Oslo will not become a city of millions

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I heard a while back a speech by Oslo city council leader Raymond Johansen. He boasted that since 2000, Oslo has grown by as much as Trondheim. I understand that City Councilor Johansen is excited by the thought of his own empire growing, but I am more unsure whether the growth is good for people living in Oslo.

Oslo today has around 700,000 inhabitants. Statistics Norway’s forecast from 5 July this year states that this number will increase to well over 800,000 inhabitants by 2050. In addition, we see, and further expect, significant growth in the municipalities around Oslo. The central point for my part is to point out that it is not a desired development that the capital grows significantly more than the rest of the country. The capital will not become a better city by approaching one million inhabitants, but Norway will be a worse country if that happens.

We are a big country with few people. Then we have to spread out to create viable local communities throughout the country. Because I don’t doubt for a moment that the vast majority share the Center Party’s slogan of taking the whole country into use. Then we must dare to point out the problem and we must propose measures that slow down the self-reinforcing centralization.

Discussions about where we should live in this country often end up with someone feeling stepped on and offended. There is no reason why anyone in Oslo, whether they are city councilors or ordinary people, should feel stepped on by a debate. Because will it be better in Oslo if space on the bus, tram, subway or in the queue on the E6 and E18 becomes more limited? Will it be better to be a resident of Oslo if housing prices increase further? Will it be better in Oslo if there is another building site with cranes? Of course it won’t be.

We have measures to succeed in creating vibrant local communities in villages and towns throughout the country. In many fields, Norwegian district policy is a success story, but it shows in several places. It will not be a measure that solves everything – but a policy that in all areas emphasizes the perspective of taking the whole country into use. The list of instruments is long: Better schemes for housing finance in the rural areas, tax rules that mitigate the consequences of distance, cheaper travel, relocation of workplaces, broadband and mobile coverage, good welfare services and a strong local environment and a well-functioning local democracy are examples of some measures. In addition, we must get private business to use technology to secure jobs for people throughout the country.

There is no doubt that there is an ongoing battle for resources, power and money between city and country in Norway. Distribution of resources between different parts of the country is part of the prioritization that is done at the Storting both in the budget process and in other matters, for example when locating government workplaces. Should we spend millions to lower the price of a monthly pass in Oslo by a hundred or should we use the money to make flights in Northern Norway cheaper.

The battle to take the whole country into use is often portrayed as a battle between the outermost village and the biggest city. It will be too narrow. If we are to succeed in positive development throughout the country, we must manage to have a balanced development also between the cities around the country and the capital.

The struggle to developing the whole country is a battle against those who want to make Oslo the biggest possible, but it is a battle together with those in Oslo who want the best possible city. In a vast country with just under 5.5 million inhabitants, we can tolerate the fact that the capital is not a city of a million. Oslo’s most important task is to be a good capital both for those who live here and for people throughout Norway.

It is my contention that the bigger Oslo gets, the bigger the differences between people and parts of the city. It is therefore crucially important to come to an agreement with a mindset that the greatest possible growth, the greatest possible number of people and jobs is good for Oslo. Oslo’s population should be at the forefront of the demonstration train to bring the whole country into use and to slow down growth in Oslo.

Most in Norway are happy in their capital. We appreciate buildings such as the Palace, Holmenkollen, Stortinget and the opera. We are even willing to admit that the NOK 6 billion national museum has become a great and important building. This applies whether you have traveled to the national museum and paid NOK 78 for a bus ticket or you have paid NOK 6,000 for a plane ticket.

It is Oslo that grows and absorbs capital and people. Then the policy must be used in the opposite direction to create balance in development. Norway needs its capital, but the capital needs its country just as much. The policy that has been pursued in recent years has taken this premise into account far too little.

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