Stephan Barthel (SRC)
Johan Colding (SRC)
Henrik Ernstson (SRC)
Hanna Erixon (KTH)
Sara Grahn (KTH)
Carl Kärsten (KIT)
Lars Marcus (KTH)
Jonas Torsvall (KIT)
TRITA-ARK-Forskningspublikationer 2013:3
ISSN 1402-7453
ISRN KTH/ARK/FP—13:03—SE
ISBN 978-91-7501-878-2
Keywords: social-ecological resilience, ecosystem
services, institutions, urban design, urban form,
urban planning, architecture.
KTH Architecture and the Built Environment
School of Architecture
Royal Institute of Technology
SE-100 44 Stockholm
Sweden
Copyright © 2013 the Authors
All rights reserved
Illustrations: KIT & Hanna Erixon, unless otherwise stated
Graphic Design & cover: Jonas Torsvall
Translation: Erik Andersson
Printed by Universitetsservice US-AB, Stockholm, 2013
Stephan Barthel
Johan Colding
Henrik Ernstson
Hanna Erixon
Sara Grahn
Carl Kärsten
Lars Marcus
Jonas Torsvall
Contents:
PREFACE 6
1. INTRODUCTION:
Albano Resilient Campus and the Social-ecological approach
1.1 Challenges in an urbanising world 9
1.2 Albano Resilient Campus 10
1.3 Albano as a critical urban development project for Stockholm 13
1.4 Albano as a leading example of contemporary international urban design 15
2. APPROACHES
Sustainable urban development in the perspective of resilience theory
2.1 The development of the resilience theory 19
2.2 Change and diversity as a strategy for adaptive management 21
2.3 Self-organisation and place-based learning lead to decentralisation 24
2.4 An expanded conceptualisation of urban development 25
3. OBJECTIVES:
Services and synergies
3.1 New urban services through synergy effects and linkages 31
3.2 Objectives for the ecological systems 30
3.3 Objectives for the social systems 34
4. COMPONENTS
Critical institutional and spatial components in sustainable urban development
4.1 Identifying the tools of urban development 41
4.2 Social-ecological design components 43
4.2.1 Green arteries 43
4.2.2 Active ground 44
4.2.3 Performative buildings 44
4.2.4 Property rights/rules 45
4.2.5 Social networks 46
4.2.6 Local traditions 46
4.3 Ecosystem services and urban system services 47
4.3.1 Biodiversity 48
4.3.2 Pollination 53
4.3.3 Water related services 58
4.3.4 Exchange of knowledge 63
4.3.5 Publicity 68
4.3.6 Recreation 72
5. CONCLUSIONS
Social-ecological compositions
5.1 The Albano case 75
5.2 Design of active ground 84
5.3 Design of green arteries 86
5.4 Design of performative buildings 92
5.5 Institutional compositions 98
5.6 Implementation 102
6. EPILOGUE 104
Acknowledgements 108
REFERENCES 108
LOCAL NAMES 114
AUTHORS 116
Preface: Introducing resilience theory
in Urban planning and design.
Incorporating ecosystem services and resilience thinking in the detailed urban
planning framework of Stockholm is an important step in providing design solu-
tions for the city’s aim of ecosystem based urban transformation. But it also brings
novel ideas with interesting repercussions for the international debate on sustain-
able urban development. From a discourse point of view, the concept of Social-
ecological urbanism can be seen as a second generation after the dominance of
the smart growth and sustainable urbanism paradigms, since it deals not only with
designs for mitigation of carbon emissions, but also with adaptation measures to
enhance adaptive capacities by integrating ecosystems and their services in plan-
ning and urban design. It does so by searching for synergies between ecological
and social systems, where resilience is used as the systems’ capacity to absorb
shocks, utilize them, reorganize, and continue to develop without losing funda-
mental functions. In that perspective social-ecological urbanism can rather be
seen as a scientific upgrading of the, currently often referred to, ecological and
landscape urbanism concepts.
