What will the living environments of the future look like in Boden and Luleå and how can the cities be experienced more closely? Four creative teams outline this in the proclamation: Visions: in the north.
In Boden and part of the northen region in Sweden, one of the largest investments ever in green industry, technology and infrastructure is currently underway. The investment places increased demands on labor and attractive sustainable environments that mean that residents stay and new ones move in.
Through the call Visions: in the North, which is part of the work of the Council for Sustainable Cities and is made in accordance with the EU initiative New European Bauhaus, creative professional groups are invited to sketch and discuss the places of the future in our cities and communities. Four teams consisting of architects, artists and designers sketch the future habitats to develop the concept Gemini in the north.
The societal transformations place great demands on both careful design of the physical environment and equal access to good living environments for all residents. How can housing, infrastructure and services be developed rapidly to meet the needs while at the same time being done in a sustainable, beautiful and inclusive way, and which attracts new residents to not only make a quick visit but also to settle and integrate into society? What does the change mean for the people who already live there, the places and the culture? And how can this transformation take place within the planet’s boundaries? Giving new ideas about this is what “Visioner: i norr” is all about.
The sketching is carried out within the framework of a proclamation for funding financed by Vinnova and Formas through a grant of a total of SEK 300,000 per team. The four teams representing Boden and Luleå will continue sketching until the end of May, when their final report will then be presented.
– Our hope is that the results will be able to be used when we plan the future Boden municipality and Luleå municipality. Working inter-municipal is not easy but it is very rewarding and I think we have made it work well, says Gustav Hamlund, project manager for Visioner: i norr – Boden.
Behind the call Visions: in the north are, among others, the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, ArkDes, the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas, through the Council for Sustainable Cities, together with the municipalities of Kiruna, Gällivare, Boden, Luleå, Skellefteå and Umeå.
Text and film: Cecilia Egefjord Ågren / Boden municipality