Prioritizing Safety in New Developments

When Niam develops new real estate, we want to ensure that the buildings do not only uphold high quality- and environmental standards, but also that the areas surrounding the properties are safe and pleasant for the future tenants. One way we have been working to ensure this is by conducting research on perceived safety in an area, as we did for the urban development area in Södra Värtan in Stockholm. 

Niam is one of the main developers and property owners in Södra Värtan in central Stockholm. The area is characterized by the ferry terminals and the daily workings of a port and due to the previous lack of residential buildings and also more office buildings, creating a sense of security and safety is a top priority. In order to properly assess the situation, Niam, together with the property owners in Södra Värtan, The Stockholm Harbor and the municipality of Stockholm, contracted the organization Tryggare Sverige to conduct an analysis of the perceived sense of safety and security in Södra Värtan. The analysis showed that the neighbourhood has many possibilities to get safer and more attractive. 

The results of the analysis allows us to plan accordingly, using the facts and findings to take appropriate measures to increase the sense of security and safety. It includes everything from the right lightning to accessibility and clear information.

“Our goal is to create an attractive urban space where people want to live and spend time. Succeeding in this could open-up space for many more Stockholmers, where we imagine residents expanding their late-night dog walks or jogs around Norra Djurgården to pass through the pleasant neighbourhoods of Södra Värtan, or visitors from other parts of the city coming to the area for a nice meal at a local restaurant”, Ola Kolmert, Business Developer at Niam, explains.

Moving forward, we will review how we can take the learnings from this analysis and incorporate them into the planning of other Niam projects. For certain properties where the perceived sense of security and safety needs to be improved it could be a question of commissioning a dedicated analysis. One of our contributions to sustainable development is connected to how we develop and maintain our properties, making them not only environmentally sustainable but also socially sustainable.