Industrial activity threatens Faroese rural settlements

Faroese settlements are increasingly threatened by industrial activity, according to Sámal Matras Kristiansen, a social scientist speaking on Kringvarp Føroya’s radio program “Oyggjar undir trýsti.”

Kristiansen highlighted how active industrial zones within towns have historically infringed on residents’ rights. “We have people making decisions that have stood in the way of the rights of production workers who have always been here,” he said. “We forget that production is now much noisier, more space-intensive, and more dominant than it used to be.”

He then discussed how residential and working life interact in key Faroese towns:

Tvøroyri

Tvøroyri has chosen to place a large industrial facility in the town center rather than in the municipality’s outskirts. The town’s limited land area makes this a poor long-term plan, Kristiansen argued.

Klaksvík

In Klaksvík, residents have pushed to relocate industry outside the town to free up space for service and cultural activities in the urban core.

Fuglafjørður

Fuglafjørður faces the opposite challenge: efforts to bring industry into the town center while moving service and cultural activities to the outskirts, such as Kambsdalur.

Runavík

Runavík balances efforts to maintain service activities in the town while keeping industry in the center.

Tórshavn

The capital benefits from its coastal location, allowing it to relocate much of its industrial activity to areas like Kaldbaksfjørður and Kollafjørður. The harbor hosts working industry alongside cultural and maritime facilities such as the shipyard at Sjóvinnuhúsið and the oil terminals at Viðarnes.

Kristiansen also addressed the need for the Faroe Islands to diversify beyond service and knowledge-based industries. “The Faroe Islands have long been service- and knowledge-driven, as most people work in service jobs,” he said. “I don’t mean we should eliminate industry, but it should occupy less space. We must use the land for more future-oriented purposes, and industry should be concentrated in fewer locations.”

He emphasized that industrial life should not dominate municipal planning. “It cannot end with working life overwhelming municipalities and imposing its interests. Municipalities must balance different goals to achieve the best overall solutions. Agricultural goals should not dominate entirely. We must also consider social and environmental interests.”