 July 2017
7 August
4 September Guided group visit Bernadett Kiss, Björn Wickenberg,
2017 Annika Kruuse + 11 environmental
science students
4 September Guided group visit Bernadett Kiss, Björn Wickenberg, Tim
2017 Delshammar + 11 environmental
science students
2.3 Mobile labs
In the frame of the mobile lab, a mixed group of researchers from Lund University and
practitioners from different departments of Malmö City, the Green Roof Institute and an
urban consulting conducted in-situ analysis by collecting primary and secondary data on the
different NBS interventions in Malmö. The Malmö Mobile Lab included visits to three
different departments of Malmö City, a project office and a knowledge institute, which all
have been involved in the development and implementation of the selected NBS. The
duration of Malmö Mobile Lab was 8 hours and it included 45 minutes discussions with
relevant city officers to NBS interventions, a discussion lunch, a walking tour of one of the
NBS interventions. The Mobile Lab was documented in details in a mobile lab protocol (see
Appendix 5).
13Section 3 – Intervention 1 – [BIODIVERCITY]
3.1 Challenges and solutions and the role of NBS
The Biodivercity project, led by Malmö City, has developed and implemented various
innovative multifunctional green structures across Malmö with the aim to bridge the gap
between a vision of a greener, healthier and more attractive Malmö with rich biodiversity
and the reality of growing population, densification and lack of green spaces. The project
was implemented over the course of seven years, in three stages, with working groups
including actors from different disciplines working in five main domains not only to
develop, but also to commercialize their innovations. The initial results of the project are
promising.
BiodiverCity is a three-stage pilot project for developing (stage 1), implementing (stage 2)
and evaluating and commercializing (stage 3) innovative multifunctional green structures.
The BiodiverCity project was initiated to transform Malmö into a greener, healthier and
more attractive city with rich biodiversity. In concrete terms the projects aims at:
- increasing biodiversity in the city
- developing products, services and processes for a greener city
- creating permanent demonstration objects to spread permanent solutions (Kruuse,
2016).
These qualities (greener, healthier, more attractive, more biodiverse) are essential part of
the today ruling Comprehensive Plan of Malmö City (Malmö City, 2014).
In the frame of three-stage project, there have been 28 green structures developed,
implemented and followed up in different parts of Malmö in the second, implementation
stage. Table 1 provides and overview over the goals, results and beneficiaries of the different
project stages. Appendix 2, 3, 4 provides a list and a map on the green-blue structures
implemented in the frame of the BiodiverCity project (2nd stage).
Stage 1 (2011-2012) included the establishment of a strong team and preliminary studies for
future implementation.
In Stage 2 (2012-2014) different cases were identified to test new ways to increase
biodiversity, improve the conditions for urban ecosystem services and utilize greenery for
improved health in the city. This was done through green innovations, such as urban
biotopes, green facades and walls, green roofs, mobile plant systems, three-dimensional
greenery and trees in streets. Work in the different cases was carried out with the
involvement of representatives from municipalities, regions, universities, research institutes,
housing and real estate companies, consultants, manufacturers and contractors.
Stage 3 (2015-2018) involves compiling lessons learned from Stage 2 and spread the learning
to other sectors through seminars, education and exhibition activities to demonstrate how
green solutions can be realized. It also includes the commercialization of green solutions and
some more development of green solutions similar to those in Stage 2. Learnings are to be
gathered in a handbook aimed at clients, suppliers and entrepreneurs. The manual will
facilitate the ordering and installation of urban greenery (Malmö.se, 2017).
14Table 1 BiodiverCity – goals, activities, outcomes, and actors
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Goals - to develop ideas on - to increase urban - to develop new green
innovations for urban biodiversity through solutions
biodiversity products, services and - to create growth in the
- to develop collaboration processes for greener cities green industry:
among relevant actors - to create permanent - to verify business models
demonstration for the - to evaluate Stage 2 cases
dissemination of green - to spread project results
solutions
Activities - gathering knowledge from - jointly building 28 - constructing five-six new
partners and networks innovative green solutions green solutions based on the
- study trips - creating and working in experience from Stage 2.
