Take it ‘lagom’. Sweden’s controversial COVID-19 Strategy and potentials.
A s the world grapples with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, extreme measures have been taken by most (if not all) countries to curtail the spread of the virus. Sweden, on the other hand, has infamously become part of the media limelight due to its unconventional strategy and become the ‘black sheep’ on the global stage. In a way, the approach can be described as ‘lagom’, a Swedish saying which roughly translates to “not too much, not too little” — that is in terms of social and economic costs.
Current Measures
Rather than declaring a total lockdown and confining people to their homes, the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) has recommended social distancing guidelines as of April 1st and will run until December 31st to prevent the spread of infection.
The public is expected to exercise personal responsibility by practicing measures such as: social distancing in public spaces; practicing good hygiene; refraining from social gatherings; avoiding sports facilities; travelling during off-peak hours; and avoiding unnecessary trips. However, these are largely voluntary, given that they are not enforced or punishable. Although this has been criticized by mainstream media and experts, the rationale behind this is the high-level of trust the government has on its citizens to adhere to these guidelines.
Bars, restaurants, and nightclubs have been requested to provide adequate spacing between tables (at least 2 meters) and are only allowed to provide table service. Unfortunately, some of these establishments were caught violating the guidelines. Since these events, authorities have ramped up their inspections with successful results. Shops (also open) must follow similar rules, with many implementing floor markers and in some cases limiting the number of shoppers at one time.
Elementary schools and compulsory education (up to the age of 16) have remained open, whereas upper-secondary education, universities, vocational schools, and adult education have transitioned to distance-based learning. This decision was taken by health authorities, to ensure that parents working in essential fields (i.e. healthcare/social services) would not have to take time off and potentially put further strain on the welfare system.
Stockholm: The Capital
Stockholm (my current home) is the largest urban center in Sweden with a population of around 962,154. Coincidentally, it also has the highest rates of infection at 401.2 per 100,000 and a total death count of 1,676 (as of 10 May, 2020). The situation is improving and has reached a plateau according to Chief Epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell.
Contrary to media claims that “life goes on as normal” … it is far from normal. According to mobility trends for Stockholm collected by Google (below), day-to-day activities such as going shopping, commuting, and going to work have seen a significant decline. Most interestingly, the data shows that park use has seen a dramatic increase. A study by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of technology corroborates this decline in public transit use.
Public Space: a solution for mental and physical wellbeing
As we continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic, mental health issues may present itself as the next silent killer. Countries have started to relax regulations, for better or worse. However, until we have found a vaccine, social distancing measures will still need to be practiced to some extent.
Humans are social creatures by nature and the lack of social interactions may cause feeling of loneliness to arise and exacerbate mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and premature mortality. As a coping strategy, nature whether natural or man-made can provide some sense of relief can be seen by the increased use of parks (and most likely forests) as observed previously.
Although, Sweden is a highly urbanized society, with around 8.9 million (or 87%) living in urban areas, its residents enjoy good access to green space. Allemansrätten which translates to ‘freedom to roam’, gives Swedish residents near unrestricted access to nature (green & blue) as long as they adhere to the principle of “don’t disturb — don’t destroy”.
In the case of Stockholm, a study has shown that approximately 74% of the city is comprised of both natural and man-made green space, giving each person an average of 200m² to enjoy. Access to these spaces is generally good with around 90% of residents having access to them within 300 meters.
Stockholmers (and the rest of Sweden) are fortunate to have space which extends beyond the urban jungle that they live in. For urban centers which may not have the same affordances, a rethink in current and upcoming planning is necessary to provide its local residents with much needed blue and green infrastructure or preservation of existing nature.
Existing Solutions for the Current Situation
Since 2015, the City of Stockholm has implemented its yearly summer program called Levande Stockholm (Living Stockholm). This yearly ritual sees the urban realm transformed or enhanced into temporary public spaces (pedestrian streets, pop-up parks, and squares) furnished with outdoor seating, greenery, and cultural activities. This year is no different, with the greenlighting of the program and opening of the first pedestrian street on Rörstrandsgatan.
It may seem unwise to implement this considering the ongoing crisis. However, we should also remember that under this ‘new normal’, more people will likely opt for a ‘staycation’. Furthermore, by creating these spaces, the chance of over-crowding at existing public spaces will be reduced as there will be more opportunities to disperse whilst enjoying some fresh air in accordance to social distancing guidelines.
Mitigation… or adaptation!
Rather than close entirely, certain establishments have come up with ingenious solutions to keep life going whilst adhering to the guidelines. Trädgården, a popular nightlife venue has adapted to these changes by offering ‘social distancing picnics’ on what used to be its outdoor dancefloor — DJ included.
Limited at maximum 30 persons, the rules are simple… two meters between each group, three persons per group, and no dancing allowed. This has proven to popular amongst locals as open bookings have become somewhat scarce.
Another project in the works is by Debaser, who have teamed up with local architecture firm In Praise of Shadows. After much debate with local politicians, the project to install a pontoon adjacent to its indoor venue has been approved (unrelated to COVID-19). However as summer comes, these outdoor spaces can serve to be effective economic instruments whilst allowing locals to enjoy some respite from the current crisis.
Final thoughts
Is the Swedish strategy right? or wrong? This is a question that I cannot answer. We can speculate about the outcomes and will only know once we have conquered the pandemic. It is a time of uncertainty, but also a time to bring forth creative solutions to adapt and make the urban realm liveable again.
We’ve built our cities, now let’s improve it and undo things that do not work, redo what used to work, and come up with something that could work for the better.
