News

Across the Nordic Region, cities are grappling with rising levels of urban segregation. From large capitals to smaller towns, the socio-economic and spatial divides between neighbourhoods are becoming increasingly visible, raising concerns about social cohesion, equality, and inclusion. How has the region put these concerns into action? Our new report, “Beyond segregation: Nordic approaches to socially inclusive cities,” delves into the wide range of policy and planning approaches used to counteract urban segregation and foster social inclusion across the Nordics. Drawing on national and municipal-level experiences from all five Nordic countries, the report offers in-depth insights from 13 cities. “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” says Mats Stjernberg, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio and lead author of the report. “But we do see a common recognition across the region that creating more inclusive cities requires long-term commitment at multiple levels, and a real willingness to deal with both the deeper structural issues and the more visible, local challenges.” From strategies to segregation barometers While the specific approaches vary across countries and cities, a number of trends stand out. Many governments and municipalities are pursuing area-based interventions, such as physical regeneration, mixed housing developments, and targeted social services, but alongside broader policy shifts in housing, education, employment, and integration. In Finland, the City of Helsinki has implemented the Suburban Regeneration Model (kaupunkiuudistus), which focuses on revitalising specific suburban areas. The model includes infill construction, physical upgrades, and investments in public services, and is part of a broader commitment to counteract segregation and improve neighbourhood liveability. This area-based model is cross-sectoral by design, combining housing, planning, and social policy measures. The report also highlights the increasing use of data to support decision-making. From Sweden’s national Segregation barometer (Segregationsbarometern) to local indicator systems in Finland, spatial data and statistics are increasingly used to assess levels…

What does it mean to host the “right kind” of tourist? How can tourism be made socially sustainable, not just economically or environmentally sound, in Nordic communities? These were the pressing questions explored during Nordregio’s recent webinar and report launch, The Right Kind of Tourist? Rethinking tourism’s impact on Nordic communities. Spoiler: there are no easy answers, but there’s no shortage of insights, dilemmas, and promising practices either. Beyond Revenue: Why Social Sustainability Matters Now The event brought together researchers, regional practitioners, and policymakers to share the findings from the final report of the Socially Sustainable Rural Tourism project. As tourism numbers continue to climb across the Nordics, the conversation is shifting from “how much?” to “how well?”and that’s where social sustainability comes in. Lead author Ágúst Bogason opened the event by challenging attendees to look beneath tourism’s sunny surface. While economic growth, infrastructure upgrades and job creation are highly visible benefits, the less tangible impacts on housing, healthcare, trust, and community identity, are often overlooked or under-measured. “There’s a real appetite for addressing the social dimension of tourism,” said Ágúst, “but we lack common definitions, consistent indicators, and the tools to operationalise the concept in policy and planning.” Eight Nordic Regions, Eight Shades of Pressure Drawing on fieldwork in eight Nordic regions, the report offers a rich mosaic of how tourism plays out in real life, from seasonal surges to slow-burn transformations. Nordregio’s Maja Brynteson and Lisa Rohrer helped to flesh out the details of the case studies behind the results. From Research to Reality: Panelists on the Frontlines The heart of the webinar was a lively and refreshingly honest panel discussion featuring a mix of local practitioners and academic voices. Together, they dug into the real-world dilemmas of tourism development in the Nordics where values, voices, and visitor…

The Nordic Region generally has strong public support for mitigating climate change. In fact, nearly half (49%) agree that more public resources should be spent fighting it, even if this means raising taxes. Social acceptance is key for successful climate policies. So what can policymakers do to create policies that will be both effective and gain public support? Nordregio’s research clarifies the issue. What determines acceptance of climate policies? Cost. How do policies impact households and regional economies?Effectiveness. Do people believe policies will deliver meaningful change?Fairness. Are measures perceived as fair across different groups and regions? The research also highlights that “social acceptance” is not a fixed concept. Does it mean a simple majority, full consensus, or active support? And who counts – local communities, voters, or the general public? Fairness thus offers a nuanced factor in climate policy acceptance, raising questions of distribution and geography. Key findings from Nordregio’s research: Despite public concerns, the economic modelling developed in the EnIGG project, shows that implementing key climate measures – increased biofuel use, promoting electric cars, and phasing out coal – would have only moderate overall effects on GDP and household finances. However, regional variation is significant, depending on the local economy’s reliance on fossil-intensive industries. Forming policies to gain acceptance How climate policies are designed and implemented affects whether they gain public support. Our research highlights the following strategies (among others) to build acceptance: ✔️ Address local and regional economic impacts – some areas and sectors may face a disproportionate burden. ✔️ Use positive storytelling, transparent communication and vision-building to foster public engagement. ✔️ Early-stage involvement of impacted groups and group-specific impact assessments improve policy outcomes and public acceptance. ✔️ Engage civil society and labour unions to ensure buy-in from diverse stakeholders. ✔️ Explore tailored solutions as different groups face…

