Southern)Stockholm)County)!

A!fragmented!region!!!!!

!!!!

Michael!Stang!!

2014705730!

! 1!

The!economic!gap!between!the!two!regions!making!up!Stockholm!County!only!seem!to!widen.!The!richer!north!and!the!poorer!south!are!divided!along!the!northern!shore!of!Södertörn.!As!an!example,!2/3!of!all!the!jobs!in!Stockholm!County!are!found!in!the!northern!region.!!Housing!however!is!more!evenly!distributed!over!the!county,!concealing!

important!spatial!and!social!dimensions!of!commuting.!!!The!northern!region!is!a!coherent!entity,!whereas!the!southern!is!fragmented!(p.!5).!A!fragmentation!that!lead!to!poorer!interregional!communications!which!in!turn!made!the!region!less!appealing!for!companies!to!start!businesses!in.!The!result!has!been!a!poorer!economic!development,!which!in!turn!forced!its!inhabitants!to!spend!more!time!commuting!than!its!northern!counterpart.!!Paradoxically,!some!of!Sweden’s!most!important!routs!pass!through!the!region!like,!Södertäljeviken!and!lock!(planned!conversion!with!an!increased!capacity!during!2014),!the!trunk!roads!E4/E20!and!the!Western!Mainline!railway.!!There!are!two!sides!to!Södertäljeviken,!on!one!hand!it’s!a!shipping!rout!of!

national!importance,!but!at!the!same!time!it’s!fragmenting!the!region.!It!all!becomes!evident!in!Södertälje!where!the!routs!converge!in!one!of!Sweden’s!strategically!most!important,!but!also!most!vulnerable!locations.!!!Södertälje!and!Nynäshamn!are!the!two!towns!in!the!region!where!the!effects!of!the!fragmentation!are!best!noticed.!In!that!respect!they!are!the!region’s!opposites!and!between!them!the!tension!is!at!its!highest,!like!along!a!fault!line.!!The!difference!is!that!this!tension!is!manmade;!consequences!of!an!unmitigated!

19Vcentury!development!pioneered!by!the!Western!Mainline!railway!and!subsequent!projects!in!the!form!of!E4/E20.!!!Södertälje!is!one!of!the!towns!in!Sweden!with!the!largest!amount!of!traffic.!Goods!transported!to!Stockholm!from!the!port!in!Gothenburg!on!the!E20!pass!through!Södertälje,!and!if!the!Stockholm!Bypass!is!built!the!strain!on!Södertälje!will!increase!even!further!hampering!its!planned!densification.!! !

! 2!

Södertörn!is!a!separate!landmass!completely!surrounded!by!water!(p.!6).!It!contains!two!of!the!region’s!fragments.!The!northVeastern!(blue!on!the!map)!and!in!the!south!eastern!(red!on!the!map)!separated!chiefly!along!roads!226!and!259.!The!cause!of!the!fragmentation!depends!on!the!fact!that!the!southVeastern!fragment!only!in!a!limited!extent!is!able!to!benefit!from!dynamics!generated!by!the!previously!mentioned!routs!and!“Stockholm”!in!a!broader!sense.!The!absence!of!a!thoroughfare!is!the!main!reason!why!Södertörn!is!fragmented!and!hurting!the!region!as!a!whole.!One!example!is!Haninge,!situated!in!the!intersection!between!the!roads!73!and!259.!The!lack!of!dynamics!caused!by!marginalisation!hampers!its!development!towards!a!regional!city!centre.!In!practice,!the!southern!Södertörn!is!tied!off!and!thus!form!the!southVeastern!

fragment.!The!challenge!to!generate!an!entirely!new!dynamic!from!there!without!targeted!aid!is!colossal.!!The!area!lost!three!major!workplaces!between!1999!and!2005.!One!was!Muskö!

naval!shipyard!inaugurated!in!1969.!The!other!a!factory!manufacturing!telephone!equipment!(Televerket),!located!to!Nynäshamn!in!1913.!A!plant!Ericsson!took!over!in!1993.!And!a!nationwide!rehabilitation!hospital!that!opened!in!1918.!They!all!fell!under!State!mandatorship.!!Nynäshamn!is!the!only!town!that’s!is!fully!contained!by!the!southVeastern!fragment.!After!decades!of!stagnation,!it’s!now!putting!its!stakes!together!with!Ports!of!Stockholm!in!a!roVro!and!container!port.!The!remaining!stretch!of!old!road!73!from!Västerhaninge!to!Nynäshamn!has!been!

