OECD applauds Stockholm's green credentials and offers suggestions for further improvement.

The Swedish capital has been ranked as one of the world's leading sustainable cities by successfully combining economic growth with active and successful environmental work, according to an extensive study by the OECD.

"Stockholm, which was declared the first European Green Capital in 2010, has earned a reputation as a leader in urban sustainability," the OECD said. "The City of Stockholm is a leader in reducing local greenhouse gas emissions, most notably through widespread district heating and cooling systems, and through the application of a vehicle congestion charge."

The report also pointed out that the growth in Stockholm’s population and economy are well above the OECD average.

As a result of the study, the organisation has identified 11 measures that could help improve Stockholm's move towards sustainability even further. The measures include improved collective traffic and better mapping of Stockholm’s green clusters.

”It is gratifying that Stockholm has attracted attention and that we have had the honour of being selected as one of the cities to be studied," said Stockholm's Mayor Sten Nordin. "Learning from each other is crucial. It is also the objective of OECD’s global initiative. We shall now adopt the itemised measures that have been presented and continue our development work.”

Two countries and four cities - including Stockholm - have been been held up as good examples of how to promote sustainable development going forward.

The 11 suggested measures for further green growth in Stockholm are:

1. Clarify the environmental work in the city’s visions

2. Encourage private property owners to undertake an energy efficiency-enhancing renovation project and reduce information and cost obstacles to the use of energy-service companies

3. Extend the congestion charge system and exert greater local and regional influence over the income

4. Better collective traffic between the region’s growing city centres

5. Work towards changes to laws and rules in order to make it easier to connect small-scale renewable energy sources to the power network.

6. Identify and create a platform for the most important parts of the regional system for innovations. Commercialise the region’s expertise within green innovation to a greater extent

7. Coordinate and adapt the innovation policy so that R&D; matches the region’s comparative advantages to a greater extent

8. Map out Stockholm’s green clusters. Small and medium-sized businesses within the sector should be encouraged further and incentives aimed at entrepreneurship should be increased

9. The green technology industry should be put on an equal footing with other important industries, such as ICT and biotechnology

10. Support and develop the regional coordination between public and private partners with the aim of improving management, e.g. through the application of smart power networks

11. Prioritise the international profiling of Stockholm’s export of green technology. Improved regional cooperation between Business Sweden and other authorities

Other cities subjected to examination are Paris, Chicago and Japanese city Kitakyushu, along with the countries China and South Korea. The report and case studies were presented in connection with OECD’s Green Growth in Cities – Urban Evolution conference, which took place in Stockholm on 23-24 May 2013.

- - -

This article was published in collaboration with Stockholm Business Region.

More news about Stockholm?
Subscribe to Invest in Stockholm Newsletter today.