Over the past three decades, there has been considerable diversity in population growth rates among Arctic regions. These range from a near doubling of the population of the territory of Nunavut in Canada to a 70 percent decline in the population in the Chukotka okrug in the Russian Far East. At lower geographic levels, there has been a trend towards the concentration of populations into larger urban centers and sizable shrinkage or closure of many smaller settlements. A playground in Qaanaaq, Greenland. By Leneisja Jungsberg, Nordregio. A combination of demographic and economic factors has contributed to these trends, including Russia’s transition to a market economy. There are also significant demographic differences between Arctic indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Arctic indigenous populations tend to have higher fertility, lower life expectancy, and younger age structures. Population change for any country or region consists of two components, natural increase – the difference between the number of births and deaths and net migration – the difference between people migrating to a region and those leaving. This note analyzes and maps population change in the Arctic since 1990 showing the large differences among regions and settlements in the Arctic. Alaska The population of the United States has grown by 37 percent since 1990, due to equal contributions of natural increase and net immigration. The population of Alaska grew slightly less than this, by one-third, because of higher natural increase and outmigration. Migration to and from Alaska is quite volatile based on relative economic conditions in Alaska and the rest of the U.S. There has been net out-migration from Alaska since 2012, which is the longest sustained exodus since 1867. Over this period, 57,000 more people left the state than arrived In 2017, the population of the state declined for the first time in three decades and…

How can the Nordic-Baltic region enhance digital security during times of geopolitical instability? In the first of Nordregio’s NB-Connect event series, experts gathered to discuss strategies for strengthening digital resilience and safeguarding connectivity infrastructure in the Nordic-Baltic region. Photo: Krzysztof Kowalik / Unsplash.com The physical threat to a digital world In the face of a changing geopolitical climate, European countries are raising their guards and shining the torch on vulnerable critical infrastructure. The Nordic and Baltic states are currently scrutinising their vulnerabilities to hybrid attacks, particularly following recent incidents involving communication cables in the Baltic Sea. These attacks have highlighted the need to monitor and protect communications systems, reminding us that digital security is highly reliant on physical infrastructure. But security challenges span further than human induced incidents, where remote regions, such as Greenland, face challenges in securing essential communication infrastructure due to harsh arctic environments and a lack of private investment incentives. To address the pressing issue of secure digital infrastructure, Nordregio recently gathered experts from the NB-Connect expert group, as well as associated national representatives and members of the research community. This online event marked the first in a series within the NB-Connect project, funded by the Nordic-Baltic Ministers for Digitalisation in their commitment to making the Nordic-Baltic region the most digitally integrated in the world by 2030. The research project focuses on sharing digital connectivity data across the Nordic-Baltic region, and the first event on 18 March particularly covered security threats to communication systems, how these threats differ between regions, and the complexities of covering hybrid threats under international law. Cecilia Leveaux from the Nordic Council of Ministers emphasised the importance of both access to, and the security and resilience of, the digital infrastructure: “It impacts everything and is a hot topic in the ministerial councils and…

As the Nordic Region faces an increasingly evident demographic shift, many municipalities are grappling with the challenges of population decline, ageing, and uneven distribution of residents. These trends raise concerns over economic sustainability, public service delivery, and local infrastructure development. The focus on growth, traditionally viewed as the key indicator of success, is not enough to address the complexities of today’s demographic realities. New perspectives are needed to shift from simply managing population shrinkage to making communities stronger, more sustainable, and more resilient for the future. That’s where the concept of smart adaptation comes in. It offers a strategic framework designed to reshape how we think about resource allocation, public services, and economic resilience in the face of demographic change. Rethinking population shrinkage Rather than viewing shrinking populations as a problem that needs fixing, smart adaptation turns the attention towards potential. It’s about embracing change, finding new ways to live and work, and shaping a future that does not rely on growth for success. But how can we rethink our policies to reflect this new reality? Elin Cedergren, Research Fellow at Nordregio, highlights key challenges, including the difficulty of openly discussing population shrinkage and its effects. At the same time, she points to opportunities in the Nordic Region. Cooperation between municipalities and regions can help pool resources to improve service provision. Strong civil society networks and associations can help sustain lively communities. However, spatial justice needs to be considered. Vulnerable demographic groups and sparsely populated areas require targeted support and a voice in policymaking. “It’s time to rethink how we approach this challenge,” says Cedergren. “We’ve viewed shrinking populations as a problem to solve. But what if we reframed it as an opportunity for transformation? By embracing change, regions can focus on building stronger communities, rather than trying to reverse…