converted!into!to!a!4!lane!motorway!and!was!inaugurated!2010.!The!railroad!where!it’s!still!single!track!operated!has!being!improved!with!sidings.!At!present!the!Swedish!Transport!Administration!doesn’t!have!any!plans!for!double!track!operation!all!the!way!to!Nynäshamn.!It!ends!in!Tungelsta!just!south!of!Västerhaninge.!The!improvements!provide!a!more!robust!traffic!system!with!an!increase!in!capacity,!but!it!doesn’t!address!the!fundamental!problem!V!the!missing!thoroughfare.!!Stockholm’s!need!for!growth!is!also!hurt!by!the!fragmentation.!The!reason!for!this!is,!as!previously!hinted,!is!that!Södertörn!hits!an!artificial!shallow!bottom!along!the!roads!226!and!259,!making!it!a!shortVsheeted!bed.!

! 3!

The!superheated!Stockholm!housing!market!indicates!an!acute!need!for!expansion.!A!majority!oppose!tall!buildings.!The!sentiments!for!developing!open!green!areas!are!also!negative.!Researchers!criticise!policy!makers!for!the!proposed!metro!line!to!Nacka!for!

missing!its!intended!aim,!being!too!expensive!and!rushed!forward!on!a!substandard!analysis.!In!desperation!even!ports!are!being!developed!into!housing!areas.!The!town!district!Hagastaden!came!about!as!a!consequence!of!lack!of!buildable!land.!The!municipal!planning!monopoly!might!have!to!be!reconsidered.!The!

municipality!is!Sweden's!smallest!administrative!unit,!the!sphere!of!government!closest!to!the!family.!This!makes!it!ill!suited!for!making!strategic!decisions!of!national!importance.!It!is!an!order!that!makes!Sweden!vulnerable!in!an!everVincreasing!internationalisation.!It’s!only!at!the!regional!level!that!decisions!on!land!use!can!be!made!with!both!the!regions!and!the!nations!best!interests!at!heart.!!The!only!remaining!long!term!alternative!is!expansion!and!the!logical!direction!is!south.!No!pun!intended.!The!reason!for!this!is!the!potential!the!Southern!Stockholm!County!holds,!ironically!as!a!consequence!of!neglected!development.!While!its!proximity!to!central!Stockholm!is!of!great!value,!traveling!time!to!towns!

close!to!Stockholm,!like!Enköping!and!Eskilstuna!has!reduced!considerably!competing!directly!with!towns!in!Stockholm!County.!!It’s!undisputed!that!the!dynamics!generated!by!Arlanda!airport!have!had!a!significant!importance!for!Stockholm!County!and!beyond.!Without!it,!one!could!just!wonder!how!Kista!highVtech!cluster!would!have!developed.!The!Southern!Stockholm!County!lack!something!similar.!A!catalyser!that!would!

contribute!to!the!generation!of!a!critical!mass!from!which!new!dynamics!could!evolve,!that!would!make!the!most!out!of!the!regions!physical!and!social!resources.!!

The!common!denominator!as!I!see!it,!is!a!southern!crossVconnection!linking!the!roads!E4!and!73!(p.!7).!A!road!that!would!close!the!circuit,!defragment!the!region,!creating!the!thoroughfare!that!the!southVeastern!fragment!so!badly!need!and!radically!improving!conditions!for!regional!coVoperation.!At!the!same!time!as!the!southern!part!of!the!region!on!both!side!of!Södertäljeviken!is!strengthened.!

! 4!

