Gothenburg aka Göteborg is growing. By 2035, Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, will have additional 150,000 residents and 80,000 new homes and workplaces. To this effect, the developmental project Älvstaden (The River City) is in full swing and with a vision towards 2050 is under execution. In an interview with Pernilla Krantz, (redaktionschef, lokal guiden), the Director of City Planning at City Planning Authority of the City of Gothenburg, Henrik Kant said, “We are working towards 2035 being a city with 150,000 more (Gothenburg) residents and until then we have about 70-80,000 new homes, of which about 50,000 in the city and about 25,000 in Älvstaden.”
Henrik Kant told Pernilla Krantz in the interview that the focus for the city development will be on the green areas, construction of strategic hubs, solving structural problems, and to have a cohesive city.
Gothenburg presents developmental challenges for the developers. River Göta, the country’s largest river crossing in a city, and the national roadways criss-cross Gothenburg which are life-giving assets and barriers in urban development. Henrik Kant also acknowledged that ‘Gothenburg is a segregated city and both weak and strong areas must have the conditions for a positive development’.
“A robust city is safe, can withstand the climate impact and unforeseen changes now and in the future. It is also a place where the inhabitants have confidence in each other and in the functions of society. We must plan for a city that has as little impact on the climate as possible, while at the same time the city has to adapt to the climate (change). Gothenburg’s geographical location is challenging given the UN Climate Panel’s climate scenarios,” Henrik Kant said in the interview to Pernilla Krantz.
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