Amsterdam bans creation of new hotels
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
Interview with the Mayor of Uppsala in Sweden
Erik Pelling was born in 1976 in Visby, Gotland but has lived his whole life in Uppsala.
In 2006, Pelling became a Political advisor in the Department of agriculture of the Swedish government. In 2010, he was appointed political advisor in Uppsala municipality.
In 1998, Pelling was elected member of the Uppsala municipal council. From 2010 to 2014 he served as deputy mayor of Uppsala municipality and then between 2014 and 2018 again as deputy mayor responsible for housing, rural areas and integration. Since 2018, Pelling has been Mayor of Uppsala municipality.
Uppsala is the fourth largest city in Sweden with around 230 000 inhabitants
Uppsala is the fourth largest city in Sweden with around 230 000 inhabitants. Uppsala is located in the east middle of Sweden just around one hour north (70 km) from the Swedish capital Stockholm.
Uppsala is a university town with two famous universities: the oldest and one of the largest universities in the Nordic countries: Uppsala University that was founded in 1477 and ranked one of the top 100 universities in the world and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) that was ranked third place in the QS World University Ranking for Agricultural and Forestry Subject 2020.
Uppsala’s goal is to be fossil-free by 2030 and climate positive by 2050. These are ambitious but necessary goals in accordance with science.
We were, thanks to our ambitious goals and our successful climate work, awarded “the world’s best climate city of the year” by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2018. The key behind our success is a structured cooperation between the public authorities, civil society, companies and science.
Through the platform “Uppsala climate protocol” we have regular meetings with these different actors where we discuss how we can reduce the emissions. For example, we have transformed our own transportation fleet to become fossil-free and have taken measures to reduce plastic consumption. We also build houses that are sustainable and have environmental requirements for companies that we buy products from.
Uppsala is a Fair-Trade city which means that we aim to only buy products that are labeled with fair trade so that we contribute to a more sustainable world. We also have a goal of 100% organic food and are working to transform our agriculture to achieve this goal.
We also aim to buy more food for our schools for example from our local farmers to reduce the emissions from transportation. We have also been awarded for being the most bike-friendly city in Sweden and the region has made public transportation 100% fossil-free with help from biogas from our waste company.
We, like many other bigger cities, have problems with crime and social inequality. The best way to reduce crime and create safer cities, in the long run, is by investing in social welfare that gives everyone an opportunity to a better and crime-free life.
By investing more in schools and job opportunities we can keep youth out of criminal environments. We also invest a lot of money in the social agencies so that they can help youth that are in the danger zone to become criminal early.
We have been affected, like many other cities in Sweden and Europe. We currently (as of 24 June) have around 2500 cases of Covid-19 and 200 deaths caused by Covid-19 in the Uppsala region.
We haven’t been as badly affected as our neighbor region Stockholm. The biggest challenge has been to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in elderly homes since the elderly are an at-risk group.
We have worked hard to prevent the spread of the virus in elderly care facilities by banning visits from relatives, ensuring protective equipment for the staff and guaranteeing safe working conditions for them as they have to stay at home when they have even the slightest symptoms. The economic situation for our local companies and unemployment has also been a challenge and we have, from the municipality, done what we can to support our local companies.
It’s important to inform citizens about how much the European union much affects us and what the benefits are from being a member. Around half of the decisions made locally are influenced by European politics. So, we as local politicians have to be active in the European politics to make sure the local voice is being heard.
It’s also good to have platforms where we can share good examples of how we can solve common challenges. I also think it’s important for the European Union to include citizens in the decision making so that they feel that the people far away in Brussels are working for them.
We are planning to invest more in building houses, modern and sustainable infrastructure and in welfare. We are planning to have around 350 000 inhabitants by 2050 so that also requires planning for more houses, schools, health care, public transportation etc. Our motto is “Uppsala - welcome here, welcome home” and we’re glad that we are a municipality that people want to move to rather than to move from!
To find out more about Uppsala, visit the profile of the municipality.
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
The previous mayor was forced out of office following a no-confidence vote in the city council
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
The German Aerospace Center in Cologne is looking for volunteers for its next bed rest study
Muksubussi is nature-friendly, too, so they provide 2-in-1 benefit
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
The intervention has affected the mountainous districts of the Catalan capital
Even an Eternal City had to start from somewhere
On this day 200 years ago, the great poet lost his life in the Balkan country where he had gone to fight for its liberty
Muksubussi is nature-friendly, too, so they provide 2-in-1 benefit
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team