“It is one thing being the weirdos on the outside but it is another to be the weirdos who leave,” an Oslo city councillor has said on the recent Brexit vote.
Victoria Marie Evensen added that, while Norway operates successfully as a European country outside of the EU, there are different circumstances to be considered around the UK’s active decision to leave.
“Your economy is tied up with Europe,” she said. “It’s quite different. We wish you the best of luck.”
Evensen also discussed the future masterplanning of Oslo. A city she believes must grow up rather than out in order to curb urban sprawl in the face of rapid population growth.
She said that there is space to build 147,000 new homes within the current city boundaries if buildings become higher and the urban fabric becomes more dense.
“The population here is expected to grow by 200,000 over the next 20 years. That’s from a current figure of 650,000 so it’s a lot,” she said.
“That means we need to embrace change. People need to go from being NIMBYS to IMBYS. I am not sure there is an alternative.”
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