News: Feb 20, 2020
For ten years, the research and knowledge centre Mistra Urban Futures has worked with sustainable urban development, with Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg and other partners in the co-funding Gothenburg Consortium. The 10-year funding from the Mistra Foundation ended at the end of December 2019. However, the consortium partners, with partly a new board, decided to continue the work for four more years, with the new name and organisation: Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures, or just Urban Futures. The new centre is hosted jointly by the two universities and located at the Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV.
At the end of 2019 the Mistra programme, Mistra Urban Futures, was finalized. However, the partners of the Gothenburg Consortium continue the collaboration for four more years in a new organisation called Centre for Sustainable Futures. Moreover, the research institute RISE was welcomed as a new partner.
“We are very pleased that our partners want to continue the collaboration that has been built up during these past 10 years. We are looking forward to continue the work and develop knowledge and research that will contribute to solve the societal challenges that our cities and regions are facing.”, says Elma Durakovic, acting director at Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures (Urban Futures).
The new centre has the overarching aim to further develop knowledge and research that have been carried out at the former Mistra Urban Futures. The national and international partnerships and perspectives with over 40 partners in Stockholm and Skåne, (Sweden), Cape Town (South Africa), Kisumu (Kenya) and Sheffield-Manchester (UK) which supported Mistra Urban Futures provide very interesting possibilities for further collaboration the coming four years.
“We have a strong growth in our region and a huge need to meet urban challenges in a smart way. Our partners have fantastic possibilities to create conditions together to realise sustainable development in a long term”, Maria Sigroth says, head of the department of Regional planning, at the Gothenburg region, GR, and new chair of the board of Urban Futures.
Facts
The Urban Futures board consists of following partners from year 2020:
• Chalmers University of Technology
• The Gothenburg region, GR
• The City of Gothenburg
• The University of Gothenburg
• IVL Swedish Environmental Resarch Institute
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB
• The County Administration Board of Västra Götaland)
• The Region Västra Götaland
More information
For more information please contact: Elma Durakovic, acting platform director, Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures, elma.durakovic@chalmers.se, 0709-245737,
Maria Sigroth, new head of the board 2020, the Gothenburg region maria.sigroth@goteborgsregionen.se, 0721-571681
