Urbanisation is a global megatrend. By 2050, two-thirds of the global population is expected to live in cities. According to UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, “Sustainable cities and communities”, cities at their best provide a platform for new ideas, science and economic as well as social development, but a high population density poses challenges to health, safety and the environment. There is a great need for new knowledge on how to make cities sustainable.
In response to this, NordForsk has established the research initiative “Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities”. The theme of the initiative is sustainable society and smart use of modern technologies.
“A majority of the population in the Nordic region is already living in cities. If we are to develop our democracies to include all inhabitants and enable them to take active part in our democracy, we not only need new knowledge on sustainable development and city planning, but also knowledge on how to integrate all the pillars — that is the social, the environmental and the economic — in sustainable development”, says Ethel Forsberg, Director General of Forte (the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare) and chair of the committee.
The growth in the Öresund Region and other border regions clearly show that the societies and regions in the Nordic countries are expanding across their national borders.
“The initiative will generate knowledge for policy development throughout the Nordic region, and it will also contribute to and be well aligned with other existing initiatives at both the national and the European level,” Forsberg states.
The content and objectives of the initiative will be described in more detail in the call that is expected in March 2019.
