| dc.description.abstract | Decision-makers in Gothenburg face major challenges in solving the housing shortage. As
a response, the housing project BoStad2021 has been initiated by public and private actors with the
goal of constructing 7,000 new homes before 2021. Currently, we live in an era of urban
entrepreneurialism according to David Harvey, indicating that many cities are primarily driven by
economic growth through, for example, public-private partnerships rather than safeguarding the
welfare interests of the inhabitants. The purpose of this article is to investigate to what extent
BoStad2021 can be understood through the lens of urban entrepreneurialism. I focus on
collaboration, including tensions and conflicts, and the physical ideals actors work toward in the
project. Apart from the theory of urban entrepreneurialism I also make use of Jane Jacobs’ critique of
modernist design and Daniel Aldrich's theory of the siting of controversial facilities. Accordingly, the
study fills a knowledge gap since urban entrepreneurialism most often is concerned with the inner
city. A critical analysis was conducted by data from interviews with involved actors such as
politicians, officials, and constructors alongside documents such as BoStad2021's website, follow-up
research on the project and detailed development plans. The results show that the public-private
interests in BoStad2021 do not simply overlap and align, as initially appeared and is the norm in
urban entrepreneurialism, but in this case the municipality outdoes the construction companies in line
with its own public agenda by wanting to invest and risk more than the latter and does therefore not
simply serve the economic development. However, in line with urban entrepreneurialism the actors
work toward inner-city ideals such as small-scaleness, urbanity and densification in the peripheral
areas as well, which in the long run risks leading to exclusion and gentrification. | sv |
