Hjällbo is a suburban large housing estate built in the end of the 60s as a part of the “millionprogram” in Sweden.

5- 10 years after the construction it became an area with heavy social problems: too many poor lived here and too many with social problems like drugs, criminality, unemployment etc.; and as a result there was an everlasting problem with empty flats. Three different municipal housing companies and two small co-operative building societies owned the flats, sometimes competing over the tenants. Economically the area was a burden for the city of Goteborg.

In 1998 a new company, Hjällbobostaden, was formed to take over all the city’s flats and start anew with new directives including physical changes, new plans, a new centre and a responsibility for the welfare of the residents like employment, health care, social and commercial service etc.

Today Hjällbo is updated, it is a popular place and the residents stay on. It has a a good commercial service (the green-market is famous in Goteborg).

Hjällbo is the place for an experiment with a very far-going residential influence on the area. For some years there has been an area-group with participation from the housing–company, from the local authorities and a majority of residents. This is now, after stormy years, finished. Hjällbobostaden still has a board where the residents are in majority.

Physical betterments has been a part of the strategy to up-grade Hjällbo since the start of the new company 1997. Measures included: House-renovation, re-building of the centre, up-grading of the flats and public spaces.

Hjällbo is more attractive, the public spaces and the centre is nice and the economy is good as there are no longer any empty flats. The services, both social and commercial have always been comparatively good. But the population mix is very much the same – Hjällbo is still an area far down on the housing market hierarchy with a lot of immigrants, poor and a lot of social problems.

The success is mainly due to the co-operations among the strong actors, Hjällbobostaden and the local authorities, who took a combined grip on problems of the area.

The residents, the housing company

The new company started with a good deal from the municipality. Money from the government (LDA) were also used.

Hjällbobostaden
Tomas Olsson (Local area manager), tel. +46 31 436900

//1998

case

Urban Policy > Urban environment > Urban renewal

Housing estate redevelopment