Globaliseringens lokala uttryck: ett freds- och utvecklingsperspektiv på frågan om social hållbarhet

This paper deals with the processes of globalization, mobility and urbanization and conditions for social sustainability from a glocal perspective.

As the argument goes, the processes of globalization, migration and urbanization have, through the way they are intertwined, strengthened requirements for global governance and coherence between policy areas. There is a lack of legitimate supranational institutions with global reach at the same time as the political strength of states declines. Attention has consequently been drawn to the role cities with their global networks can play in this regard. Cities are, however, subjected to a rapid population growth, huge inequalities and an uneven development. The pace of urbanization exceeds frequently the capacity to expand housing, infrastructure and employment. The global impact on labor market reinforces income disparities and gentrification. Increased segregation threatens to tear cities apart. A Global North and a Global South are emerging side by side in the same city. Consequently many cities find themselves in an area of tension between on the one side seeking to contribute to social sustainability and on the other to evolve into battlefields for social conflicts.

In Sweden, most urban regions and municipalities have observed the need for coherence between the three dimensions of sustainability. However, at the same time, on the local level such discourses are challenged by local strategies based upon the understanding that urban areas, in order to become an attractive node in the global network of production, are forced to give priority to economic growth and urban security. Contrary to their intended effect, such strategies might make it more difficult to achieve the goal of an ecologically and socially sustainable urban development.

Malmö and Gothenburg constitute illustrative examples. These cities are making strong efforts to develop into competitive cities of knowledge and to become attractive nodes for foreign investors in the global network of production. They also belong to the signatories of the worldwide Covenant of Mayors, they are active members of various transnational networks and they have created various foreign relations in order to contribute to sustainable development. Simultaneously, both cities are characterized by significant differences in health indicators, level of education, employment, income as well as life expectancy between population groups and housing areas. Being aware of the fact that economic competitiveness as well as capability to contribute to ecological sustainability are linked to the question of equity and social justice, different measures are taken in order to also increase the social sustainability. Malmö has appointed a social sustainability commission and the region of Västra Götaland has launched a call for social sustainability and reduced gaps in health between different groups of the population.

Based upon a peace and development perspective, and drawing from experiences from the modern human history, the paper argues that the way in which people perceive and relate to ideational values such as security, development and justice will be decisive for the direction in which cities are heading. The process of globalization has, however, through its amalgamation of the local and the global changed the way the concepts are understood and used. The question of urban security has been deepened and widened to encompass human security, individual safety and economic predictability i.e. welfare in global times. Urban development has increasingly become a question not only of economic growth but also a question of equity and to bridge the divide between different parts of the population and housing areas. Subsequently, the importance of justice for social sustainability has increased and become conceived not only as a question of distribution of material resources but also of access to political power, cultural recognition and human rights. By highlighting the interrelationship between these values the paper points to the need to combine acts of promotion with acts of prevention enabling proventive security in a burtonian sense striving for enhanced urban safety and social cohesion. In addition, a more inclusive and locally rooted development strategy, as a complement to the efforts in creating a competitive city of knowledge, is called for in order to achieve a greater risk diversification. 2

Enhanced urban safety and social cohesion also calls for renewed social security and welfare programs adapted to local needs and present transnationalism with its multiple identities. The transition from negative security to positive security requires dialogue and active public participation. In the same way, the implementation of human rights needs to walk hand in hand with lifestyle changes which ecological sustainability requires. In order to break with dialogue-fatigue, the need arises for a transformative dialogue, capable of dealing with asymmetric power relations that are characterized by important conceptual gaps and strong mistrust between different stakeholders.

At times there are clearings in the political landscape making it possible to move from words into deeds. The paper concludes by pointing to emerging coinciding interests between economic and political decision makers trying to strengthen citizen dialogue and participation. Social upheavals and burning cars constitutes contradictory circumstances not compatible with requirements for becoming a competitive node in the global network of production. Empirical evidences point, however, to difficulties in seizing such structural opportunities for change. Prevailing problems can be wrongly identified and at times their complexity reduces scope for solutions and requires increased tolerance of ambiguity and management skills. Frequently the question of power and reluctance to accept needed shifts of power constitutes severe obstacles and constraints. This raises the question of resistance and the role of civil society in multilevel governance and incremental change.