The content of this book was originally produced as a sustainability vision – ‘Q book 4,
Sustainability’ - for Stockholm’s future campus area Albano, commissioned by
semi-public real estate company Akademiska Hus in 2010. For this assignment
a team of specialists was assembled consisting of researchers in the fields of
urban ecology from Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) and architecture and
urban design from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) along with practitioners
from the Stockholm based architectural firm KIT. The group came to be known
as ‘Patchwork’ and have since 2010 been part of the planning processes for the
new campus, with particular interest regarding the visions of this document. In
parallel, this work has also ignited new interdisciplinary research that aims for
deeper scientific support for the practice proposed in this vision. At the same time,
the vision is already being implemented and we naturally consider Albano Campus
to be an important case-example for a more substantiated shift towards social-
ecological urbanism.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism
The Patchwork vision was based on more than ten years of urban ecology case
studies in this particular area and drew on research of the urban theme as part
of the MA sub-global assessment. This was combined with a similarly extensive
development over a ten-year period in urban morphology and green design studies
at KTH. The process included a series of workshops in order to bring in values from
local stakeholders, including those from civil society. In these workshops, groups
from civil society got equal power-space as professionals in bringing in values and
perspectives for the vision. We find this to be an important method to protect and
enhance local qualities in urban development, and a crucial methodological part
8
in the broader paradigm of social-ecological urbanism. The core of the vision is
the full realization that cities are social-ecological systems, why ecosystems need
to be integrated in the practice of urban design in the same manner that social
systems always have. We believe this to constitute both a more fundamental take
on the sustainability challenge and a tremendous opportunity and task for archi-
tectural and urban design.
Important insights about the working process behind this work include the impor-
tance of:
1) Interdisciplinary collaborations where scholars from ecology and natural
resource management work closely with researchers in architecture and urban
design, exchanging knowledge and terminology in productive ways.
2) Transdisciplinary translation of scientific knowledge into physical, institutional
and discursive artefacts that both ‘protect’ and communicate the vision.
3) Respect for and knowledge about how to navigate within the power landscape in
which urban planning and design is embedded.
In June 2010, the Q book was presented to the City planning office, local politi-
cians and the university leadership. Several further investigations, reports and
alterations were undertaken until the fall 2012 when the City Council of Stockholm
approved the detailed plan.
The book can be used both as inspiration for practitioners in planning and archi-
tecture, and as a source document for those who want to dig deeper into the theo-
ries that lies behind this vision. In what follows we hope to present a concrete
example of urban planning and design that could be a first step towards cities that
positively engage with the Biosphere.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism
9
1
Introduction
Albano resilient campus
and the social-ecological approach
1.1 Challenges in an urbanising world:
The world around us is changing ever faster, forcing urban developers and plan-
ners to take on greater challenges than ever. Globally, urban residents will increase
dramatically over the coming decades and this development is today taking
place at the cost of cultural landscapes, as cities often are placed on cultural
land (Berkes and Folke 1998; Barthel et al. 2005). In order to function, cities
are completely dependent on their hinterlands. Growing populations and global
warming increase the pressure on the land to produce not only victuals but also
energy crops and raw material for manufacturing. Functioning ecosystems are a
prerequi-site for the continuation of these services. At the same time the conden-
sation and hotbed for social networks that cities offer is not only the foundation of
our society but also a way for necessary knowledge development and implementa-
tion of effective solutions to many of our problems.
From an ecological perspective two global challenges are of particular importance
in this context; to slow down the extinction of species and the ecosystem services
generated by the interplay between organisms, and to reduce the emissions of
greenhouse gases to mitigate the climate change. To meet these challenges we
need new models and new ways of thinking, where cities are better integrated
with the living ecosystems. Can we preserve, or even strengthen, locally gene-
rated ecosystem services at the same time as we develop new, modern urban
environments?
