Search

The State of the Nordic Region 2024 provides a status update in three key areas – demographics, the labour market and the economy – all of which encompass socio-economic trends with a significant impact on the lives of everybody in the Nordic countries. The report that provides a Nordic panorama of regional development trends in the Nordic countries, regions, municipalities, and cities based on the latest statistical data, maps and analyses.

This report presents the grid-based Nordic urban–rural typology, which was developed as a new analytical tool for studying different types of spatial phenomena across Nordic territories. In this study this meant developing a typology that classifies all Nordic territories into seven different typology classes based on different degrees of urbanity and rurality. A key starting point for this work was the need for a territorial typology that would help enrich and provide new understanding of different types of urban and rural areas across the Nordic countries and shed light on how they are developing.This report first presents how the typology was created, including the rationale behind the typology, key considerations at different stages of the work, and the main operational steps taken. The main purpose was to create a new territorial typology, to which different types of data could be combined, thus helping to provide a more nuanced and fine-grained understanding of territorial differences across the Nordic countries. Several key principles were specified early in the work. These include that the typology should be created at grid-level (1 x 1 km) as this allows identifying the characteristics of different types of areas at a very detailed territorial level. Another key decision was to create the typology mainly using open-source data and following a replicable method, to make any possible future updates to the typology easier and less costly. For the development of the Nordic typology, the Finnish grid-based urban–rural classification (Kaupunki-maaseutuluokitus) was the main source of inspiration.This Nordic typology and population data at grid level (linked to the typology) is then used as an analytical lens for studying territorial differences, settlement pattens and demographic change dynamics in the five Nordic countries. According to the typology, the Nordic countries are predominantly rural when considering how their land areas are classified. However, an ex

This report focuses on heterogenous perspectives regarding active and healthy ageing. There are many phases of old adulthood, and the older Nordic population is far from homogeneous. An individual’s lifelong health depends on numerous factors such as income, educational level, physical activity, dietary habits, sexual preferences, ethnicity, family situation, and living and housing arrangements. How these aspects intersect creates different challenges and possibilities for active and healthy ageing. This report explores the possible contribution of intersectional approaches in future analyses and policy-making across the Nordic region.

Population ageing is a major demographic trend affecting the policy agenda in the Nordic Region, in Europe, and globally. The report Indicators for Active and Healthy Ageing in the Nordic Region focuses on indicators for active and healthy ageing and on welfare technology for older adults in the Nordic Region. The aim of the report is to study what types of relevant indicators for both active and healthy ageing and welfare technology for older adults currently exist in the Nordic Region. The study also looks at how these indicators are used to support and monitor policy initiatives. The purpose of the study is to establish a comparative perspective not only on what indicators are available for policymakers, but also what indicators are not available. The report presents existing international and European indicators and a list of common Nordic indicators. The study also highlights challenges and future needs for improvement regarding Nordic indicators by presenting a set of recommendations aimed at strengthening the availability of statistical indicators, improving their usage, tackling the shortcomings found, and filling the knowledge gaps.

This report is the first outcome of the project Remote work: Effects on Nordic people, places and planning 2021-2024. Its primary aim is to provide a broad understanding of the current situation (May, 2022) regarding remote work in the Nordic countries, particularly with relation to potential urban and regional development effects. It provides insight into emerging trends in the countries based on Nordic research, statistical data, and stakeholder interviews. Further, it considers the national level policy frameworks that “set the stage” for the development of remote work practices in the Nordic countries.

This report focuses on the concept of the silver economy, which has emerged as a response to population ageing in Europe in recent years. The silver economy refers to all economic activities linked to older age groups. The concept is based on the notion that many older people continue to make valuable economic and societal contributions after retirement, and that older citizens can provide significant economic and societal benefits, particularly if they are healthy and active. This report examines policies and initiatives to promote the silver economy and the closely related concepts of healthy ageing, active ageing and age-friendliness. The report seeks to uncover what are the preconditions for expanding the Nordic silver economy, and how cross-border collaboration can help enhance the potential of the silver economy in border regions.

This report examines how Nordic governments and municipalities seek to overcome barriers to social inclusion and to counteract inequality and segregation through policy and urban planning. Overcoming barriers to social inclusion is understood as the desire to improve the terms on which different individuals and groups take part in society through urban policy and planning while counteracting the negative effects of inequality. Examples of policy and planning initiatives to create more inclusive cities and communities can be found in all the Nordic countries. However, inclusion is a multifaceted issue and the specific challenges, and approaches to dealing with these challenges, vary among the countries and cities. To capture this diversity, this report examines five different thematic and geographical cases detailing strategies for inclusion from different perspectives in varying contextual settings.

Focusing on the ferry connection between the Swedish city Umeå and the Finnish city Vaasa, this report examines how cross-border cooperation in the Kvarken region has evolved and investigates cross-border integration using the ferry connection as the basis of analysis. The study examines the past and current states of cross-border cooperation and integration in the Kvarken region, and explores the potential for stronger cross-border integration in the future., TRIBORDER

State of the Nordic Region 2020 gives you a unique look behind the scenes of the world’s most integrated region, comprised of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, along with the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. The report presents a series of facts and figures showing the current state of play within core socioeconomic sectors, including demography, labour market and economy. In addition, you can read about wellbeing and energy pathways towards a carbon neutral Nordic Region. State of the Nordic Region 2020 is published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and produced by Nordregio, an international research center for regional development and planning established by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

This Executive Summary examines how Nordic governments and municipalities seek to overcome barriers to social inclusion and to counteract inequality and segregation through policy and urban planning.

"The paper considers a Finnish human survey that takes advantage of explicit stratification. Stratification is not ordinary, since there are two types of stratification. In one, the strata are municipality based that are much used earlier. But in the second, these take advantage of the grid data base in which the grid size is 250 metres times 250 metres. Using the grid data base the two explicit strata are constructed, one consisting of such grids where the median tax income of the adults is low (called 'poor' grids), whereas the median income is high in the second explicit stratum of such grids ('rich' grids). In order to correctly handle these both stratified data, it is required first to merge them together, next to create the single sampling weights, and finally, due to 60 per cent non-response to adjust for these weights. This helps in reducing the bias of the estimates. The adjustment is strengthened with good auxiliary data both from the grid data base and other administrative sources." (author's abstract)

New governance approaches challenge prevailing statutory planning practices since urban development initiatives emanate not only from central and local government. This study explores the road to realization, i.e. how local planning practices organize the process of assessing the appropriateness of urban development initiatives. The results show how planning organizations face a variety of interrelated organizational and procedural conditions and choices that make planning situations unique and contextual. To deal with this contextuality, planners use processes of contextualization and concretization to relate an initiative to its environment and to gradually transform an initiative to a final land use design., QC 20191127