- brainstormings five thematic workgroups - evaluating Stage 2 cases
- workshops (see Appendix 2) - developing a manual for
green structures
- educating stakeholders
(Expected) - preparing for a large-scale - most of 28 green solutions - the solutions are to be sold
outcomes project to promote urban could be realized (and to a number of clients in the
biodiversity continuously maintained) national and international
- rich and new knowledge - innovation procurement markets
base has been tested to achieve - the solutions are to
- new methods the goal of realized test beds contribute to greener, more
- multi-disciplinary and - the long-term biodiverse and more socially
engaged teams sustainability and resource- sustainable cities
- various testbeds efficiency (with stable plant - low maintenance
conditions) of the solutions - long durability
are to be proven - economic benefits
- the short project period - new business opportunities
did not allow for evaluations
Governance Working groups: Working groups: Working groups:
& representatives from representatives from representatives from
Beneficiaries municipalities, regions, municipalities, regions, municipalities, regions,
universities, research universities, research universities, research
institutes, housing and real institutes, housing and real institutes, housing and real
estate companies, estate companies, estate companies,
consultants, manufacturers consultants, manufacturers consultants, manufacturers
and contractors and contractors and contractors
Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries:
- industry - technical visits - education - project's supplier companies
- new partners of the - potential customers - industry
municipality - citizens - knowledge-based
organisations involved
(Modified source: Vinnova, 2017(a); Vinnova, 2017(b); Vinnova, 2017(c))
The BiodiverCity project was initiated because the Environmental Department of Malmö City
identified lacking knowledge and experience in relation to the realization of urban greenery,
especially in relation to rich biodiversity. Since the 1980s Swedish municipalities have been
15working on (with more or less success) developing organizational structures aimed at
integrating green infrastructure planning into urban developments – as part of
environmental policy integration. However, in the beginning of the 2000s, multifunctional
green elements were still often low priority in sustainable urban development projects, if
they were at all. (The focus of sustainability has mostly been energy use and waste
management (recycling).) In Malmö, the latest Comprehensive Plan (Malmö City, 2014) is
the first one, which explicitly includes and plans with green and blue infrastructures
recognizing their multifunctionality. Urban visions more and more often include urban
greenery not only in city plans, but also for individual buildings. These visions however often
oversee the needs of the actual plants; knowledge and experience have been missing to
realize the sought after and much needed greenery (Stadsbyggnad.org, 2017). The
BiodiverCity project was developed to bridge this gap between vision and reality.
“we need to increase quality of the other green areas, the remaining green areas, we need
to be able to evaluate what areas we want to keep and what areas is it okay to develop for
other purposes. So I think this … green issue – and connected to that also, biodiversity issue
– has been coming up more as we start to speak more about where, how can we densify.
And so I think that’s one of the reasons why, why ecosystem services … has come up … in
the discourse … how can we avoid a dense and gray city? How can we … value green
areas?” (Climate and environmental specialist, 2016)
“… five years ago… something like that. So I think you can say that now we just introduced
it (the term ecosystem services) in thinking but there is no really any big
understanding in the planning department or here in the strategic department…“
(Architect, Malmö City, 2015)
The rationales behind Biodivercity are described as follows on the project homepage.
Greenery constitutes an important part of cities’ attractiveness and economic conditions.
Ecosystem services such as water management, climate change and improved public health
are important components of the city's long-term sustainability. In addition, the experience
of nature in an urban environment, creating a microclimate is important for our health
(Malmö.se, 2017). Furthermore, the project leader of BiodiverCity about the rationales of
the project (Kruuse, 2016):
- “there are many species that fit very well into urban environments (e.g. 1/3 of the
bees in France are wild bees)
- environments with rich biodiversity also provides multiple health benefits (e.g.
where several different birds are heard)
- more green structures/more biodiversity results in more ecosystem services”.
The BiodiverCity project includes 28 NBS around Malmö, which have been grouped into five
themes. The different themes have different purposes behind their establishment. This table
provides a summary of the main purposes, additional to biodiversity, of the NBS per theme
i.e. green roofs, green facades and walls, mobile plant systems, urban biotopes, three-
dimensional green. The synthesis of purposes (see functionalities in Table 2) are based on
the description of the individual project descriptions (Malmö.se, 2017).
