Helsingborg joins megaregion to accelerate green transition
The Swedish city, which is also hosting its own smart city summit, has joined String to increase connectivity and develop the megaregion as a green hub and centre for green industrial technologies.
The Swedish city of Helsingborg has become the latest member of the String megaregion, joining the existing member group of 13 cities and regions across the borders of Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
String is a political member organisation for regions and cities in Northern Europe. Members work to increase connectivity, accelerate the green transition and develop the megaregion as a green hub, a globally acknowledged innovation and export centre for green industrial technologies.
Sustainable growth
With 150,000 inhabitants, Helsingborg is the eighth largest city in Sweden and it has been growing rapidly both in terms of inhabitants and business development. Its geographical location and political priorities makes it a natural candidate for String membership.
The port of Helsingborg is the second largest container port in Sweden as well as the second largest for passengers travelling on ferries. The intense ferry traffic between Helsingborg in Sweden and Elsinore in Denmark makes it the most frequent ferry line between Sweden and other countries.
“Helsingborg is a visionary city. Furthermore, Helsingborg harbours great potential to contribute significantly to the green hub agenda in String”
Approximately half of trucks across Öresund use the ferry link. Helsingborg has set out to become fossil-free by 2030, and define their key subject as the green transition, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, circular economics and climate adaptation.
It is already promoting sustainable growth in the area by focusing on infrastructure, green transition and labour market issues. And with the shift towards green public-private co-operation, as well as innovative public procurement, Helsingborg is already playing a significant part in the Northern European green hub, an area of major business activity regarding solutions to climate and environmental problems.
“The City of Helsingborg has a long history of political cross-border cooperation in the String geography,” said Peter Danielsson, chairman of the municipal board city of Helsingborg. “We have a firm belief that regional cooperation is the most important component in becoming a competitive cross-border region in a global context. As an important hub in the Scan Med corridor, the String geography is our natural framework for strategic development issues.”
Chairman of String, Vegar Andersen of City of Oslo, added: “Helsingborg is a visionary city, situated strategically important as a traffic hub for all of Scandinavia. Furthermore, Helsingborg harbours great potential to contribute significantly to the green hub agenda in String, and we are happy to welcome them as a new member of the String family.”
The City of Helsinborg is hosting H22 City Expo, a 35-day long smart city conference, which runs until 3 July. It is reportedly the single biggest event for innovation and sustainable urban development in the Nordic region in 2022.
Together with 100 official partners from the business sector, academia, and civil society, the city will present more than 700 programme features that highlight the role of innovation in shaping the smart and sustainable city of the future.
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