About Urban Arena
Research and external engagement on urban sustainability issues
Urban Arena gathers, reinforces and communicates research in the field of sustainable urban development at Lund University.
Lund University has Sweden’s broadest and most multidisciplinary research linked to sustainable urban development and urban sustainability issues. This research is conducted at most of the University’s faculties and covers ecological, social, medical and economic aspects of the research field.
We have seven different focus areas and each one has two contact people.
Background
External engagement on sustainable urban development at Lund University started as early as 2006. The initial work led to the sustainable construction programme, Miljöbyggprogram Syd, which was designed in collaboration with the City of Lund and the City of Malmö. In connection with a call for applications from the Mistra research foundation, entitled Urban Futures 2008, more researchers joined the collaboration, and when applications were submitted in 2009, there was a high level of interest in continuing to work together. That same year, the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, IIIEE, (through Lena Neij) sent an application to the vice-chancellor to create a portal for sustainable urban development at Lund University.
In 2012, Urban Arena was formed at Lund University. A steering group was set up, based on the researchers who had participated actively since 2006.