16Table 2 BiodiverCity – Types of green structures and their intended functionalities
Green Green roofs Green facades Mobile plant Urban biotopes Three-
structures/ and walls systems dimensional
Functionalities green
innovation -replace moss roofs -new -rain water -lacking tree
(4) temporary management (B) space (23, 25)
-test innovation green (19, -test (23)
procurement (8) 20, 21, C)
biotope -recreate a biotope -habitat for
continuum with similar qualities Swedish & non-
to the existing Swedish plants (11)
environment (1, 4, 6) -recreate a biotope
-intro of rare species with similar
with special solutions qualities to the
(2) existing
environment (10)
research & -intro of different -research on -education -education (12, 13)
education species, cohabitation plants in (19, 21)
(2) Swedish
climate (16)
policy -Breeam
communities
certification
(14, 17)
energy -new habitat (A) -cooling effect -socializing
efficiency (17) (18, 19, 20)
measures
social -edible wall
integration (15)
pleasant -forest feeling (9, -replacing
climate 11) trees (25)
-greening
bikeracks (23)
maintenance -minimalize (9)
The first two stages of the project have been regarded successful in terms of fulfilling the
initial goals of the project - stated by both the project leader and the funding body (see
Table 1, Annika Kruuse, 2017, Vinnova.se, 2017a and 2017b). In general terms, the built
green biotopes are functioning and the involved parties carry out the maintenance with the
help of the handling plan. This corresponds with the expected results of the project. Detailed
project evaluations, based on ecological and social criteria, are expected to be ready by the
end of 2017. It is not known whether the indicators were built into the different projects
from the very beginning. Based on the literature review and interviews, it can be assumed
that there were no indicators set for evaluation/goal achievement in the project design.
3.2 Governing NBS and public participation
The BiodiverCity project consists of almost 30 NBS across Malmö. On a project level, the
main governing tools were the Environmental Programme of Malmö City and extensive
funding from Sweden’s innovation agency, Vinnova with equivalent financing from the
participating project partners. Existing building networks, as well as leading and
competent personalities and their experience and interest, were key components of the
project design and implementation.
17The main governing tools for BiodiverCity include national, regional and local policies,
national resource provision, formal and informal communication channels and networks.
Key policies include the national environmental quality objectives (Miljömål), its regional
adaptation, the Environmental Programme (Miljöprogram för Malmö Stad) and the
Comprehensive Plan (Översiktsplan) of Malmö City. The main funding came from Vinnova,
Sweden’s innovation agency 6, and an equivalent part from the project partners. Formal and
informal communication channels and networks, e.g. from previous urban sustainability
projects, such as the Environmental Building Program South (Miljöbyggprogramsyd) played
an important role in the development, implementation and commercialization of the various
innovative solutions.
“I think in Malmö we are working in a quite multidisciplinary approach when it comes to
planning, where we involve all different kinds of stakeholders and their views quite early in
the planning process.” (Climate and environmental specialist, Malmö City, 2016)
3.2.1 Policies and regulations
The project description does not include direct references to the National Environmental
Quality Objectives, the Environmental Program, the Comprehensive Plan and related action
plans. However, the formulation of the objectives of the Project suggests a strong linkage
and awareness of both the already existing, and the documents under development.
The National Environmental Quality Objectives are a national level policy consisting of 16
environmental quality goals; climate change mitigation, fresh air, good built environment
and rich biodiversity are some of these goals (Miljömål.se, 2017). The National
Environmental Quality Objectives are also translated to regional level objectives and local
level objectives; reference to it is included in the Environmental Program (2009-2014).
In the Environmental Program of Malmö City (2009-2014), four goals are formulated for
Malmö’s environmental work:
- "Sweden's most climatic city,"
- "The city's urban environment is in Malmö",
- "Natural resources are going to be sustainable"
- "In Malmö, it is easy to do the right."
