The metropolis and the infrastructure challenge
The metropolis is the motor of our time. This is where new ideas and jobs are created. It attracts everybody, both young and old. But what does the future of the metropolis look like? Will it survive?
Both Richard Florida and Åke E. Andersson, former head of the Institute for Futures Studies in Sweden, have pointed out the central role of the metropolis as a motor and a hub in the knowledge and creativity economies. But nearly all our metropolises have their roots in the Middle Ages, or possibly in the 15th century. They are in no way built for the needs of our time. And we are receiving signals that we are nearing a cut-off point. Either we will find new ways of solving our infrastructural needs, or development will slow down and stagnate.
Several cities and regions in Europe are already there. To commute to work takes several hours in, for instance, Holland and the morning rush continues from early morning to about 10 a.m. Dealing with ordinary errands in many places now takes an unreasonable amount of time, which has led to new local food stores with quality offerings in countries such as France. People do not want to spend several hours going to shopping centers in outlying areas. In Sweden for example, people are not there yet, but Swedes are beginning to see the signs. One example of this is when the thoroughfare Essingeleden was completely held up for four hours in April this year due to two lorry accidents.
The Swedish business magazine Affärsvärlden, in an article on March 5, 2008, did a summary of all current infrastructure projects in Sweden. They found ongoing or planned projects amounting to 231 billion Swedish kronor. There are further projects amounting to 200 billion at the idea stage. A large part of these are intended to solve the most acute problems with throughways and railways in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. What is not included there is provisions for other local development needs in these cities, such as new links over the Gota River, for example. On top of this we have the need for investment to reduce climate and environmental changes caused by traffic. The needs are extensive, to say the least.
An important question is, of course, how the coveted constructions are to be financed and prioritized. How do we do the careful weighing up between projects outside of the metropolitan area (for instance the tunnel through the ridge of Halland) and in the metropolitan area (for instance, city tunnels in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö)? What shall we invest in first? Are the projects to be governmentally financed or shall we let in private capital? According to the Affärsvärlden magazine, companies like EQT, Handelsbanken bank, Acta and Evli are interested in investing. However Swedish finance minister Anders Borg is more skeptical.
Will the traffic infarcts of the metropolises scare away the ”creative classes”, as has happened already in some American cities? Will we see some completely new technical solutions, or other types of solutions to the infrastructure problems? Will we find new financial solutions for infrastructural investments? The answers to these questions can be crucial in the future. Those who in one way or another are influenced by the development of our metropolises must keep an eye on how these developments unfold.
For more information, please contact Mr. Per Florén, consultant at Kairos Future!
