​Östersund and Sweden widen the perspectives

City and land theme for Unesco meeting

Cities need the countryside and vice versa. City and land are mutually dependent on each other, but this is often forgotten in the focus on the development of cities. Östersund and Jämtland have therefore taken the initiative to broaden the perspective from city to land during the annual meeting of Unesco Creative Network.

– The understanding that city and land are mutually connected to each other is a future issue of sustainable development in all regions worldwide. We know that in this region, but it is not obvious in other parts of the world. The annual meeting in Östersund is a great opportunity to broaden the horizons , says Ann-Sofie Andersson, Mayor (S) in Östersund.

From city to land
Östersund and Jämtland is inviting 116 member cities from all over the World to the annual meeting of Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN). UCCN is traditionally a city focused network, but in Östersund the perspectives will be broadened. The meeting is about cooperation and common projects to develop both city and land. The national organization Hela Sverige ska leva (Swedish Village Action Movement; literally: All Sweden Shall Live) welcomes the wider perspective.

– There is a strong trend of urbanization all over the World. For the past 100 years the focus has been on the urban development. It is now time to lift the whole in a different way and increase awareness about the fact that one cannot survive without the other. It is good that Unesco's delegates will take that perspective home from Östersund, says Terese Bengard, operations manager for Hela Sverige ska leva.

Mutual dependency
Terese Bengard means that there is a mutual dependency between city and land. The cities need the countryside for, amongst other things, food and energy, and the countryside needs the cities for research and science that will drive development forward, in the countryside too.

– When you talk about development issues you need to include both city and countryside. Unesco's goal is to create a sustainable society on all levels, locally, regionally, nationally and globally. To achieve that you need to invest in both city and land, and that goes for the whole World, says Terese Bengard.

Jämtland County a good example
About 250 delegates from 55 countries on every continent will attend the meeting in Östersund. Among other things the mayors of the member cities will hold a separate meeting just to lift the issue of sustainable food with the connection to city and land. Östersund's Municipal commissioner Christina Hedin (V) will host the meeting of the mayors.

– It's a good thing that Jämtland County will step forward and make a mark in the global discussion. Our region is well known for our gastronomy and small scale food craft. Food is one of the parts of achieving an organic, economically and socially sustainable development in a society. Here, capable entrepreneurs have managed to connect food with tourism and experiences and have created both reasons for visiting, employment opportunities and development of the region. This knowledge we can share with other cities and regions, says Christina Hedin, Municipal commissioner from the Left Party in the Municipality of Östersund.

The whole annual meeting will result in a vision and an action plan about how culture and creativity will be used to create a sustainable future, through cooperation and common projects. The results from the negotiations will be used as a statement in Habitat III, the UN conference in Quito in October with the theme ‟Urban sustainable planning” where important decisions will be made about how city and land will be developed together for the next 15 years.

Contacts:

AnnSofie Andersson, Mayor (S) in Östersund.
+46(0) 70-598 32 35
annsofie.andersson@ostersund.se

Christina Hedin, Municipal commissioner from the Left Party in the Municipality of Östersund.
+46(0) 70-207 59 92
christina.hedin@ostersund.se

Terese Bengard, operations manager for Hela Sverige ska leva.
+46(0) 70-295 21 25
terese.bengard@helasverige.se