FOJAB signs contract for increased diversity and inclusion

FOJAB is one of thirty players in Malmö's civil engineering sector to sign up to improve representation in the industry. The goal is a civil engineering industry that reflects all of Malmö - within a generation.

Who interprets and shapes our common living environments? Do Malmö's architects reflect the city's diversity? Not enough, the City of Malmö has found in an extensive survey.

After two years of preparatory work, some thirty actors in Malmö's urban planning industry have now come together to launch the Urban Academy platform and sign commitments to actively contribute to a more inclusive urban planning industry. Each member organization undertakes, among other things, to carry out specific actions and to measure and report on the progress towards improved representation within their own organization.

The model is taken from LFM30, Malmö's local industry initiative for a climate-neutral building and construction sector. The hope is that the initiative will grow like LFM30, especially among Malmö's community builders, but also to other cities.

FOJAB, through architect Haydar Alward, has been involved in the Urban Academy since its inception two years ago, including various pilot projects aimed at children and young people to open the door to the architectural profession.

- The journey to becoming an architect is not only about individual will, but is deeply connected to societal structures, education systems and networks. Let's work together to ensure that dreams are not only born but also realized," says Haydar Alward.

The Urban Academy was initially an initiative of the Malmö City Planning Office, but will from now on be a shared responsibility between the members, with a steering committee and various working groups.

The Urban Academy was initially an initiative of the Malmö City Planning Office, but will from now on be a shared responsibility between the members, with a steering committee and various working groups.

"For FOJAB, it is obvious to be involved in driving change," says Marketing Manager Magdalena Hedman, who also participated in the preparatory work on the platform:

- "FOJAB is the largest architectural firm in southern Sweden, which means both a responsibility and an opportunity to lead the way and hopefully inspire and challenge others to make a change," she says. "But above all, diversity and inclusion are important competitive factors for us as a company. We see that a variety of perspectives and inclusive leadership leads to innovation to a greater extent. It is therefore crucial if we are to continue to evolve and be relevant to new audiences and customers.

The Urban Academy is about ... 

... to use all of Malmö's expertise
... the built environment should reflect the needs of all groups in Malmö
... as an organization, harnessing the power of innovation by having multiple perspectives

In the fall of 2022, work began to find out which groups are underrepresented in Malmö's architectural profession, identify barriers and find ways to overcome them so that more people are given the chance to train, be employed and practice as architects.

Based on the lessons learned, it was concluded that the entire built environment sector needs to be involved to bring about change. A cross-sectoral platform is established to which actors from the entire built environment sector can join.

The goal is a built environment industry that reflects the diversity of Malmö within a generation. This will be achieved through regular measurements, joint actions, training and follow-up.