Nordregio is an international research institute established by the Nordic Council of Ministers

Senior Research Advisor

Ryan Weber

Home Staff Ryan Weber

Ryan is no longer working at Nordregio. For contact or more information please contact nordregio@nordregio.org

To help create more people-friendly and attractive cities, my research focuses on land use, service distribution, infrastructure and planning strategy in Nordic and European cities. In my everyday work, I lead two international research and collaboration projects, Social Green and REGINA, which focus on green building and local smart specialisation. I also work with urban planners to develop tools that support sustainable urban development initiatives by local and regional governments.

Academic qualifications
Msc Urban and Regional Planning, Stockholm University
BA Geography, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada

Languages
English
Swedish

Publications
Reardon, M., Weber, R. (2011) City Policies and Resource Efficiency, Journal of Nordregio, 2011, No.1

Spatial Story

City of glass

I come from a city recognized by and for its many unique spatial characteristics.

Surrounded by expansive ocean and mountains, perched Lions guard it from above. And at the tip of a peninsula, a forested park doubles its footprint. As I turn my back to the downtown I see a foreground of beaches, seawalls and jetties that transition into the blue of the water, the green of the trees and the white of snow-capped mountains. It’s a brilliant contrast between the endlessness of the ocean and the protective comfort of the mountains.

Yet when I turn around I see bridges and roadways entering the cavernous corridors of a vertically oriented city – one with a density that rivals New York’s Lower Manhattan. This trait is partly the result of a demand for living and business space that far outweighs supply in such a bounded urban fabric. But it’s also a result of our patchwork society, much of which only recently emigrated from far more populous, far denser urban regions of the Far East.

But unlike the Nordic Capitals of Stockholm and Oslo, where high-rise development is a hotly debated political issue, skyscrapers in my hometown are embraced for their structural beauty. I think it’s because they provide an excellent contrast against our expansive water and hovering mountains. The result isn’t a hollowed out business district, it’s a “City of Glass” that overlooks urban neighborhoods with an acclaimed vibrancy both day and night. That’s my hometown.

Related Research Projects
Finished
Accessibility to Health Services in Iceland Urban visions of the green and recreative city ESPON ESCAPE – European Shrinking Rural Areas Challenges, Actions and Perspectives for Territorial Governance GRETA – Green infrastructure: enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services for territorial development Social Green – Regional Policies towards Greening the Social Housing Sector Baltic Urban Lab – Integrated Planning and Partnership Model for Brownfield Development REGINA
Related Publications
Remote work: Effects on Nordic people, places and planning 2021-2024  Local smart specialisation: An approach to increasing preparedness in rural communities with resource-based industries in the Northern Periphery Making the most of brownfield sites in the Baltic Sea Region Demographic change and labour market challenges in regions with large-scale resource-based industries in the Northern Periphery and Arctic Developing brownfields via public-private-people partnerships Local land use planning: Guidance on spatial data, geographic information systems and foresight in the Arctic Local smart specialisation: a step-by-step guide to social impact management in remote communities with resource-based economies REGINA Policy brief 2017:1: Local Smart Specialisation: a strategy for remote communities with large-scale resource-based industries Towards sustainable Nordic city-regions A Spatial Analysis of City-Regions: Urban Form & Service Accessibility Indicator frameworks: Helping planners monitor urban sustainability Green growth and spatial planning in the Nordic city regions The Use of Integrated Urban Models in the Nordic Countries Public Investment and Procurement for Greener Buildings Sustainable Regions – Sustainable Local Communities Integrated Models: Planning Urban Sustainability Nordregio News Issue 1 2014: Planning Tools for Urban Sustainability State of the Nordic Region 2013 Proceedings from the First International Conference on Urbanisation in the Arctic Integrating Green Growth in Regional Development Strategies Scoping Green Growth and Innovation in Nordic Regions Nordregio News Issue 1 2012: Green Economy in Policy and Practice Planning for resource efficient cities
Related Events
Smart Planning for Healthy and Green Nordic Cities 28 October: CROSS-BORDER TRAFFIC FLOWS IN THE NORDIC REGION Webinar Book launch: Green Visions: Greenspace Planning and Design for Nordic Cities Webinar: Public Space in the Green and Recreative City The Nordic Pavilion at COP24 – the UN Climate Summit Carbon Neutral Social Housing: Challenges Post2020 REGINA Flagship Conference REGINA kick-off Launch meeting: Social Green – Regional Policies towards Greening the Social Housing Sector
Related News
Nordregio Forum 2021 – some highlights! New article provides fresh insight into the issue of rural shrinking in Europe Smart Planning for Healthy and Green Nordic Cities 16 Dec: How regional policies are greening the EU Social Housing sector? Solving Society’s Most Pressing Challenges through Housing Building a better future – the Nordic Way Buildings retrofits are vital to achieving Europe’s energy and climate goals Results from Baltic Urban Lab: guides and tools for planning brownfields Launch of new local smart specialisation platform for sparsely populated areas Greening our cities – new issue of Nordregio Magazine Social green: Study visits and Project Meeting in Alba Iulia, Romania Social impacts of mining – new results from the REGINA project Managing social impact – new guide to making the most of human capital in local communities EU project on local development visits Qaqortoq REGINA partners meet in Sandnessjøen August 15-17 Stockholm’s eco-districts create green growth NordMap, new Nordic web-mapping tool: Create, share and print maps Public Investment and Procurement for Greener Buildings
Related Maps
Nordic Thematic Groups 2017-2020: location of case studies Nordic Thematic Group for Urban Development 2017-2020: location of case studies Nordic greenhouse gas emissions by region 2017 and 2013-2017 change