Hammarby: Swedish Eco-Suburb of the Future

BY ALEXANDER HOGAN

Good design can change the world. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the community of Hammarby, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. Once an industrial wasteland claimed by gangs as their territory, good design and careful planning have transformed this urban blight into an up and coming global model for eco-minded change. 

Change. No other word or motto seems more vital and timely today. And what’s so appealing and interesting about the Hammarby model is the complete transformation that it embodies. Every building has been designed to meet the goals of reducing waste, specifically CO2 emissions. Roofs conceal solar panels, hand rails also hold solar strips to fuel the energy needs of this community. 

The design community, guided by the demands and desires of the citizenry and planners has created a fully integrated eco-city. A trip to the city website offers you a chance to investigate more of the philosophy and goals behind this rising suburban community. Don’t worry if your Swedish is rusty, an English language site is available and fully functional. The site notes

“The core of the environmental and infrastructural planning can be summarized in an eco-cycle model. The model for the handling of energy, waste and water is known as the Hammarby Model. It has been developed by Fortum, Stockholm Water Company and the Stockholm Waste Management Administration.”

In other words the community of Hammarby Sjostad hopes to emit half the CO2 of other new housing areas. They propose to do this by reforming water and sewage technology, recycling, reforming design to keep healthy, environmentally sound materials in mind, and developing buildings which use renewable fuels.  Consumers are drawn to the area because of an active choice to live in an area in which the very buildings themselves embody their values. 

So are the Swedish some group of super eco-logical thinkers? No, they simply made the choice to organize and plan out collectively their goals. We have the same opportunity now in the United States. If we organize as consumers and as communities and lay out a set of objectives we can accomplish them through design and responsible consumerism in the same way that the citizens and planners of Hammarby accomplished their dream city. Collective action and dialogue is just as important for social change in this century as it has been in every century past. Sure, let Hammarby be a model, but let our own intellects guide our way. 

Having traveled extensively on three continents, Alexander Hogan has seen the impact of environmental degradation and unreflective consumerism in many different societies. He is a professor of political science and author of the blog The Happy Gentleman where he documents his life as a foodie, amateur photographer and advocate of responsible consumerism. Contact him at letsemailalexander@gmail.com