Research group Urban History Network: Nordic Urban Welfare 1840–1940
The urban history network “Nordic Urban Welfare 1840–1940” consists of researchers from the Nordic countries. They share an interest in the development of welfare from an urban perspective. The research is situated at the intersection of the humanities and the social sciences. Various methods and source materials are used to illuminate how Nordic cities engaged in the expansion of welfare. The network organises workshops, participates in international conferences, and works actively to launch and run new research projects.
Water main, Norrström 1897. Unknown photographer, SSM/Photonumber CF796. Via "Stockholmskällan".
In the second half of the nineteenth century, living conditions in European cities improved. From the middle of the century onward, cities on the European continent and in the British Isles began to invest money and resources in various types of social services. The expansion of urban welfare, especially between 1840 and 1940, was part of the emergence of the modern welfare society.
The Nordic countries in particular have attracted considerable interest in international research, and the Nordic welfare state is widely regarded as a unique model for the organisation of universal welfare services. However, the role of cities in this development has been underestimated in previous research. We want to shift the focus to the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as this was the crucial period when cities expanded their welfare systems.
Through collaboration between Nordic researchers, we aim to problematise and challenge the prevailing perspective on the dominant position of the welfare state. In this respect, Nordic cities offer an excellent opportunity for comparison and for highlighting the idea of the “welfare city”.
The network was initiated in 2022 and has since organised several workshops and conference sessions, including at the European Association for Urban History (EAUH) conference. One result of this collaboration is the book Nordic Welfare Cities: Negotiating Urban Citizenship since 1850 (2024). The contributions to the book all show how Nordic cities embarked on reform policies in response to the social demands and political issues of the time.
A central argument is that these changes represent the “welfare city”, an understanding of the vision and material policies of municipal authorities to extend and improve public services. This was an intertwined process with several overlapping phases or dimensions, depending on the political and social context.
Another book involving members of the network is Urban Life in Nordic Countries (2024). The volume includes contributions that investigate the distinctive urban history of the Nordic region from the seventeenth century to the present day, from a comparative, Nordic perspective.
There are no research project connections.
Hallenberg, Mats, Magnus Linnarsson, and Pär Blomkvist. “Explaining the Welfare City: Publicness, Citizenship and the Expansion of Public Services in Nordic Cities, c. 1850–1920.” Urban History (2026): 1–16.
Droste, Heiko, ed. Urban Life in Nordic Countries. Routledge Advances in Urban History 16. New York: Routledge, 2024.
Linnarsson, Magnus, and Mats Hallenberg, eds. Nordic Welfare Cities: Negotiating Urban Citizenship since 1850. Routledge Advances in Urban History 17. New York: Routledge, 2024.