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
11
1.2 Albano Resilient Campus:
In addition to producing goods and food the ecosystems supply other services
contributing to better living conditions; trees and other plants absorb pollut-
ants and regulate light and wind conditions, wetlands purify water, flowers
promote pollination which in turn contributes to food production etc. (Bolund and
Hunhammar 1999; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). If such ecosystem
services could be built into the urban environment much would be gained. In
this book we are exploring the future development of the Albano area, which has
strong potential to meet the challenges facing us in an urbanising world. Albano is
located in the National Urban Park of Stockholm and thus has great ecological and
cultural values to both preserve and make use of. It is part of the great Gustavian
palace project surrounding Brunnsviken, with sight lines and ideals stemming
from the 18th century. Albano is part of a cultural landscape characterised by a
long history of use and forward looking management. Today however, the actual
site is a brownfield located in one of the most sensitive areas of the park where
the road Roslagsvägen separates Hagaparken from Norra Djurgården. Albano is
also part of a string of university facilities and departments lining the National
Urban Park, but the transportation
passages traversing the area today
isolate Albano from the rest of the city.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
Figure 1.1: The figure shows the
ecological footprint of Stockholm,
based on data on total consumption
for Sweden in 2005.
Source: WWF, Living Planet Report
2008.
Forest: 21,500 km2
Arable land: 7,900 km2
Grazing land: 2,600 km2
Fishing waters: 800 km2
CO2: 7,900 km2
Stockholm municipality: 188 km2
Inhabitants: 830,000
12
This book demonstrates how Albano could become a unique example of sustain-
able urbanisation; Albano Resilient Campus. Sustainability is a broad term and
can mean almost anything. Our take on sustainability focuses on social-ecological
design aspects and is founded on the resilience theory, which in essence deals with
how buffering capacity and potential for renewal in relation to internal and exter-
nal disturbances can be built on a system level. One central concept is ecosys-
tem services, i.e. the goods or processes that the living ecosystems generate and
that are used directly or indirectly by people, but which are often neglected in the
economic system (Bolund and Hunhammar 1999; Barthel et al. 2005; Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Our work is also drawing on on-going research on
urban and ecological systems carried out at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and
Stockholm Resilience Centre which view ecosystem services as supported and
maintained both by social institutions within the city and the physical layout of the
city. We focus less on technical solutions, although these are of course impor-
tant, and more on the elements that directly influence how the city is developed
and used. Built form plays an active, performative part in the sustainability work
and is not just an aesthetic expression. Thus we also present different “social-
ecological compositions” —a number of different suggestions for the physical form
this development could take.
One tenet in the social-ecological approach is to start from the local conditions of
a site, and in Albano these are special. Albano has the potential to grow into an
educational centre of great importance not only for Stockholm but internationally
as well, and to bridge the gaps between the different parts of the National Urban
Park, strengthen ecological corridors and function as a welcoming entrance to the
park from the city.
Based on the resilience theory, described in chapter 2, we suggest a number of
different measures. Importantly, these include design of both spatial and institu-
tional components, so-called critical social-ecological design components. The
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
concept of institutions is used within the social sciences as societal institutions
and includes the formal and informal rule systems, rights and practices that affect
social practice (Ostrom 1990; Hanna et al. 1996). The discussion on urban design
most often revolves around physical components such as built form and hous-
ing typologies and rarely includes the institutional framework. We include these
issues, especially management institutions, which can keep up activities at the site
and promote place based learning and the capacity to change. We argue for a poly-
centric management (Folke et al. 2005; Ostrom et al. 2007) where different local
actors and users share responsibilities. By connecting users in different networks,
place specific hands-on knowledge can be combined with analytical knowledge
from research institutes. This provides the basis needed for an adaptive attitude
where measures and methods can be adapted to the place based knowledge accu-
mulated over time.
