Turning an old harbour into an attractive part of the city centre is tricky. To find out more about the public’s needs, wishes, fears, hopes and dreams Norrköping decided to invite the public to a series of focus groups' meetings.
Norrköping is conducting an extensive transformation of the old Inner harbour. The area will become a natural part of Norrköping’s city centre with, parks, canals, quays, shops, restaurants and 2 000 new homes. The municipality’s aim is to create a living room for all – for residents as well as visitors.
It is important to get input from the general public even in the early stages of planning. Therefore Norrköping decided to conduct focus groups' meetings together with the property developers in the area.
29 men and women between the ages of 15 and 70 signed up. They were divided into three groups. Each group met for 90 minutes discussing issues concerning the development of the Inner harbour.
Because of its industrial history the Inner harbour is heavily contaminated and extensive work to remove toxins will soon begin. The focus groups clearly showed that the public is concerned about toxins but also very positive towards the prospective development of the area. The groups stressed the importance of making the Inner harbour attractive and accessible for everyone - disregarding the income, ethnicity, gender or age.
