'Detaljplan' as a Tool for Transformative Urban Design - A Case Study on Degrowth Development in Norra Djurgårdsstaden

Sammanfattning

This design project is an investigation on how to implement degrowth in urban planning processes, with Norra Djurgårdsstaden as a trial field. Research has found that degrowth is an effective approach to push for human wellbeing within the planetary boundaries and it explicitly points out the urge to downscale our ways of living in terms of production and consumption. However, the spatialisation of degrowth has remained largely unexplored. To address the spatialisation of degrowth, the project will target ‘detaljplaner’, since these planning documents are the legal frameworks in Sweden that dictate the built environment. The neoliberalisation of Swedish urban planning has led to a mode of developing ‘detaljplaner’ with monetary objectives rather than designing for a certain need. Even if there is a will to design sustainably, the main goal of economic profit remains and determines the design outcome. Our project uses backcasting as a tool to find new ways to develop ‘detaljplaner’ of a more transformative character. The project consists of an overarching strategy of the whole area of Norra Djurgårdsstaden, a ‘planprogram’, and a detailed design of a smaller area within. The design prioritises public interest before private interest, green areas for biodiversity, shared living, local food production and sustainable modes of transport. Finally, the design synthesises in a ‘detaljplan’ and a complementary ‘kvalitetsbok’ (quality book). The project intends to inspire politicians within the urban planning field to push for a shift in the design processes of our cities. It is a visionary and experimental project, putting one of the most economically profitable areas of Stockholm into another light.