Cities100: Stockholm - Walkable City Drives Long-Term Growth

To ensure Stockholm’s sustainable growth for years to come, the city has underpinned its development strategy on active mobility, public transport and efficient use of space.

The Challenge

Stockholm is one of Europe’s fastest growing cities. The sustainability of its future growth and development depends on planning policies enacted today. In this context, the city is embracing a holistic development plan with a focus on connectivity, active mobility, and public transport to ensure equitable growth and climate resilience.

The Solution

Stockholm believes that making the city denser and more connected is indispensable to creating a thriving city that can grow equitably and sustainably in the face of challenges from globalization and climate change. With its new city-wide plan, Walkable City, Stockholm is promoting walking, cycling, and public transport as well as efficient use of space over driving. To deliver on this vision, the city has extended its bicycle network by 7,000 m in 2015 and utilized measures like a congestion tax, which fines car use in the city center, to invest in walking, cycling, and public transport infrastructure. The mobility plan is crucial in helping Stockholm reach its goal of eliminating CO2 emissions attributable to transport by 2030. Ensuring that sustainable growth occurs not only in the city center but also in peripheral communities, Walkable City Stockholm is investing in key strategic transit nodes to connect the entire city. In doing so, the city will not only boost its climate resilience and lower CO2 emissions but also reduce social disparities between neighborhoods by improving access to the city’s services and unlocking economic opportunities for all residents.

Environmental Benefits – The Walkable City plan will drive Stockholm’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Social Benefits – As part of Walkable City, Stockholm has created a special commission to investigate how the city can reduce unequal living conditions in order to increase the well-being of all inhabitants.

Economic Benefits – Increased connectivity to areas outside the city center will make these districts more attractive for investment.

Health Benefits – The city is investing $122 million through 2018 to promote the use of bicycles, which will boost active mobility and reduce the incidence of illnesses related to sedentary lifestyles.

About Cities100

In its second year, Cities100 – presented by C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), Sustainia and Realdania – showcases leading solutions to urban climate challenges in ten sectors, ranging from solid waste management to transportation. For the first time, this year’s publication features solutions that address the nexus of climate change and social equity.

Available online and in print, Cities100 provides stakeholders an accessible format to explore achievable solutions for climate action in cities, and will be a useful tool for relevant groups ranging from impact investors and development organizations, to mayors and city governments.  You can access the full Cities100 2016 publication online here and read more about how may­ors will de­liver the aims of the Paris Agree­ment in a fore­ward by Anne Hidalgo, C40 Chair and Mayor of Paris, here.