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A new initiative aims to inspire and challenge the real estate industry to pursue a sustainable shift in society. Stockholm Environment Institute is starting an exciting collaboration with the urban developer Fabege to help create sustainable and socially beneficial urban and regional development in Stockholm by the year 2050, guided by the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda.
Urbanization is a strong global trend. More than half of the world’s population now lives and works in cities, and within a few decades 70% of all humans are expected to be urban residents. Sweden is one of the fastest-urbanizing countries in the European Union.
Cities today have a large and growing environmental impact. At the same time, they provide unique opportunities for innovative development, as they gather together workplaces, housing and leisure experiences in a compact geographical area, while also allowing people to develop and realize a diverse range of values: environmental, economic, social and cultural.
Climate change, geopolitical tensions and challenges in the EU are among many factors giving rise to increasing uncertainty about the prospects for development – both globally and also in our part of the world. There is therefore an urgent need for ways to ensure the most positive development in our societies.
“We live in an exciting but challenging time. It is now extremely important that we make smart choices and cooperate with politicians and the business community. We hope the collaboration with Fabege will lead to concrete measures being implemented in the real estate industry to contribute to long-term sustainable benefits in society,” says Katarina Axelsson, project manager and researcher at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).
To kick off their collaboration, on 19 March SEI and Fabege are gathering experts from across society to explore, using exploratory scenario methodology, how the real estate industry, local politicians, businesses and other relevant organizations can work together to:
“We at Fabege have a great opportunity to influence development in the right direction, thanks to our way of developing both new and existing districts in Stockholm. We see that there are completely new framework conditions today and that technological development is progressing rapidly. As a result of the collaboration with SEI and us now jointly taking a holistic approach and gathering knowledge from various societal stakeholders, behavioural scientists, researchers, politicians, our own board and environmental experts, we hope to find completely new solutions and approaches for creating a better Stockholm,” says Fabege CEO Christian Hermelin.
During the workshop, participants will explore alternative development paths for the Stockholm region and how Fabege can contribute, with a focus on the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
The goal of this unique collaboration is to understand how the real estate industry, local politicians, businesses and other relevant organizations can actively contribute to sustainable development in society, considering different future scenarios.
The workshop on 19 March will take place at Friends Arena in Stockholm under the Chatham House Rule. Personal interviews with the media in connection with the workshop should be booked in advance.
Ylva Rylander, Press Officer at SEI
[email protected], +46 (0)73-150 33 84
Katarina Axelsson, Project Manager and researcher at SEI
[email protected], +46 (0)73-707 85 77
Christian Hermelin, CEO Fabege, +46 (0)8-555 148 25
Mia Häggström, Sustainability Manager Fabege, +46 (0)73-387 18 54
Fabege is a property developer focusing on urban development and commercial properties in Stockholm, Sweden. The company works with strategic partners to develop sustainable city districts with modern offices, residential units and a wide range of services. Both the perspective and the ownership are long-term, and the aim is to create the right conditions for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the areas, located in a select number of fast-growing submarkets in the Stockholm area. The Fabege share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, in the Large Cap segment.
Project / With the transition to a sustainable society as a backdrop, the purpose of this pilot project is to explore the role of Fabege in the urban development sector.
Press release / A new tool will align strategic decisions with the 2030 Agenda. The project involves SEI, Jernkontoret, Foxway and the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence.
SEI brief / This policy brief introduces the NDC-SDG Connections online tool, which analyses the synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda.
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