The importance of culture for the growth of cities

The Swedish Property Federation, in collaboration with SOM Institute, has for the second time made ​​a list of Sweden's 34 most cultural cities. The report is presented today at the political event Almedalen Week.

The report is written by Rudolf Antoni, analyst and urban development expert at the Swedish Property Federation, and Charlotta Mellander, professor of Economics at JIBS.

“The study confirms that there is a strong link between culture and growth. In addition, culture works as an indicator of the openness and tolerance of a place. It tells us something about the city's character and who lives there,” says Charlotta Mellander in a press release from the Swedish Property Federation.

The study covers the 34 cities in Sweden that have been defined as large cities or large towns by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions . All data has been collected by the SOM Institute at University of Gothenburg. In total the survey includes responses from more than 28,000 people. An index of their cultural habits has been calculated based on how often they go to the theater, to the cinema, to concerts, and how often they visit libraries and read books.