The future

The future is relative, Einstein said, in that time moves slower the faster you move, relative to your surroundings. The future is almost certain, according to the theory of path dependency, in that we tread the future on the path we are already walking.

Malmö is probably more like a particle in quantum physics. We are in several places at once, until the superposition occurs and we do what we are supposed to do, complete the project or something else. Today, it's exciting to read the City of Malmö's Vision Malmö 2000 programme from 1995 about what we wanted to achieve by 2000. Or the Traffic Strategy from 2003 about how Malmö's traffic system would be in 2020. We have achieved most of it, but perhaps not exactly as we intended - we are constantly adapting to the outside world.

And so it is, the future is both relative and somewhat predetermined. Here we present a selection of ideas and concrete projects for the future. Because that's how it is here. Malmö has plans, we walk a path, but above all we are flexible. We deviate from the path and do something unexpected. Where it's needed, when it's needed, with an eye on the outside world. We are like a quantum physical particle, we are in several places at the same time, until we strike, the superposition occurs and, voilà, the project is done!

Malmö continues to develop continuously, just as it has always done. In about 10 years (2032), we are expected to be 400,000 Malmö residents, and by 2050 we will be a city of half a million.
Malmö city centre will expand in all directions. In the north, at Malmö C, towards Nyhamnen where development is already underway. In the east via Drottningtorget towards Värnhem where development around Östervärn station is starting. To the south, at Södervärn and Dalaplan, where Södra Förstadsgatan's route will eventually continue to Mobilia. And in the west, Dockan and Västra hamnen through the development of Varvsstaden and Citadellsfogen.

City centre strategy

The City of Malmö is now initiating work on the development of a City Centre Strategy. It is expected to be finalised in 2024.

There is a need to take a concerted approach to strategic planning in collaboration between public and private actors in order to manage the restructuring that is taking place and continue to develop Malmö's city centre as a dynamic, attractive place for Malmö residents, businesses and visitors. This is also something that is clearly requested by the business community and other external parties. In order to manage the changes that are taking place and to meet the needs of tomorrow, the City of Malmö needs to work together with stakeholders in the city to develop a strategy that can form the basis for future working methods, initiatives and investments. The work will provide a platform for co-operation both within the city and with its many different stakeholders. The strategy will also be used as a basis for the next comprehensive plan.

As the City Centre Strategy is expected to be completed in 2024, Malmö Citysamverkan will have time to develop its new strategies for 2026-2030 based on the new overall city centre strategy. The difference in the strategies is assumed to be that the municipality's city centre strategy has a longer time perspective and Malmö Citysamverkan's a shorter one of 3-5 years, as the activities are largely operational and need to have room to adjust their focus, which a shorter time horizon means.

Sustainable urban development

Over the next 10-15 years, Malmö will invest heavily in sustainable urban development. One step in this is public transport. Efficient public transport enables more people to reach more jobs in less time, and also helps to reduce traffic congestion. Thanks to the Sweden Negotiation and the framework agreement the city has signed with the state and the region, we can invest in expanded and electrified public transport while expanding the bicycle network with a total of 3 kilometres of new bicycle lanes. In total, the City of Malmö is investing around SEK 4 billion in these measures and is also committed to enabling the construction of a total of 28,550 homes. To give the region the potential to achieve sustainable growth with increased housing construction and benefits for the labour market, business and the environment, a future main line extension between Stockholm and Malmö is also planned. An important expansion phase is new tracks between Lund and Hässleholm, which is expected to start construction between 2028-2033.

Stora Nygatan

One of the most central and busiest streets around Gustav Adolfs Torg is set to undergo major changes as part of the Storstadspaket. Bus services will be relocated and Stora Nygatan will be narrowed to make room for wider pavements, allowing more space for outdoor cafés, pedestrians and greenery in the area popularly known as the 'Riviera'. It is planned to become a low-speed street where cars can drive on the terms of unprotected road users and the street is planned to remain one-way to the west. With these measures, the street will be transformed into an inner city street that is adapted to urban life. As Gustav Adolfs torg is a hub for public transport, buses will be moved to Lilla Nygatan along the southern and shady part of the square.

Visionary image. The final design has not been decided.

Coastal defence, infill and artificial islands

In the near future, Malmö has secured the interaction with the sea and sea level rise. In Nyhamnen, which is now emerging in and by the water, several artificial islands are planned. These will double as coastal protection and sustainable urban environments.
Galeonen + is Malmö's expansive urban development around Malmö harbour entrance. It links Malmö and Copenhagen through the establishment of the Öresund Metro and the urban development around the metro station will strengthen Malmö as a regional motor. Drilling spoil from the metro tunnel construction is being used to expand Galeonen +. The urban development will demonstrate at an international level how climate-positive neighbourhoods can be created with net zero energy solutions at system level with the energy port as a neighbour. Galeonen + gives Malmö the opportunity to build coherent coastal protection needed to preserve and develop Malmö as a coastal city. Through cost-effective multifunctional solutions, both densification, accessibility and housing and employment can be developed.

