Urban Scale and the Quality of Community Life: A Swedish Community Comparison*

A comparative ethnography of the lives of inhabitants of similar housing environments in two Swedish communities-Stockholm (population 1.3 million) and Gävle (population 50,000)-provides an opportunity to examine the ways in which lifestyles and community life may vary by size of urban place. The overwhelming impression is of lifestyle and community life similarities between the two locales, suggesting that size of urban place is not very significant in its effects. Yet some social advantages are felt by residents of the smaller community, such as increased family contacts and fewer youth problems. These advantages are offset, however, by the more limited job market and range of cultural facilities associated with smaller places.