Malmö

Malmö is Sweden’s third-largest city with a population of 300,000. Located in the dynamic Öresund region, one of Europe’s growth regions spanning Copenhagen, Malmö, Lund, Helsingborg and Helsingør, it is nevertheless on a journey from industrial collapse in the late 80s to a brighter future. Incomes in the city are below national average, unemployment is relatively high and school performance is inadequate. The city council’s finances are relatively healthy, despite the financial problems in Europe.

There are few large employers today in Malmö, with the main ones being the hospital and the city authorities. With little manufacturing left in the city, a more diversified economy is gradually emerging—dominated by media, IT, service and some technical services. Many local people are employed in the service industry in Copenhagen and in the biotech and IT industries in Lund. Despite the employment situation, the population of Malmö is still growing by about 5,000 people per year.

A major regeneration of the harbour area, redevelopment of the city centre and further development of cycle and public transport infrastructure—including a new rail link for the bridge to Copenhagen—have all had a major impact on the urban environment. However, very little has been done with regard to the existing housing stock. Some areas of the city are blighted by slum landlords and a large proportion of the housing stock in the city built in the late 60s and 70s is reaching a point where it will need major investment in the near future, generating significant costs.