The four Nordic capitals, Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm, have a reputation of being the most livable and safe cities in the world. However, a new study reveals that gaps are starting to show.
Three in five residents in the Nordic capitals feel that there is a problem with wealthy areas becoming wealthier and poor areas getting poorer. Additionally, one in four believe that they won’t afford to live where they live today and four in ten feel unsafe in some areas of their city. The study has been conducted by strategy and insight firm United Minds on behalf of NCC, one of the leading construction and property development companies in the Nordic region. The results are presented on an interactive platform (www.theinclusivecity.com), where anyone can explore the data through a data mixing board.
The study reveals that many residents of Nordic capitals think there are areas in their city where they would not feel safe. About half of the people in Helsinki believe that there are unsafe areas and about one in three thinks that there are areas that are off limits for certain income brackets. In comparison, Copenhagen distinguishes itself as a more inclusive city where nine in ten people perceive the city as open to everyone regardless of income and a significant majority feels safe wherever they go. However, around one in three in lower income groups across all Nordic capitals think that they won’t be able to afford to remain living in their area in the future. These fears are most pronounced in Oslo.
Globally, Northern Europeans often have a reputation of being shy and reserved, and the study definitively confirms that reputation. The majority of people living in the Nordic capitals do not talk to their neighbours regularly, and young people in particular tend to keep to themselves. In Helsinki, nine in ten people in the 18-29 age group do not talk to their neighbours, compared to five in ten in the 50-65 age group. However, almost half of respondents say they would like to know their neighbour better and this might even impact on people’s level of comfort in their neighbourhood. According to the survey, respondents with a stronger relationship with their neighbours were also more satisfied with the area in which they lived.
Although public views on urban planning proposals are increasingly being heard worldwide, this trend has been slow to develop in the Nordic capitals. A majority of respondents say they have few opportunities to influence local urban planning and would like a greater say. The people of Helsinki in particular appear to be almost totally excluded from the planning process, with seven in ten saying that they have little say. Older residents are particularly vocal in this respect. However, people in all the Nordic capitals would like better opportunities to help shape their cities and in particular where developments should be built, how public spaces should be designed and which activities should take place in the city.
The study has been conducted by United Minds on behalf of NCC, a construction and property development company in the Nordic region. The results are presented on the interactive platform – http://www.theinclusivecity.com/ – and based on a digital survey of 4,039 respondents evenly distributed between the greater city areas of Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Oslo. The respondents were a nationally representative quota of age and gender, from 18 to 65. The survey was conducted from 5-29 January 2016.
