The Prisma building in Helsingborg

Smart sustainable cities

​​​​Approximately 50 percent of the world’s population live in cities today, with it being estimated that, by 2050, this figure will rise to almost 70 percent. This makes the need for smarter, more sustainable cities urgent if we are to achieve the global goals.

To create a greener, more sustainable future for generations, urban environments need to be adapted for climate resilience. In the smart city, innovations, digitalisation, and environmental and climate technologies must come together to create opportunities for meeting global society’s challenges in an efficient and sustainable way.

Cities around the world, including a number of cities located in the southernmost part of Sweden, like Helsingborg, Lund, and Malmö, are increasingly embarking on a journey towards becoming smarter and most sustainable; seeking solutions for challenges related to the global mega-trend of urbanisation – like mobility, energy, air quality, or sustainable building materials, to name but a few. 

Advantages of Skåne

Why Skåne is best-positioned for smart sustainable cities solutions

  • Innovation leader
    The southern part of Sweden is one of the Nordic region’s innovation leaders when compared with other European regions, and the southern-most part, Skåne, has an edge in advanced tech expertise within deep tech. The region offers a wide range of technology companies, from global leaders to well-known startups; including firms within software, hardware and network solutions, to those working with sensors, IoT, AI and embedded solutions. Innovative tech companies in the Skåne region are developing solutions and driving projects related to Smart Buildings, Smart Cities,and Smart Transportation.
     
  • Rich and collaborative ecosystems
    There are a vast number of companies in Skåne working within climate, energy and environment areas, in addition to the various networks, clusters, hubs, tests beds, accelerators, incubators, innovation support systems and platforms available to such companies. 
     

  • Strong competence within mobility sector
    Within mobility, Skåne also offers opportunities for collaboration with local actors for investment or research.  This will be further enhanced when the Smarter Mobility Hub is launched in Lund’s Ideon Science Park in 2022.
     

  • Goals to be climate-positive
    Malmö is an important city when it comes to climate neutrality. Apart from being  Sweden’s third largest city and the first Swedish city to sign the United Nations’ “A Declaration of Cities’ Commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda”, it has undergone significant change throughout the construction value chain, with a goal to reach a climate neutral building and construction industry with net zero emissions by 2030 and, be climate positive by 2035.

Projects & activities in the region

Climate smart construction

The Embassy of Sharing district in Hyllie, Malmö, aims to serves as an example of how urban sustainable properties are being developed with Agenda 2030 in mind. It will include The lighthouse, a building that will be Malmö's first, and Sweden's tallest, wooden office building, which also promises a glass facade comprising solar cells.

Another first for both Sweden's and Skåne is first prefabricated hemp house has been built in the Brunnshög area in Lund. The building shows a new type of construction technology, made without plastic or chemicals, but instead out of hemp - the brainchild of Skåne-based greentech firm, Ekolution. Also in Brunnshög – Kraftringen is building the world's largest low-temperature district heating network, which is powered entirely by the surplus heat from Lund's advanced research facilities, MAX IV and ESS.

Electric road system in Lund

EVolution Road is one of two projects in Sweden commissioned by the Swedish Transport Administration to build a demonstration site for electric roads. The purpose is to gain more knowledge about electric roads and explore the potential of electric road as a complement in a future fossil-free transport system. The electric road system was built in 2020 and will run for three years. It is the first electric road system to be placed in an urban environment, on Getingevägen in  the centre of Lund City.

Energy efficiency projects

There are also a number of smart energy projects on the go in Skåne, like energy firm, EON’s implementation of the world’s first Ectogrid at Medicon Village, and their plans to help recycle waste heat from science research facility, ESS, in Lund; redistributing this heat to the local district heating system. There are also other firms like Warm or ENJAY working with heat reclamation, which enhances to the knowledge and competence of the region within energy management.

More about smart sustainable cities in Skåne

Get in touch with us

If you are interested in learning more about available local business opportunities, Invest in Skåne we can guide you through the region.

Investment Promotion

Jonathan Herrlin

Business Development Manager | Real Estate, Construction, Infrastructure & Energy

E-mail: jonathan.herrlin@skane.se

Phone: +46 40 675 34 66

Cell phone: +46 72 391 81 03

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Page updated 18 Jul 2024, at 13:27