The!alternative!that!best!would!protect!the!unique!characteristics!of!Mörkö!and!avoid!restrictions!on!shipping,!that!would!be!the!case!with!an!opening!bridge,!is!a!tunnel!passing!beneath!Mörkö!and!Himmerfjärden.!!A!politician’s!pipe!dream!is!to!avert!an!impending!housing!bubble!without!interventions!on!the!housing!market.!Herein!lies!perhaps!the!hope!for!a!true!pressureVreducing!valve!mechanism!in!the!shape!of!a!piece!of!infrastructure.!!With!the!consolidating!effect!on!the!region!by!the!proposed!southern!crossVconnection,!it’s!safe!to!assume!that!the!outcome!would!be!an!increase!of!companies!interested!in!setting!up!businesses!there.!The!subsequent!effect!will!be!an!increase!of!people!wanting!to!take!up!residence!in!the!region!since!it!then!would!be!able!to!sustain!a!greater!population.!Since!this!is!a!process!that!will!be!going!on!for!a!very!long!time,!the!pressureV

reducing!valve!will!then!hopefully!take!the!heat!off!an!otherwise!superheated!Stockholm!housing!market!for!a!long!time!to!come,!but!equally!important!is!that!the!southern!region!catches!up!with!the!northern.!!In!that!more!companies!set!up!businesses!in!the!region,!the!need!for!commuting!could!eventually!reduce!since!more!people!will!find!jobs!closer!to!home.!The!objective!is!not!to!do!away!with!commuting.!It’s!not!even!desirable.!There!will!still!be!those!who!will!have!to!commute!for!one!reason!or!another!and!those!who!found!the!optimum!balance!between!career!and!choice!of!residence!despite!the!need!for!travels.!!!It’s!also!important!for!towns!with!the!largest!number!of!commuters!to!increase!their!tax!revenues.!That!way!they!will!be!able!to!offer!a!more!competitive!municipal!service!for!already!established!businesses!and!residents,!but!also!an!improved!capability!to!attract!new!ones.!

SödertörnBridges towards the mainland

Södertälje Stockholm

Danviks-bron

Skans-bron

Skanstulls-bron

Johannes-hovsbron

ÖstraÅrstabron

VästraÅrstabron

Liljeholms-bron

Essinge-broarna

Igelstabron

Saltsjö-bron

E4-bron

Järnvägs-bron

Mälarbron

Ösmo

Nynäshamn

Sorunda

Segersäng

Rönninge

Tumba

Alby

Fittja

Skärholmen

Hägersten

Tullinge

Stuvsta

Johannes-hov

Vårsta

Hökarängen

Sköndal

Nacka

ÄltaFarsta

Trångsund

Skogås

Älvsjö

Vårby

Huddinge

Handen

Jordbro

Västerhaninge

Tungelsta

Saltsjöbaden

Bollmora

Trollbäcken

Vändelsö

Dalarö

Årsta Havsbad

Söderby

Länna

0 5 10 15 202,5

Kilometers

Hemfosa

225

257

259

73

E4 E20226

258

227

229

75 228

222

260

271

Östertälje Uttran

Hallunda

Landfjärden

Area: 1 258 km²Circumference 562 km

St. Vika

Grödby

VäländanSibble

Kagghamra

Scale 1:300 000

Fisksätra

Lissma

Gladö kvarn Vidja

Ådran

SjöbergaRaksta

Salemstaden

Enskede

Michael Stang 2014-05-05

LegendE-road

Motorway

Other trunk road

Road tunnel

County road

Other public road

Railway, doubel-track

Railway, single-track

O

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0 4 8 12 16 202

Kilometers

Southern Stockholm County

Michael Stang - 2014-05-06

Proposedcross-connection

Södertälje

Nynäshamn

Ösmo

Sorunda

St. Vika

Muskö

StockholmEkerö

Botkyrka

Hölö

Järna

Västerhaninge

Huddinge

SalemTumba

Vårsta

Segersäng

Proposed southern cross-connection E4 - road 73

Tungelsta

Hemfosa

LegendProposed motorway (5/10 km)

Proposed road tunnel (7,5 km)

E-road

Motorway

Other trunk road

Road tunnel

County road

Other public road

Railway, double-track

Railway, single-track

Handen

Jordbro

Tyresö

Farsta

Skogås

Årsta Havsbad

Hägersten

Skärholmen

75

222

229

259

257

226

73

225

E4 E20

E20

E4

227

Saltsjöbaden

Nacka

O

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