EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Residents involved in regenerating their neighbourhood

Residents involved in regenerating their neighbourhood - Malmö, Sweden

Introduction

How to improve the quality of live for people living in a deprived area and combat social exclusion and improve integration at the same time? Malmö found a solution by involving local residents in urban renewal schemes.

Description

Holma is a neighbourhood in the south of Malmö. In several years it has suffered from a disadvantaged position with high levels of criminality and vandalism, high benefit dependency and other social and economic problems. The municipal housing company, MKB Fastighets AB, started a initiative to improve the living conditions for the residents.

Approach

Before the initiative started, MKB made a substantial physical upgrading of the neighbourhood and they interviewed residents to see how they experienced the situation in Holma and what they wanted to change. They repainted and renovated some of the houses, and they took down vegetation that had made the area dark and unsafe and put out flowers and decorations.
MKB introduced a self maintenance programme in Holma. This means that the residents can participate in the maintenance of their housing estate by doing things that traditionally were the housing company's duties, like cleaning the stairs, weed, or clean up the garden.
To increase the motivation among the residents to participate, the involved residents get a rent-reduction as a compensation for their work.

Results

In 2000 130 people or about 5 percent of MKB's residents in Holma are involved in the self maintenance.
The quality of the maintenance has improved significantly since the self maintenance started, because the residents put down far more effort on keeping the neighbourhood in shape.
Today, crime and vandalism have almost disappeared from Holma.
There are no vacant flats in Holma anymore, and the turnover rate is one of the lowest in MKB's housing stock.
Environmental improvements are obvious, even if they are impossible to measure with figures.
The atmosphere in the neighbourhood has changed and fellowship is increased.
The trust and atmosphere between MKB and their residents has improved after the listening approach was adopted.

Contact info

MKB Fastighets AG
Phone: +46 40313300
info@mkbfastighet.se

Project start date

07/07/2004

Links

MKB Fastighets AG

NEHOM National Report of Sweden (English PDF 1.2 MB)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Citizens' participation