Anna has a special interest in what makes urban and rural regions sustainable, liveable and prosperous. She has an academic background in political science with a PhD urban and regional planning, and long experience in regional development, policymaking and governance.
Academic qualifications
PhD in Planning and Decision Analysis with specialization in Urban and Regional Studies, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (2017)
BSc in International Social Sciences, Växjö University (1993)
Languages
Swedish
English
French
Prior Positions
- Project Manager, Region Stockholm (2013-2018)
- Secretary General, The Council for the Stockholm Mälar Region (Mälardalsrådet) (2008-2013)
- International Secretary, The Council for the Stockholm Mälar Region (1998-2008)
- Project Manager, Region Stockholm (1998)
- Senior Advisor, Federation of Swedish County Councils (Landstingsförbundet/ Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner) (1994-1998)
- Trainee Conseil Régional de Lorraine, France (1993-1994)
Other
Associated board member in the Nordic Section of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) https://www.regionalstudies.org/network/norsa/
Publications
Peer-reviewed
- Lundgren, A., & Meijer, M. W. (2025). Skills Ecosystems – a Solution to the Skills Problem? Experiences from the Nordics. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.156990
- Lundgren, A. and Teräs, J. (2023). Developing the Economic Competence in Åland: Recommendations and key learning points for policy makers. Baltic Sea Policy Briefing (BSR Policy Briefing 5/2023 – Centrum Balticum)
- Lundgren, A (2019) Participation in local and regional development perspectives in social capital, planning and governance. Towards a research agenda. In Matsushima K., K. Kobayashi and H. Westlund (Eds.) Social capital and development trends in rural areas, Volume 12, Kyoto: Kyoto University (ISBN:978-4-907830-12-0)
- Lundgren, A (2017) The Openness Buzz. A Study of Openness in Planning, Politics and Political Decision-Making in Sweden from an Institutional Perspective, PhD Thesis. Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
- Lundgren A (2017) Openness and Transparency in Political Decision-Making: An Empirical Study through an Institutional Lens. Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Vol 11, No 1.
- Lundgren A (2016) The Openness Buzz in Metropolitan Regions: Swedish Regional Development Strategies. European Journal of Spatial Development. Research briefing no. 6.
- Lundgren A and Westlund H (2016) The Openness Buzz in the Knowledge Economy: Towards Taxonomy. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. Vol 35, Issue 6, 2017.
Anna Lundgren‘s spatial story
Learning how to create sustainable and resilient futures
What makes some places prosperous and attractive while others lag behind? A long time ago, we thought of that as mainly a story of natural resources. Today, we know that it is a far more complex story of institutional capacity, accessibility to global markets, and human and social capital. And that we must engage with this complexity to create sustainable and resilient societies and regions. So, where can we learn from?
To learn from other regions’ spatial stories is one way. In the greater Stockholm region, we started more than 20 years ago to learn from other competitive and attractive metropolitan regions – what is it that makes them thrive and prosper? In a joint program with local and regional leaders from politics, universities, research parks, and business leaders, we learnt from best practices in other parts of the world. But we also learned about our own Stockholm region by creating new networks and mirroring our own region in other regions.
Another way to create sustainable and resilient futures is to learn from research. Regional research is vast and engages with many different disciplines and perspectives. To get a solid base to learn from, it is important to make the link between research, practice, and policy. One way of doing that is through the Nordic Regional Cooperation Programme, where Nordregio engages with Nordic practice and policy-making at national and regional levels of government, including cross-border regions. Through the development of applied research and fostering dialogue about policy implications of research findings, research can make important contributions to creating sustainable and resilient societies and regions.
Related Research Projects
-
Ongoing
- Sustainable Nordic Remote Labour Markets (SUNREM)
- Not Just a Green Transition (NJUST) – Examining the path towards a socially just green transition in the Nordic Region
-
Finished
- Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)
- A common Nordic labour market 70 years and beyond (70 ys and beyond)
- Re-start competence mobility in the Nordic Region
- Skills Policies – Building Capacities for Innovative and Resilient Nordic Regions
- Nordic transport infrastructure planning – institutional barriers and opportunities for coordination (NORDINFRA)
- Health care and care with distance-spanning technologies, e-health and digitalisation
- Marint Gränsforum Skagerrak – external evaluation
Related Publications
- Nordic Toolbox for a Just Green Transition
- Just Green Transition – key concepts and implications in the Nordic Region
- In all fairness: perceptions of climate policies and the green transition in the Nordic Region
- The social impacts of climate mitigation policies on vulnerable groups in the Nordic Region
- Navigating Nordic discontent: Regional divides, electoral trends, and the green transition
- Reaping the Benefits of Nordic Collaboration in Regional Development
- Embracing the just green transition on the Nordic labour market
- The Common Nordic Labour Market 70 Years and Beyond
- How can labour market mobility in the Nordic Region be increased?
- Re-start competence mobility in the Nordic Region
- Competence mobility: How can labour market mobility in the Nordic Region be increased?
- Cross-border transport infrastructure planning in the Nordic Region – An introduction
- Facilitating cross-border transport infrastructure planning in the Nordic Region
- Ålands strukturfondsprogram 2014–2020 Utvärderarnas andra delrapport
- Matching the missing links – Skills development in Nordic regions
- Klimatomställningen och relationen stad och land
- State of the Nordic Region 2020 -Wellbeing, health and digitalisation
- Skills for Smart Specialisation in Värmland Region – executive summary
- Kompetensbehov för Smart specialisering i Värmland
- Towards a Just Green Transition: 10 Key messages for Nordic policymakers
Related external pages
Related News
- Nordregio Forum 2021 – some highlights!
- Nordregio Researchers at COP26
- New Nordic study on regional policy and instruments for economic recovery
- Anna Lundgren, Nordregio Senior Researcher, speaks at REG LAB webinar
- Matching skills for future labour market
- 10 December: Welfare in sparsely populated areas and how to organize social services and care
- Health & Well-being in the Nordic Region
- Nordic thematic group for innovative and resilient regions publishes discussion paper about skills policies
- Nordic transport infrastructure: how to strengthen the cross-border planning?
- How to boost labour market mobility across the Nordics?
- Meet Nordregio in Almedalen 2023
- Enhancing economic competence in Åland: Insights and strategies for policy enhancement
- Nordic geographies of discontent – what are the drivers?
- What would a fully integrated Nordic labour market look like?
- Nordregio Hosts Norwegian and Swedish Ministries Working with Municipal Policies
- New toolbox identifies six crucial areas for a just green transition
- How to master cross-border transport infrastructure planning
- How do we ensure broad public acceptance for climate policies?
- Shaping the green transition: 10 Key messages for Nordic policymakers
Related Events
- State of the Nordic Region 2022
- Hvordan kan digitalisering bidrage til at indfri FN’s verdensmål på Færøerne og i Grønland?
- Choosing Green – a digital summit before COP26
- 21 October: Health & Well-being in the Nordic Region
- How can we achieve a fair green transition for all?
- Nordic Toolbox for a Just Green Transition
- Future-proofing the Nordics – what is resilient leadership?
- Fra klimaløfter til kløfter– hvordan snur vi unges mistro? – Nordregio at Arendalsuka 2025
