Meet the MUSTBE Experts 2/8: Municipality of Söderhamn
Söderhamn is a coastal municipality in Gävleborg County, Sweden, and is home to approximately 24,500 residents. Following severe flooding events in recent years, the most significant being in the summer of 2013, the municipality has started developing sustainable and resilient urban stormwater systems. MUSTBE is the fourth Interreg funded project Söderhamn has partnered in with focus on stormwater management and it is bringing this previous expertise and knowledge into the project. In the MUSTBE project, the Municipality of Söderhamn is developing two pilot areas: Söderhamnsporten and Broberg, both of which face increasing pressure from climate-related rainfall and sea level rise.
This article series introduces the experts behind the MUSTBE project, continuing with the Municipality of Söderhamn. We asked their team of experts to share who they are, what their role in the project is, what they find important or innovative about it, and to offer a glimpse into their life outside of work.
Josefin Flink
My background is originally a social science education, but I have worked as a nurse for a number of years. When I had my eldest daughter, I felt I needed a change, and with my involvement in environmental issues, I chose to take a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. I applied for this job at Söderhamn Municipality while I was still working on my thesis, which was preceded by two preliminary studies and covered PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and a risk assessment of its occurrence and impact in our local water source. So now 3 years later I am a community planner and project manager in Söderhamn Municipality.
Project management of the MUSTBE project in Söderhamn is what currently takes up most of my working time. It is challenging and very exciting to be part of creating two new innovative nature-based stormwater ponds and to learn so many new things. Also, getting to meet people with different knowledge and backgrounds is a wonderful bonus; I love my job from that aspect.
The fact that we only focus on natural solutions that will work without pumps or similar vulnerable infrastructure, plus that we will have sensors and continuously measure the degree of purification in the ponds, is central. Then also the exchange of knowledge, these projects are largely about international knowledge exchange and are not unique in that way, but for our municipality, it is invaluable.
I have a family and two children, one of whom is just about a year old, so it of course takes up a lot of my time. But my heart has long been in organic cultivation of mainly edible and other useful plants and contributing to biodiversity. I have a small allotment in addition to the crops I have on the plot but will soon move to a place that will enable more cultivation. I am very much looking forward to that. It gives me great inner peace to strive to live sustainably by growing as much of what we eat as I can.
Maria Svensson
I have a pol. mag in political science focusing on the EU and have been working on guiding the public sector in how to apply for funds for more than 10 years. My role in my organization is ‘Project Developer’.
My role in the project is to assist the project leader and help out with matters regarding administration, procurement and more.
What I find important about the MUSTBE project are the innovative aspects in stormwater solutions have improved over the years, and that we can now test them in Söderhamn, where we have great needs.
In my free time, I train with my dog and spend time with friends and family.
Writers and editors: Josefin Flink, Maria Svensson, Veera Iisakkala & Meri-Maaria Salo.
