Local Platforms

A sustainable urban development includes a wide range of global and local challenges. What is on the agenda in the European or North American metropolitan areas is not the same as in the rapidly growing African and Asian mega-cities.

Mistra Urban Futures has established five local platforms and a node, each with its own context of research, challenges and practice in urban development. They are located in:

Cape Town, South Africa: a close collaboration with the African Centre for Cities and the City of Cape Town provide an insight into practical as well as academic insights concerning the rapid growth and development of the African continent’s urban areas.

Gothenburg, Sweden: a medium-size city facing some of the same challenges as the mega-cities, but on a smaller scale, thus making it possible to experience, analyse, develop, and initiate actions and studies. The centre´s secretariat is also located here.

Sheffield-Manchester, U.K: an experienced and highly qualified academic team at the Salford Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures (SURF) ensure the quality of research and knowledge for true evidence based policy making.

Kisumu, Kenya: local knowledge production and research very close to the actual development of the city bring most valuable experience and first-hand knowledge to monitor and improve conditions, reduce poverty, local economy and sustainability.

Skåne, Sweden: a dynamic region developing rapidly with several cities including Malmö, the hub of activities for the new platform. Three renowned universities in Lund and Malmö, and the Agricultural University in Alnarp bring multifaceted knowledge profiles into Mistra Urban Futures, including ecosystem services and real estate management.

Stockholm, Sweden: the capital of Sweden, well-known for its sustanability and climate work. The Stockholm node – estasblished in March 2017 – offers an arena for collaboration between the universities and public sector authorities.