13
Spatially, the landscape in the vision of Albano Resilient Campus is divided into
smaller management units, which makes it possible for a diverse set of actors,
users and biotopes to exist side by side. Buildings are designed to interact with
the landscape performatively, with green roofs, walls and yards that can support
ecological functions such as water treatment and dispersal of birds and pollinators
while at the same time offer an inspirational educational environment to resear-
chers and students. To become a living public space Albano must be connected to
the rest of the city, with roads as well as public transportation. A number of impor-
tant, access creating connections are presented as green arteries, i.e. important
dispersal routes for a multitude of different organisms.
The objective is to make the whole area to work as one big research laboratory for
sustainable urban development where different solutions can be tested full-scale
and, by involving different actors, continuously contribute with new knowledge
about how social-ecological systems develop. The activities will form a natural
continuation of the history of the area, with a tradition of usage as an experimental
field for agriculture, forestry and landscape planning reaching back to the reign
of Gustav III (1771–1792). We believe that Albano Resilient Campus can highlight
and elaborate an approach to urban planning where change is normal and the key
to the success of a city lies in how well it can adapt to changing conditions and
engage a multitude of actors in a continuously ongoing development.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
ALBANO
Figure 1.2: Albano has potential to strengthen important social and ecological linkages.
14
1.3 Albano as a critical urban
development project for Stockholm:
Today, large transformations are taking place in the border zone between the
northern part of central Stockholm and adjacent areas. In the new development
plan for the city the area is divided into three parts: Norra Stationsområdet, Albano
and Norra Djurgårdsstaden, all three described as strategically important for the
city centre (Development plan of Stockholm 2010, City Planning Office, Stockholm).
The shared vision for all three areas is to integrate them with the central city and
what it has to offer in terms of urban lifestyle while at the same time keep and
strengthen the high cultural and natural values present in the areas.
Norra Djurgården and Norra Stationsområdet are important for the future housing
supply of the city and many new housing developments are already being planned.
However, the development plan also emphasise the importance of the northern
central part of the city and its boundary zones for Stockholm as a future knowledge
city, especially highlighting Norra Stationsområdet and Albano. In this regard, the
strategic location of Albano Resilient Campus is unique.
The strategic location of Albano Resilient Campus corresponds with the ambi-
Norra Djurgårdsstaden
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
ALBANO
Norra stationsområdet
Figure 1.3: Appointed development areas in northern Stockholm, according to the new development plan.
15
National Urban Park
ALBANO
Figure 1.4: The critical position of Albano; the National Urban Park is crossed by a highway.
tions held by the building proprietor Akademiska Hus and the primary tenant
Stockholm University. From their perspective, more specific questions are added
to the objectives of an integrated and living urban environment with preserved
natural and cultural values. These questions include the development of interna-
tionally competitive knowledge environments and how the research environment
may contribute to the development of advanced sustainable construction of both
specific buildings and the cityscape as a whole. The fact that Albano is situated in
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
the National Urban Park of Stockholm, an area of national interest, and that one of
the future tenants will be the Stockholm Resilience Centre, with an international
reputation within the field of sustainable development, is further bringing these
matters to a head.
Taken together, these issues make Albano one of the most important development
areas for Stockholm City, Akademiska Hus and Stockholm University, offering a
unique opportunity to build an internationally competitive research environment
which at the same time is a leading example of sustainable urban development,
both of highest importance for the future economic and social development in
Stockholm.
16
1.4 Albano as a leading example of contemporary
international urban design:
The unique conditions found in Albano should also be put in a larger perspec-
tive to more completely identify the target of the pending development. Without
simplifying unreasonably, one might say that cities have always been about
exchange —socially and culturally certainly, but always with an underlying attrac-
tor of economic exchange. The situation is much the same today, but we can see
one important shift, especially among the developed economies, from production
and exchange of goods to that of knowledge, where universities and colleges have
become the equivalent of the factories of the industrial time. For many cities the
critical challenge within planning and construction is thus to change into attractive
areas for developing and exchanging knowledge in collaboration and competition
with other cities around the world. No place or project in Stockholm is of greater
importance for the success of such a transformation than Albano.
