Case: FairShare
Measuring social sustainability in Arvika
Arvika Municipality’s new comprehensive plan has been adopted, becoming the first in Sweden to be certified in equality. The FairShare method systematically addresses discrimination and promotes human rights to build a more socially sustainable society. But what does it mean to certify a comprehensive plan, and what outcomes can we expect? Let’s find out!
The comprehensive plan includes six equality commitments focusing on inclusion and participation. By prioritizing groups such as children, young people, and the elderly, the municipality aims to create added value for the entire community.
“For instance, improving public transport in Arvika could reduce loneliness among the elderly while benefiting other groups in the municipality,” says Ida Svensson, Director of Urban Development for Arvika Municipality.
Step one: analysis
The FairShare process began with a thorough analysis of the municipality’s current situation, based on statistics, strategic documents, and interviews.
“We consulted experts in fields like education, culture, and leisure. We asked questions such as: What is Arvika like today? What are the challenges? Which groups are excluded from their human rights?”
Ida Svensson
Children and young people were a central focus of the analysis, particularly regarding democratic issues where their voices were often unheard, and educational and socioeconomic disparities between young men and women.
“We examined how they live, the groups they align with, and noted that girls generally pursue higher education and often move away after graduating,” says Ida. “We identified ingrained norms within the municipality and a tendency for individuals to remain in their initial social groups, like the ‘football group.’”
FairShare as a framework
FairShare provides guidelines for integrating equality into urban development processes and ensuring social sustainability. This includes both guidance and specifications to support systematic efforts. Developed in collaboration with Helsingborg Municipality, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, RISE, and Tengbom, the certification addresses gaps in tools for municipal equality planning.
“The pre-study for FairShare revealed that municipalities lack tools to concretely incorporate equality into planning processes, especially in working towards global goals,” says Ulrika Signal, Planning Architect at Tengbom. “While there is strong intent, the gap between intention and implementation is evident.”
The system has two parts:
Guidance (Project Report): This includes methods and techniques for ensuring the necessary competence to work with equality in urban planning, alongside tools like site analysis, norm analysis, and dimensioning tools.
Equality Work Specifications: These provide support and requirements for systematic efforts and process management.
Collecting facts and analyzing inequality
Arvika Municipality conducted a comprehensive equality analysis, revealing disparities in access to services and opportunities. 
Dialogues with residents highlighted the need for more activities and meeting places.
The analysis identified divides between urban and rural areas, “new” and “long-established” Swedes, and conflicting interests like “high culture” versus “car culture.” Challenges also included mental health issues, particularly loneliness among elderly residents.
Engaging all perspectives
Engaging citizens early in the planning process is crucial, though often challenging. Arvika adopted an outreach strategy to include all groups in the FairShare process.
“Before consultations, we visited schools, met with the municipal pensioners’ council, visited care homes, and organized pizza nights for young people,” says Ida Svensson. “We also held workshops with local associations and businesses.”
Dialogues revealed issues like limited service access in rural areas and transport challenges for young people and the elderly. Young people expressed a need for unstructured, inclusive spaces, while initiatives like opening church facilities addressed specific needs.
Prioritizing groups to benefit all
Based on the collected data, Arvika Municipality prioritized children, young people, and the elderly in its equality work. This led to six measurable equality commitments integrated into the comprehensive plan, guiding future detailed planning and investment decisions.
A compass for social sustainability
The comprehensive plan serves as a strategic guide for the municipality’s future development, feeding into budget processes and strategic plans.
“The analysis could have been conducted independently, but the FairShare framework systematizes the work,” says Ida. “It puts these efforts on an agenda, ensuring compliance with conventions like the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Arvika strives for fair, socially sustainable urban planning with ongoing assessments and reviews.
“The FairShare process has pushed our boundaries,” says Ida Svensson. “We now have a clear plan to follow up on.”
“Arvika’s work with FairShare demonstrates how clear goals and concrete efforts for social sustainability can inspire other municipalities,” says Ulrika Signal.
Equality commitments
