ABSTRACT
RiverCity Gothenburg (known as Älvstaden in Sweden) is the most extensive urban development project in all of Northern Europe. The explicit aim of the vision is to ensure that RiverCity will provide space for a multitude of residents and activities. There is, however, a need to find ways to secure a varied supply of dwellings and workplaces that can be made available to different income brackets and accommodate diverse lifestyles. The authors of this chapter all work as urban planning and development professionals on the RiverCity project, and we will discuss some of the main challenges that we have encountered while working on it. A central dilemma in this is working to achieve a socially sustainable urban future within the context of a national system that does not provide strong policy tools for facilitating this. Consequently, the project becomes dependent upon the solid commitment of local politicians, the facilitation and advocacy skills of local public servants and committed urban professionals, as well as the ability of property developers to commit to a holistic and long-term perspective on urban value-creation.
