Visualising degrowth: strategies for a transformative way forward

By Christofer Håkansson, Julia Nordenvall, Petra Rosenius, Cecilia Sundström, Jakob Svensson, Valur Elli Valsson

Economic growth and technological innovation have dominated global ideas of societal development for the past centuries. However, in the face of ecological crisis, uneven distribution of resources and structures of social injustice, the growth-centric paradigm needs to be challenged. With the opportunity of envisioning a future Järfälla, this report suggests an alternate vision based on degrowth principles. Degrowth offers a future which prioritises social and ecological sustainability, focusing on social wellbeing and resource-consumption within ecological limits. This report aims at exploring how alternate theory of degrowth can contribute with tools and solutions to complex sustainability issues and as such broaden the operational horizon of Järfälla municipality. To achieve this, the report formulates a future degrowth vision for Järfälla for 2050 together with necessary measures to reach this vision. By conducting a SWOT analysis, identifying current unsustainable conditions and practises in Järfälla, goals of a degrowth 2050 future are formulated. These goals are then incorporated into a backcasting study, where measures to reach these goals are determined. The measures fall into five categories: Land use and zoning adjustments, sustainable local food production and agriculture, circular economy and resource efficiency, shared and communal living spaces, and lastly, public and communal infrastructure. The report determines that these measures will substantially improve social and environmental sustainability in Järfälla. However, the report also identifies challenges amongst these measures. These concern barriers within current legislation and plans, stakeholder willingness to early-stage investments, uncertainty in self-sufficency as well as citizen acceptance towards a degrowth transition. Nevertheless, if these challenges are overcome, the proposal offers a future Järfälla with increased priority towards social wellbeing and ecological limits.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

SEE POSTER HERE