The Research Group Housing, Education and Segregation (BUS)
The Research Group Housing, Education, and Segregation (BUS) is a multidisciplinary research environment operating at the intersection of sociology, geography, and education. Our research focuses on understanding how the spatial contexts of housing and schooling shape the opportunities and outcomes for children, youth, and families.
Description
The research group is led by Håkan Forsberg (Associate Professor in Sociology of Education) and Andreas Alm Fjellborg (Researcher in Human Geography). BUS represents a developing collaboration between the Department of Education, (EDU) and the Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF) at Uppsala University. The group consists of scholars from various disciplines, institutions, and universities, united by ongoing research projects and studies.
In addition to its current research projects, BUS works to develop interdisciplinary and practice-orientated studies in collaboration with external stakeholders. We also organise two open seminars per term, where research within BUS’s areas of interest is presented and discussed.
Contact
Ongoing Research Projects
The following research projects are either led by or involve members of the research group:
- School Segregation in Sweden: Challenges, Opportunities and Intervention (SSIS) Riksbankens Jubileumsfond 2025–2032 (Projectleader: Kajsa Yang Hansen)
- Transition between preschool and comprehensive school – Analyses of how preschool participation and socio-economic context affect children´s early educational trajectories, SRC-project 2023–2027 (Projectleader: Håkan Forsberg)
- Challenging segregation through education - a comparative study of local initiatives to counteract school segregation, SRC-project 2021–2025 (Projectleader: Jan Jämte)
- Seniors’ housing and mobility in small cities and rural areas in Sweden – socially sustainable housing, mobility chains and housing provision in small municipalities. Formas-project 2023–2026 (Projectleader: Andreas Alm Fjellborg)
Research Networks
Preschool and Children: Experiences, Practices, and Development (PACED),
Supported by Circus, Uppsala University, 2025-2026.
Network leader: Håkan Forsberg
The Swedish preschool system affects children, parents, and society at large in numerous ways. PACED brings together researchers from the Uppsala Child and Baby Lab at the Department of Psychology and the newly established Preschool Centre, along with scholars from Education, Human Geography, Pedagogy, the Department of Economics and Housing and Urban Research (IBF). The network aims to map and consolidate existing preschool research at Uppsala University. By involving Uppsala Municipality and teacher education programs as external partners, PACED fosters synergies between researchers and practitioners to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange.
External Collaboration
BUS research projects and networks regularly involve collaboration with external stakeholders. These interactions are crucial for shaping research questions that align with societal challenges and knowledge needs. Below are some of the organisations with which BUS currently has exchanges or direct collaborations:
- Uppsala Municipality
- City of Gothenburg
- Region Örebro
- Municipality of Storfors
- National Tests in Geography
- Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket)
Publications
Gamsu, S., & Forsberg, H. (2025). A typology of schools across the four nations of the United Kingdom: Class, race and geography. British Educational Research Journal, n/a(n/a).
Kåks, Per, Målqvist, Mats, Forsberg, Håkan & Fjellborg, Andreas Alm (2025), ”Neighborhood income inequality, maternal relative deprivation and neonatal health in Sweden: A cross-sectional study using individually defined multi-scale contexts”, SSM - Population Health 29 (mars) p. 101745.
Forsberg, Håkan, Waddling, Jennifer & Fjellborg, Andreas Alm (2024), ”Class-based preschool enrolment - social stratification and quality differences in the Swedish preschool market”, Education Inquiry 15 (1) (januari 2) p. 104–125.
Yu, Yang, Gamsu, Sol & Forsberg, Håkan (2024), ”‘Levelling up’ social mobility? Comparing the social and spatial mobility for university graduates across districts of Britain”, The British Journal of Sociology 75 (4) p. 379–399.
Forsberg, Håkan, Larsson, Esbjörn & Alm Fjellborg, Andreas (2024), Förskolans expansion och marknadisering. Studentlitteratur AB.
Alm Fjellborg, Andreas & Forsberg, Håkan (2024), ”Förskola, boende och segregation”, i Forsberg, Håkan, Larsson, Esbjörn & Alm Fjellborg, Andreas (2024), Förskolans expansion och marknadisering. Studentlitteratur AB, p. 127–154.
Forsberg, Håkan & Alm Fjellborg, Andreas (2024), ”Social bakgrund och kvalitet i svensk förskola”, i Forsberg, Håkan, Larsson, Esbjörn & Alm Fjellborg, Andreas (2024), Förskolans expansion och marknadisering. Studentlitteratur AB, p. 99–126.
Waddling, Jennifer (2024), ”Främmande språk som pedagogisk profil – val av internationell förskola” i Forsberg, Håkan, Larsson, Esbjörn & Alm Fjellborg, Andreas (2024), Förskolans expansion och marknadisering. Studentlitteratur AB, p.155-176.
Alm Fjellborg, Andreas & Forsberg, Håkan (2023), ”Even in preschools: analysing the preschool and neighbourhood segregation gap in Swedish municipalities”, European Sociological Review 39 (5) (oktober 1) p. 677–691.
Fjellborg, Andreas Alm & Forsberg, Håkan (2022), ”Commuting patterns of preschool children in metropolitan Stockholm”, Regional Science Policy & Practice 14 (4) p. 960–980.