Swedish Town Planning
Here’s a nice example of planning for the suburbs.
Telefonplan (in Midsommarkransen, where we live) is pretty much in suburbia, but is rapidly becoming profiled as a design center, and trendy residential area.
Sushi bar situated at street level of apartment building
New residential building being constructed beside the art school; Konstfack (which occupies the old Ericsson factory complex)
Design offices and businesses. Behind this is the art school
What I like about it is it’s sun drenched squares, it’s multipurpose residential buildings, and the juxtaposition of education and profession. Diaogonally across from the school is the bus and tube station. Smart, eh?
The zoning is clever. Housing leaning up against an educational institution, design offices lean against the same school, and the street level units of apartment buidlings house trendy sushi spots, funky café restaurants and convenience stores. Right across from the school is the tube station. All around it are woods with paths, dotted with residential housing areas. You can walk, or ride a bike, everywhere. The cool thing about these neighbourhoods, in Scandinavia, is that they act like small towns with a town center. They may look like suburbia, but they feel like small cities. They work because everything you need – food, post, conveniences, hardware, recreation, culture, cafés are all here. You can go to the city for more variety- but here in the towns on the outskirts, you can make due without feeling like you are stranded and isolated- especially if you don’t happen to have a car.
And just look at the detail on the Sushi bar… nice colourful little tiles, nice old wood. Sweet.