Claiming Rights in the City: A study of Cross-Sector Partnerships for Social Sustainability in Malmö

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasises the use of global goal-setting in local practices, particularly through cross-sector partnerships. This focus on quantification and collaboration raises questions about how such spaces shape individual right-holders’ opportunities to claim rights. This study examines the interplay between social sustainability and human rights in urban development in Sweden. Through ethnographic fieldwork, it explores three partnerships that focus on the relationships between civil society organisations (CSOs) and the City of Malmö. One main contribution of the study is its analytical framework, which uses “vernacularisation” to analyse how global norms translate into local practices, creating a spectrum ranging from superficial to transformative, where the transformative end relies on a progressive interpretation of human rights. The analysis shows that the social sustainability efforts in the three partnerships were often superficial. The City of Malmö prioritised meeting SDG requirements for external stakeholders rather
than allowing residents to shape these spaces themselves. Short-term projects and funding insecurity hindered the development of durable, transformative spaces for residents to claim their rights. Certain districts were chosen as test beds not because of community demands but because of available funding. Consequently, citizen-driven projects may lead to “imposed participation”,
offering rights only after residents prove their worthiness through participation. A key conclusion is that partnerships must strengthen residents’ and CSOs’ public voice and self-organisation, enabling them to be part of shaping the urban space and claim their rights, if they aim to create transformative change.