Facilitation of social infrastructure in Swedish municipalities : A study of libraries as representative typology

Sammanfattning

The importance of free, shared, and socially promoting places in the urban setting cannot be overstated. However, current forces of attractiveness-ideals and marketization in Swedish urban planning contribute to adverse effects on social cohesion and community in the nation. Access to spatial necessities, vital in accommodating social needs, increasingly depends on the possession of social- and economic capital. This contributes to increased inequalities amongst the population, with people of least claim bearing the brunt. The study utilizes the concept of social infrastructure as guidance in understanding how the physical conditions of the urban environment determine the possibilities for social interactions and social cohesion. The aim of the study is to uncover the needs for social infrastructure in a Swedish case context and reveal opportunities in the facilitation of social infrastructure amongst Swedish municipalities. The study focuses on Swedish public sector, specifically the municipal sector, as this is deemed a relevant sector who carry the means of promoting capacious measures. Research is conducted through a case study in Malmö municipality, southern Sweden. The public library is used as a representative typology for social infrastructure in the study. Qualitative methods are utilized, which constitutes semi-standardized interviews with library sector staff and structured site-visits to two different libraries in Malmö. Findings reflect spatial importance of libraries in Malmö and that there is need for increased social infrastructure in the municipality. Furthermore, findings indicate a strained public sector, implying that opportunities are small in terms of promotion through municipal management. Community-based, bottom-up approaches are instead suggested as more relevant in municipalities’ facilitation of social infrastructure. The study suggests further research into this category of solutions. Although the study is mapped to a Swedish municipal context, the findings could also be of relevance globally.