The national creative team has been selected! Under the heading “Waste houses in the river valley”, they will generate ideas for new solutions in the municipality of Boden. The work meets the need for more housing in the ongoing social transition by giving new life to old houses in the countryside, with innovative forms within the framework of Visions in the North Step 2.
A national call for applications has gone out, with the municipality of Boden being one of the places to which creative teams could apply. The Council for Sustainable Cities and the municipalities have jointly selected specific sites for the teams to develop innovative proposals to explore and contribute to the industrial transition in the North. The idea is that this work will lead to new working models where more voices are invited into urban planning to facilitate the work of municipalities in the future.
Between February 28 and April 4, cross-sectoral teams have registered for the call via www.arkdes.se. Out of 50 applicants from across Sweden, six teams were selected.
Team Boden
The team selected for the Ödehusen project in the river valley in Boden municipality is:
Anna Sundman, architect and innovation leader
Olof Landgren, Concept and Business Developer
Magnus Björkman, architect and design manager
Karin Johansson, writer and educator
Erik Berg, construction educator and homeownership organizer
“What role can the built environment play in future societies? How can the identified derelict buildings be used and contribute to meeting the needs for housing and good living environments for both existing and new residents? How can this be achieved with a focus on ecological, economic and social sustainability?
Justification:
The team has deep expertise in design, communication and finance. There is also previous experience of working in the field of geography. Importantly, the insights that led to the team’s application come from a long period of work on developing concepts for collective housing. This ability to implement projects lends credibility to the ambitions formulated by the team in its application. The team describes not only a highly concrete and feasible approach, but also an ambition to explore and build an infrastructure for similar property transformations, with the potential to live on and scale up in Älvdalen. The method can serve as a source of inspiration and model for similar initiatives in Sweden.
Idea sketching will take place during spring and fall. The work is divided into two phases. Phase one consists of inventory and analysis and the development of a management and implementation plan. In phase two, a smaller selection of teams will have the opportunity to move forward by prototyping their ideas.
Supporting local authorities
The other projects are Isbanan in Luleå, Bruksorten Örviken in Skellefteå, Älvrummet in Gällivare, Tomtebostrand in Umeå and Svappavaara, Kiruna.
“The Council for Sustainable Cities wants to support municipalities. In the project, we connect teams in close cooperation with municipalities. They will develop concrete proposals on how to shape places using architecture, form, design, art and the cultural environment. It will be an environment that is developed and managed to make it better for those who live and work in the area, now and in the future”, says Jessica Segerlund, Head of ArkDes Think Tank on behalf of the Council for Sustainable Cities.
The project is initiated by The Council for Sustainable Cities, the government’s initiative for sustainable urban development. The Council for Sustainable Cities includes the National Board of Housing, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Formas, The Swedish Agency for Participation, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, ArkDes, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the Swedish Transport Administration, Vinnova, the Swedish National Heritage Board, the Swedish Arts Council, the county administrative boards and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.
The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, ArkDes, the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas, on behalf of the Council for Sustainable Cities, together with the municipalities, are behind the call. The work is led by ArkDes and funded by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency.
Västerbotten and Norrbotten are participating in the project and the Council for Sustainable Cities hopes that more municipalities across Sweden will be able to benefit from the results and use them in the future.
Read more about the background of the Local Voices projectHERE
