Hållbar stadsutveckling - erfarenheter från Hållbara Hökarängen

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute describes the 'Hållbara Hökarängen' (Sustainable Hökarängen) project, an action-research initiative conducted between 2012 and 2015 in a Stockholm district. The project aimed to develop and test methods for collaboration between residents, property owners, and local actors to reduce energy and resource use. The findings emphasize that engagement is highest when activities are linked to areas where residents have direct influence and personal interest, such as urban gardening and communal cooking, rather than technical energy issues in rental housing.

• The project found that residents' engagement is heavily influenced by local socio-demographic factors and the degree of personal control they have over the issue. While initial efforts focused on residential energy, interest was limited because the area is dominated by rental apartments where residents have little influence over energy use. Engagement increased significantly when the focus shifted to broader resource efficiency and activities that were 'lustfyllt' (joyful), such as nature walks, communal cooking, and urban gardening.
• A diverse range of communication channels and activities is necessary to reach a broad audience. The project utilized a combination of door-knocking campaigns, a project blog, a newsletter, a central project office, and a sustainability festival. The door-knocking campaign specifically helped the project group identify high-interest areas such as waste sorting, environmental rooms, and gardening.
• The project established a network of 'Local Sustainability Ambassadors' (Lokala Hållbarhetsambassadörer) to ensure the initiative's longevity beyond the project's end date. These ambassadors, consisting of both long-term and new residents, acted as a test panel for the project group, proposed and prioritized ideas, and helped bridge the project with other local capabilities. This led to the creation of a local transition movement called 'Hökarängens Omställning & Permakultur-projekt! (HOPP!)'.
• Social sustainability and the creation of communal meeting places are critical for achieving environmental goals. The project demonstrated that environmental transitions are easier to achieve when focusing on quality of life and social community. Meeting places served as platforms for social cohesion and mutual inspiration, which in turn influenced attitudes toward high-impact behaviors, such as air travel.
• To ensure long-term sustainability of project activities, local actors should be encouraged to take over responsibility as early as possible. However, residents identified a lack of common premises and kitchens as a major barrier to continuing activities. There was also a expressed need for a central coordinating role, as driving such initiatives solely through volunteer efforts was seen as difficult.
• The project achieved measurable results in energy reduction and behavioral change. A heat energy efficiency program implemented by Stockholmshem in the area resulted in a decrease in heat energy consumption of more than 30 percent per square meter compared to 2007. Additionally, an energy-saving competition using visualization of electricity consumption led to significant reductions in electricity use among participants.

APA

Axelsson, K. (2016). Hållbar stadsutveckling - erfarenheter från Hållbara Hökarängen. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-PolicyBrief-RylanderAxelsson-HallbaraHokarangen.pdf

Chicago

Axelsson, Katarina. Hållbar stadsutveckling - erfarenheter från Hållbara Hökarängen. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-PolicyBrief-RylanderAxelsson-HallbaraHokarangen.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Axelsson |first1=Katarina |title=Hållbar stadsutveckling - erfarenheter från Hållbara Hökarängen |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-PolicyBrief-RylanderAxelsson-HallbaraHokarangen.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{axelsson2016hllbar, author = {Axelsson, Katarina}, title = {{Hållbar stadsutveckling - erfarenheter från Hållbara Hökarängen}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-PolicyBrief-RylanderAxelsson-HallbaraHokarangen.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }