Urban growth ‘without vulnerable areas’—intersections between competitiveness, cohesion, and crime prevention in social sustainability policy

This article explores how social sustainability is discursively constructed and mobilized in urban development policy in the city of Umeå, Sweden. Anchored in the municipality’s strategic goal of reaching 200,000 inhabitants by 2050 in a ‘sustainable manner’ and ‘without developing a vulnerable area,’ the study analyzes how social sustainability is variously articulated through intersecting discourses of competitiveness, safety, and risk. Drawing on a critical policy analysis of municipal documents and political communication, we identify three dominant representations of social sustainability: as a driver of competitiveness, as emotional and cultural cohesion, and as crime prevention. Ultimately, we argue that the emphasis on avoiding ‘vulnerable areas’ – terminology originating in police categorizations – leads to a securitization of sustainable (social) development and residential segregation, directing attention from structural inequalities to community trust and immediate risk management. By treating Umeå as a critical case, the article contributes to debates on post-political governance and the affective dimensions of policy, problematizing how discourses on sustainability, competition, and safety converge to shape and limit the meaning of urban development.