Correcting course on housing: An analysis of residential segregation in Järfälla and recommended policy interventions

By Zipei Zhen, Nora Syaush, Maitreyee Rele, Zhijiao Huang & Frederick Heere

Järfälla is an expanding community, with neighbourhoods including older areas constructed during the Million Program as well as the currently under-development Barkarbystaden. Influenced by the era during which they were built, and contemporary policy approaches in effect, Järfälla’s neighbourhoods have developed quite differently in terms of not only built environment but also predominant socioeconomic conditions in each neighbourhood. Wider societal structures are at play here, ones that are common throughout the Stockholm region, Sweden, and internationally. Economic segregation arising from income inequality, the Swedish government’s housing policy, and current paradigms in municipal urban planning; ethnic segregation through differences in employment and residential self-selection; and residential segregation caused by homogeneously planned neighbourhoods are all factors related to segregation in Järfälla. Here we see a city with significant discrepancies between socioeconomically advantaged neighbourhoods, such as Bolinder Strand, and disadvantaged areas, including Söderhöjden. While current detail plans call for new housing, new developments do not necessarily provide the type of housing that is most needed to alleviate issues of overcrowding and housing unaffordability. A spatial analysis of data from homes listed for sale reveals varying patterns of home sizes and prices across neighbourhood, shedding light on which areas are suitable and accessible to different types of households. Furthermore, a Pearson correlation analysis of Järfälla unveils relationships between socioeconomic factors, such as place of birth, with housing tenure types, providing more detailed insight into how different types of housing cater to different groups of residents. With this understanding of segregation in hand, policy recommendations are proposed to achieve greater spatial integration. Breaking the homogeneity of neighbourhoods, introducing more balanced mixtures of housing in terms of tenure and size will make it easier for residents to find housing that meets their needs in a variety of neighbourhoods. Additionally, new affordable rental and homeownership tenures will make newly developed housing more economically inclusive of low-income residents.

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