If this is the primary target for urban design in many cities today, our present time
also puts new demands on how such a project should be carried out and of what it
needs to include. Previously, the focus for urban design has been to structure and
shape the physical environment and to guide and support different kinds of social
and economic processes. The agreed upon assumption has been that urban devel-
Stockholm University
SRC / SEI
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
ALBANO
Försvarshögskolan
Alba Nova GIH
KI
Musikhögskolan
KTH
Handelshögskolan
DI
Figure 1.5: Albano is situated centrally in relation to several important education centres.
17
opment is something apart from nature and as such often in conflict with nature
conservation concerns. However, with the current environmental situation this is
an untenable assumption and the great challenge urban design is facing is, as
discussed earlier, how ecosystems can be integrated into an urban development
aimed at long-term sustainability.
Stockholm has an international reputation for leading the way within sustainable
urban development and has an internationally acclaimed and cited example in
Hammarby Sjöstad (http://www.hammarbysjostad.se). Progress within this field is
fast and Stockholm need to move forward to maintain its position, both in terms of
the principles used for finding future solutions and how these might be practically
implemented. Albano, together with the adjacent Norra Djurgårdsstaden, is the
best opportunity Stockholm has to develop an internationally leading example of
how this challenge might be met.
ALBANO
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
Figure 1.6:
Albano has potential to become one of several gateways between the city and the National Urban Park.
18
19
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 1: Introduction
2
APPROACHES
Sustainable urban development in the
perspective of resilience theory
2.1 The development of the resilience theory:
Resilience as a concept visualises the dynamics of nature caused by disturbances
and change. The concept was developed in the 1960s and 1970s based on ecologi-
cal research on how the dynamic interplay between predators and prey can relate
to the stability of ecosystems (Holling 1961; Folke 2006). An important insight was
offered in 1973 by C.S. Holling who showed that ecosystems may have several
stable states. Thus, nature is not in “balance”, but in constant change where a
few dominating processes tend to “capture” ecosystems in certain states that
we perceive as natural. Small changes in slow variables (e.g. pH in lakes or the
frequency of larger disturbances such as fires or storms) may over time cause
ecosystems to shift abruptly in their character and function. A classic example
is the shallow lake that shifts from clear to turbid with profound implications for
plants and animals (Scheffer et al. 1993). Another example is where former coral
reefs have shifted to a new algae dominated state, a shift partly caused by the
reduction of algae browsing organisms due to overfishing, diseases and contami-
nants (Hughes 1994). Holling (1973; 1978) defined resilience as the ability of an
ecosystem to absorb disturbances, renew itself and continue within a specific
state. His research made it clear that it is the resilience of the system that decides
the durability of variables and relations within the system, and thus its aptitude
for renewal and endurance when under stress. A transition from one state to
another means a shift in dominating relationships and variables when a threshold
is crossed.
During the 1990s and the early 21st century the resilience thoughts gained
momentum in the scholarly discourse and later also within policy. A qualitative
difference arising when you use this perspective instead of focusing on single
species (e.g. red listed species) is that ecosystem functions and processes become
the target of management. These must be incorporated into planning to maintain
the resilience of the system. Tightly coupled to this change in thinking is the view
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
that ecosystems are dynamic and that man is an integrated part of nature. As a
consequence, and contrary to traditional conservation biology, humans are seen
as actors upholding resilience and biodiversity within historical, cultural land-
scapes rather than a destructive force.
Since the resilience concept paved the way for the insight that ecosystems have
many different alternative stable states, management within this framework has
come to focus on how tipping points may be avoided. One approach on manage-
ment based on the resilience concept is called adaptive management (Holling
1978; Gunderson et al. 1995). The message was that uncertainty and surprises
must be accepted and that management of natural resources should use change
as a strategy rather than just responding to it.