In a nutshell, environmental goals (related to BiodiverCity) include that greenhouse gas
emissions to be mitigated, biodiversity to be preserved, natural and water resources to be
protected, green and blue amenities to be developed (incl. vegetation growing on roofs and
walls) to contribute to good living environments, clean air and low noise levels. Particularly
important is to take responsibility for the threatened and rare species living in the
municipality. Citizens’ knowledge of and commitment to nature is to increase (Malmö City,
2009).
The Action Plan (Handlingsplan för miljö- och klimatarbetet i Malmö Stad, 2011-2014) for
implementing the Environmental Program (2009-2014), includes that the green structure of
the city will be developed with many multifunctional areas with space for both traditional
6 Vinnova is a Swedish governmental agency for developing Sweden´s innovation capacity for sustainable
growth by improving the conditions for innovation, as well as funding needs-driven research. Vinnova
promotes collaborations between companies, universities, research institutes and the public sector.
18parks and open water treatment, cultivation, high biological values, etc. Innovative pilot
projects on urban greenery will be implemented. Focus on health, climate change, nature
conservation and ecosystem services will broaden the city's work on nature and greenery
(Malmö City, 2011). The City Planning Department (Stadsbyggnadskontoret), the Streets and
Parks Department (Gatukontoret) and the Environmental Department (Miljöförvaltningen)
are the responsible bodies for the implementation of the Action Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan of Malmö City (2014) is an overview plan, a strategic and visionary
document with the purpose of providing guiding decisions about the use of land and water
areas and how to develop the existing urban environment7. Strategies described in the
Comprehensive Plan, relevant to the BiodiverCity project are:
- densifying the city with strong elements of greenery
- more improved social spaces (greenery is implicit to improved)
- improving public health and social integration
In addition, there are collaborating strategies outlined in the Comprehensive Plan8, which
are of relevance to BiodiverCity. Box 5 provides and insight about the exact framing of these
strategies.
Box 5 BiodiverCity goals and the Comprehensive Plan
The below text represents some examples how the BiodiverCity project was developed so that it is aligned
with Malmö’s principal development strategy, the dense urban city, with focus on inward growth (Malmö
City, 2014, p.6) and thus many of the collaborating strategies outlined in the Comprehensive Plan.
Collaborating strategies related to BiodiverCity include: a) equal, safe and health promoting city, b) greener
city, c) sustainable waste management, energy and construction, d) safeguarding nature and rural landscapes
and e) climate adaptation.
a) For an equal, safe and health promoting city: “The urban planning should contribute to an equal
public health by planning and designing health promoting environments in all parts of the city.”
(Malmö City, 2014, p.11).
b) For a greener city: “Densifying greenery in the inner city...” (Malmö City, 2014, p.12). “…and for
effective land use, new solutions are needed to accommodate many features.” (Malmö City OP,
2014, p.37)
c) For sustainable waste management, energy and construction: “Investment in urban ecology
contributes to decreased resource use. Energy efficient housing, resource effective construction
and sustainable buildings combined with attractive architecture create both ecological and
economic values.” (Malmö City, 2014, p.14). The vegetation and innovative water solutions can
minimize the construction's negative environmental and climate impact. Large elements of
greenery, water and permeable surfaces in the urban environment are a prerequisite for good
storm water management and the provision of comfortable and healthier microclimate. (Malmö
City OP, 2014, p.50)
d) For nature and rural landscapes: “…the existing natural environments … are all … important to
safeguard. Ecosystem services are crucial to human existence and society's ability to nurture and
maintain them determines their future survival.” (Malmö City, 2014, p.14).
e) For climate adaptation: “Urban runoff should be handled…” (Malmö City, 2014, p.15).
7 According to the Planning and Building Act (PBL) every municipality in Sweden has to have a comprehensive
plan. It ensures a level of preparedness, but is not legally binding. The plan has been prepared by the Strategic
Department at the City Planning Department, in collaboration with the Planning Department, the City
Architectural Services, the City Office, the Streets and Parks Department, the Environmental Department, the
Property Department and many others.
8 The project was developed in parallel with Malmö’s Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted by Malmö City
Council on 22 May 2014 - that was approximately the ending date of the 2nd stage of BiodiverCity (Malmö City,
2014). The previous plan dates back to 2000 and went through modifications over the years.
19You can also read
