Dagur Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik, discusses the main inequality challenges facing the city as well as housing, inclusive growth and their Covid-19 response.
Dagur Eggertsson
Dagur B. Eggertsson became mayor of Reykjavík City on June 16 2014. Dagur was the vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Alliance from 2009 – 2013. He was first elected to the city council of Reykjavík in the 2002 election. Dagur studied, trained and worked as a physician and also has a master’s degree in Human Rights and International Law from the University of Lund in Sweden.
Dagur was was first elected to Reykjavík City Council in 2002, he was chair of the City Planning Committee from 2004 -2006 and was mayor from 2007-2008. In the years 2009 – 2013 Dagur was Vice president of the Social Democratic Alliance. From 2010 – 2014 he was chair of the City Executive Council. In his capacity as a leader for Reykjavík City Dagur has been a key note speaker at various international conferences and forums.
In the spring of 2014, Dagur lead the campaign of the Social Democratic Alliance in Reykjavík and won the single largest number of votes. He led the Social Democrats again in the elections of 2018 and was reappointed as mayor in 2018, and again in 2022.
Dagur grew up in Reykjavík and is married to Arna Dögg Einarsdóttir, a medical doctor at Landspitalinn – The National University Hospital of Iceland. They have four children.
Reshaping Reykjavik’s housing offer
Reykjavik faces the challenge of ensuring sustainable growth while reducing its environmental footprint and meeting the needs of low-income groups. But the city is trying to create positive change, and has adopted a comprehensive strategy for affordable housing.