This article was first published in Stockholm News 2009-07-01:
The political week in Visby: “Stockholm – in the shadow of the national government. Why is it so difficult to start and complete new projects?” This was the headline for a seminar during the political week in Visby today.
Being a capital has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are perhaps easier to detect. Governmental institutions are there and international businesses often want to establish in the capital (or at least in the biggest city which is not always the same)
Many projects in Stockholm that is considered vital for the infrastructure have been delayed during the last decades. Citybanan for commuter trains and a road around the city center are two examples.
The ring road for traffic around the city (Stockholm and Tirana are the only capitals in Europe that lacks one) has been planned since the 1950ies and is now scheduled to be built during the next decade but the political opposition are against it and the financing is not settled yet.
Essingeleden, the major road for travellers between south and north Stockholm is built to take 60 000 vehicles per day but has now 160 000.
Building of new apartment blocks are also often delayed or cancelled.
Carl Cederskiöld, former mayor in Stockholm, held a speech at the seminar where he pointed at four different explanations to this phenomenon.
• The center of Stockholm is crowded already and has many historical areas that nobody wants to destroy.
• Cederskiöld said that if one hypothetically wanted to prevent all new constructions in Stockholm, the present legislation regarding environment and interest conflicts would be perfect. It effectively stops most projects since the conditions for being allowed to build is almost impossible to meet in a big city. The law was adopted by the former Social Democratic government after demands from the Greens. Cederskiöld believes the law will be softened up gradually, but it will take some time.
* The possibilities to appeal new construction projects often stop them or delay them for many years. One example is that one single person managed to delayNorra Länken with ten years. He considered his personal interests threatened by the road. Appeals affects of course constructions in other parts of the country as well.
• The local politicians in Stockholm are also to blame. They tend to debate international politics in the local assembly (!). They are also very split and do not stand up for the region irrespective of their political colour, as the local politicians do in many other parts of the country. That is also, says Cederskiöld, an explanation to why the government gives priority to projects in other parts of the country. When the government see that Stockholm´s politicians can not agree on what they want, the money is spent in other regions instead.
Carl Cederskiöld says that Stockholm is underfinanced with state money compared to its population and economical significance. In the past people thought that the city would be ok anyway because of its size but now they start to realises that Stockholmers and their politicians must do as they do in other cities and stand up for their region.
Göran Johnson, former chairman of the trade union for metal workers, said that the government does not want a strong regional leadership in Stockholm since they want to control the region themselves.
– For me with my dialect it is perhaps easier to be though when I talk about the importance of a strong Stockholm he said with some humour. (Johnson is from south Sweden which is easy to hear).
-Politicians in Stockholm must learn from the business world that it is possible to be competitors and co-operate at the same time.
On a question from the audience about whether he thinks that the ring road around Stockholm will ever be built he said
–Yes, I do. It will be built within the next 400 years.
