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[ Back ]JTP-Led Participatory Process Unlocks Challenging Stockholm Site for Development
06/06/2012
In October 2010, a team led by John Thompson & Partners, working with local partner People Owned, carried out Sweden's first ever full-scale Community Planning Weekend at Hornsbruksgarten, a busy street in central Stockholm.
In response to the increasing pressure on Stockholm's housing, the design team was asked by Stockholm City Council to work with local people to produce a Vision for residential development and other uses for the site, which is situated on the edge of a rocky urban park. The design team faced a number of challenges on the site. Building on parkland is banned and therefore an exception to local planning policy would have to be approved. Additionally, the vision called for the refurbishment and re-use of an existing metro building, known as the ‘Bunker', on the site, which has been voted Stockholm's ugliest building.
JTP and the design team are pleased that 19 months later the enduring Vision, achieved through the participatory process, has led to a decision by the city to grant approval for the principle of residential development on the site.
Marie Erikson from People Owned said, "This decision is a direct result of the way the community planning team engaged with the local community; it should become a model for future planning projects in Sweden."
