Malmö: An International City

by Alicia Brown and Jessica Bracht

On Wednesday we said goodbye to Stockholm and took the train to the southernmost part of Sweden, to a city called Malmö. Located right between the North and the Baltic seas, Malmö has for centuries been a destination for people from countries all over the world, due to its ports and industry, and more recently has become somewhat of a beach town. More than 100 languages are spoken from a population of 300,000 and counting, and one of the factors driving Malmö's ever-increasing growth is its efforts in becoming a sustainable city.

Upon arriving in Malmö we walked from Central Station to our hostel. After stopping a few times to find the right streets we found ourselves at the Stortorget plaza, a very central part of Malmö. The Stortorget Plaza is a huge area cluttered with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. It is a main focus point and meeting area for all of Malmö. Because of its central location it is the perfect venue to host a variety of festivals and events that attract the attention of citizens and tourists alike.

Currently the plaza is hosting an International Food Fair bringing foods from all over the world to one location. Holland, Spain, Germany, Poland, France, Italy and Australia are a few of the countries participating in this event. Each place sells goods like foods and desserts, meats and cheeses, soaps and kitchenware that are all representative of their county. The festival is a limited event and is only in Malmö from July 24 – July 28, lining up perfectly with our stay here. The festival provides the opportunity for all visitors to taste food from around the world in one spot. We, for example, have tasted paella from Spain, bratwurst from Germany, pastries from Italy and curry from Thailand. 

 

Beyond providing a great variety of food choices the festival is socially and economically sustainable. On an ordinary day the plaza is well traveled by citizens going to and from work and tourists visiting Town Hall and the surrounding parks. But in adding the festival the Stortorget plaza is transformed into a hang out place, a lunch and dinner spot and a shopping center; an attraction that cannot be missed, bringing business to the shops, cafes and restaurants that permanently line the square. The city of Malmö benefits economically by hosting the festival in their central plaza. Socially, the festival brings together a wide variety of cultures through the food they sell and the people it attracts. Walking around the plaza is a very diverse population, all of whom come together to celebrate foods from all over the world. The plaza is transformed into an international meeting spot for people to gather and learn about each other’s culture. Festivals such as this one are important because of the opportunity to try new foods and meet new people. In order to move towards a more sustainable world everyone needs to work together to change their habits and mindsets to make the necessary changes from harmful environmental practices to more environmentally conscious ones.

Another place that has succeeded in bringing together the social and environmental aspects of sustainability is the Western Harbor. Malmö has invested heavily in redeveloping its beachfront in an old industrial district, and it shows. Much like Hammarby in Stockholm, the Western Harbor is Malmö's largest sustainable development project. All the environmental efforts are particularly impressive, such as the storm water management strategies, the energy efficiency of the buildings, and the pedestrian and bike paths, but we believe one of the biggest sustainable successes of the area lies in its ability to bring people together to an enjoyable and interesting place.

Malmö is constantly showcasing its diverse population, which it does here in the design of its houses. Several of the houses we passed had very distinct themes from other countries, including the high, peaked roofs of Holland and the simplistic, symmetrical style from Germany.

German style architecture and design

Another of the interesting features we noticed in the Western Harbor were its public spaces, which encouraged people to meet and interact. The extensive beach front is punctuated with parks, piers, restaurants, and even an amphitheater that is formed from the hills, where music comes from the ground. In a place of such high diversity, attractions such as these are particularly important because they bring people together and help reduce conflict and tensions between all the various ethnic backgrounds that live in the city.