Link Nyhamnen

As Nyhamnen develops north of Malmö C and the railway yard, it will be particularly important to establish solutions to make Nyhamnen accessible from the southern part of the railway yard. Here, the city is now investigating the possibility of building pedestrian and cycle bridges over the railway area. This is what it could look like.

Development of regional airports

Copenhagen Airport is moving ahead with plans to expand Malmö Airport, the largest airport in the Nordic region. The capacity will be significantly increased and create the possibility to receive 40 million passengers annually, compared to 30 million in 2019. This investment will strengthen the region and create thousands of jobs on both the Danish and Swedish sides. In addition, the railway infrastructure is being rebuilt and expanded to improve capacity.
Malmö Airport is an important part of the expansive region's development of business and tourism. The conditions exist to ensure airport capacity in the short and long term, as well as opportunities for investment in light industry, hotels, offices and freight/logistics. Development will focus on sustainable solutions and minimising environmental impacts.

Malmö gets even closer to the continent

The Fehmarn Belt tunnel is being built between Denmark and Germany and is expected to be completed in 2029. The tunnel will connect Scandinavia to the continent and significantly shorten the distance between them. The journey through the tunnel is expected to take 7-10 minutes and you will be able to travel between Malmö and Hamburg in just about 3 hours. In addition, the tunnel is expected to have positive effects in terms of both transport costs and the environment. The forecast is that the tunnel will contribute to a competitive new major region with around 9 million inhabitants, similar to how the Öresund Bridge contributed to the growth of the Öresund region. Malmö will be a central node in Europe's efforts to create an integrated transport system consisting of several transport corridors. The Fehmarn Belt tunnel is an important part of solving the "bottlenecks" that exist in the so-called ScanMed corridor, which extends from southern Italy to Stockholm and Oslo.

The future of mobility - in the future

Two of the really big investments in modern times in terms of mobility and accessibility were of course the Öresund Bridge (2000) and the City Tunnel (2010). Now it is time for the next lighthouse project: the Öresund Metro. The City of Malmö and the Municipality of Copenhagen have already been working together and conducting studies for a number of years on the Öresund Metro, but now a number of critical milestones are approaching in the period 2023-2025. These milestones involve a number of decisions, both on the Swedish and Danish side, which pave the way for the process to continue. The work in the City of Malmö is now being handled in an in-depth master plan. But much of the work is also taking place through dialogue with the Swedish Transport Administration, politicians in the Riksdag and businesses in Skåne, Själland and Stockholm. Linking central Malmö with central Copenhagen through a Metro is about contributing to growth and an expanded labour market region, but also about ensuring that Skåne does not become a bottleneck for increased freight flows by rail when the Fehmarn Belt tunnel opens in 2029. So the idea is that the Öresund Bridge is dedicated to car traffic, long-distance trains and freight trains, while public commuter traffic is transferred to the metro, under the Öresund. The metro under the strait will be connected to the Copenhagen metro system, access the coast on the Swedish side in the northern West Harbour and have another station in the West Harbour before reaching Malmö C. This will be phase 1 of the project, which can be realised by 2035. The next stage will be to establish the Metro as part of Malmö's public transport system, with further lines and stations into Malmö. A stage 3 could, in the future, be that the metro continues into Skåne both underground and above ground, as a really fast commuter train system. But let's take one thing at a time!

Commission on Growth

In October 2020, the Malmö City Council decided to establish an independent Growth Commission for an inclusive and sustainable Malmö. The Commission began its work in March 2021 and is tasked with analysing the conditions for inclusive and sustainable growth in Malmö and making recommendations and realisable proposals for the way forward. The work will be based on the 2030 Agenda. The aim of the Growth Commission is to provide the City Council with an analytical and scientifically based basis with proposals and recommendations for inclusive and sustainable growth in Malmö. The Growth Commission consists of commissioners who have been hand-picked based on their expertise and experience in research and business. The Commission's work is led by Chairman Martin Andersson, Professor of Industrial Economics at Blekinge Institute of Technology and Professor of Innovation Technology at Lund University. A secretariat has been appointed to assist the Commission throughout the work period. The Growth Commission will submit its final report in April 2023. To read more about the work of the Commission and take part in the work process, documents and reports, click here!.