DC TORSLANDA
www.torslanda.goteborg.se
In a district such as Torslanda, with its rapid growth in population and sharp rise in the number of children in schools and pre-schools, it is essential to be flexible and willing to adapt. School services have been reorganized and new premises are being planned and built.
| TORSLANDA | ||
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| The first figure is for the district and the second for Göteborg in total during 2002, unless otherwise stated. | ||
| No. of inhabitants | 19,163 | (474,877) |
| Percentage of children 0–15 | 26.9 | (17.3) |
| Percentage of pensioners over 65 | 9.9 | (14.7) |
| Average income, KSEK (over 16) 2000 | 223.8 | (174.6) |
| Percentage of job applicants 18–64 | 1.7 | (4.1) |
| Percentage of people with higher education (20–64) 2001 | 33.4 | (38.9) |
| Percentage of gainfully employed (20–64) 2000 | 85.5 | (69.5) |
| Percentage on social security benefits | 1.2 | (9.5) |
| Social security benefits paid, SEK per inhabitant* | 235 | (2,128) |
| * Excl. introduction remuneration. | ||
The population forecast for Torslanda points to a population of around 22,600 by 2006, reaching almost 25,000 by 2010. In order to meet this growth the district administration was reorganized on 1 January 2003.
A new school was opened in 2002 – Nordlyckeskolan. It provides space for 400 pupils in years 7–9 with an emphasis on health and sport. In order to cope with the future “youth boom” there are plans for a further school for years 7–9 in Björlanda. Construction work began on the new Brännekulla pre-school in Hästevik, which will be ready to open in spring 2003.
Amhult, near the old airfield in Torslanda, will soon be transformed into a garden village. Three hundred rental apartments of various sizes are now being built there. This is a long-awaited addition to the housing market that will make it possible for young and old residents to continue living in their district, as well as catering for newcomers to the district. When development in the area is complete the district will have gained around 900 new homes, a commercial centre, preschool and school.
Adopting an overall perspective to children and learning is one of the key priorities of Torslanda’s plan for children and young people. It was this outlook that led to the formation of a new service category – Children and Education: age 1–16. This now includes pre-schools services, preschool classes, schoolchild care (after-school centres), compulsory schooling and the Arts School.
School services are also divided into three geographic areas: south, central and north. The school managers in each area are responsible for children’s entire education in Torslanda.
A development department will be responsible for development, support and quality improvement work for all school services in Torslanda. Its members will work together and include special teachers, school doctors, school nurses, school welfare officers, psychologists and staff from maternity clinics and child welfare centres.
Once again the key priority is to provide greater support for children and pupils throughout their education.
There are four key elements of all the services provided in Torslanda that are highlighted as guiding principles for our daily work:
Active citizenship is about giving residents of Torslanda the opportunities to become motivated and involved. We do this by making all district committee meetings open to the public and holding the meetings in different schools around Torslanda. The number of visitors was low in 2002, with the exception of the meeting that provided information about the proposed budget for 2003. The agenda and minutes of meetings can be found on the district’s website at www.torslanda.goteborg.se and are posted in six different locations in Torslanda, at the district office, Torslanda library and at four schools: Hjuviksgården, Hällsviks Bycenter, Lillebyn and Björlandagården. Following each committee meeting every household is sent a district newsletter with information about the committee’s decisions and other current information.
In the week before each meeting a preliminary meeting is held at which residents of Torslanda are welcome to ask questions. Politicians can also be reached by e-mail and residents can book times for visits. The website has a discussion forum that gives everyone the opportunity to discuss current issues in Torslanda.
As in previous years, Torslanda has given priority to preventive action and to cooperation with other organizations in all the services it provides. The view is that better results can be achieved by taking early action. It is also important that staff from different professions work together. One such project is the district’s DELTA project “Healthy Lifestyles”, which offers all residents of Torslanda in the age range 16–64 a wide range of courses and talks about health.
The project for a Safer Torslanda, which promotes the anti-drug message among pupils and parents, has become part of the regular range of services. The decision was taken during the year to extend cooperation of this type across the whole of Hisingen, with financial support from the County Executive Board.
During 2002 discussions began on the possibility of setting up a crime prevention council for the whole of Hisingen. Torslanda took part in a theme/inspiration day on crime prevention work.
The importance of creating social meeting places that are well lit, well equipped and accessible to everyone is emphasised in all community planning.
Torslanda is an attractive place to live. The first stage of work has begun on the garden village (Trädgårdsstaden), a new residential area in the district. At present there are around 75 rental apartments in Torslanda. The garden village and ongoing projects in Östra Änghagen will provide 350 rental apartments.
Active environmental efforts are being made in Torslanda to achieve sustainable development. The central environmental policy has been reformulated as a local action plan with its own targets. Sustainable development work is integrated in all district services through networking and environmental training for all environmental representatives and managers.
In 2002 Solbacken pre-school in Torslanda became the first pre-school in Göteborg to have its environmental plan of action approved by the National Agency for Education.
The mail department gained an environmental diploma under the scheme run by the Environmental Protection Office. Schools and preschools have taken part in the City’s Agenda 21 “Healthy Eating” project.
The ambition now is to extend environmental work to include residents. This will be done by distributing information, through the website and district newsletter for instance, arranging various types of events and encouraging good ideas among residents of Torslanda. Activities in 2003 will centre on drawing up a policy for environmental procurement, environmental schools, healthy eating and low-emission vehicles.