21
- � K
ervation
cons
anisation
org
POTENTIAL
re
as
e
exp rele
l o i t a ti o n
+ r Ω
- CONNECTEDNESS +
Figure 2.1: The figure illustrates how ecosystems Biodiversity is lower as the system is dominated
evolve over time. You start reading from the by a few strong competitors. Low diversity
lower left corner, with the system in the so called renders the system vulnerable to disturbance.
r-phase. The r-phase stands for establishment/ “The K-phase is an accident waiting to happen”
exploitation of un-vegetated land, e.g. land cleared as Holling phrased it (Holling 1978). The omega
by a fire. At this stage the land has great potential phase symbolises the accident/disturbance. It
for development of biodiversity and the ecological entails loss of energy, for example heat during
memory will decide which species will be present. a forest fire. The alpha phase symbolises re-
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
With time, generalists good at tapping the stored organisation and renewal of the system after
energy but poor at competing will establish. These the accident. Renewal relies to a great extent on
include e.g. herbs and flowering plants. Over time the “ecological memory” of past phases and the
the number of species will climb and biodiversity disturbed linkages to other ecosystems in the
will be highest at the end of this phase, but use of r- and K-phases. If these are not accessible in the
energy is not optimised. This stage is where you alpha phase the system risk tipping into a new
find many cultural landscapes kept in the r-phase stability domain.
by continuous management. In the next phase,
the K-phase, energy is stored most efficiently.
22
2.2 Change and diversity as a
strategy for adaptive management:
Change as a strategy builds on the insight that all systems are exposed to distur-
bances of different kinds and that a certain level of disturbances is beneficial to
diversity (Grime 1973). This can be exemplified by traditional agriculture where
hay meadows have high biodiversity and the hay making itself is an intermittent
small scale disturbance preventing the system from reaching a climax phase (the
K-phase, fig. 2.1). Human use is keeping down the populations of strong competi-
tors and thus providing space for a multitude of herbs that would otherwise have
been outcompeted. Without the hay making as a social practise the meadow is
soon overgrown, first by grasses, aspen and other strong competitors for the sun
light, and then, after half a century, by less biodiversity rich spruce forest. The
spruce forest represents the K-phase; a system rich in stored energy but with
low potential for change and thus vulnerable to large scale disturbances such
as disease or fire (Holling 1978). The system has low resilience in the K-phase,
despite the quite stable appearance. Small scale periodic disturbances thus
promote biodiversity at different scales. Awareness of this dynamic is important for
social-ecological resilience, and is often found in traditional societies with a long
history of managing local natural resources (Folke et al. 2003).
Change is just as prominent within the human domain. A comparison between an
autocratic society and a democracy may serve as a graphic illustration of change
as a strategy, important for the maintenance of resilience. An autocratic, top-down
controlled society with shared world views and values may respond quickly to
changes through clear lines of command. On the other hand, static world views
and values may become a liability rather than an asset over the long term as they
relate to an ever changing larger world. An autocratic government may be success-
ful, perhaps especially in swiftly growing nations and corporations, but history
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
has shown that it is difficult to maintain public acceptance of a top-down world
view. The collapse of the Berlin wall may illustrate this: the wall shut out distur-
bances and changes to the point where the whole governance regime collapsed
from interior strain and tensions (compare with the example of the storm Gudrun
and monoculture forest below). The constant debate and strife of democracies
may be seen as tedious and time consuming, i.e. an obstacle when decisions are
needed quickly. Yet history shows that groups and societies allowing dialogue and
debate about values and world views are better at absorbing information from the
surrounding world. Change as a strategy welcomes alternative world views, criti-
cal discussion and intermittent small scale disturbances in ecosystems according
with traditional practices. To include small scale change/disturbance thus “lets off
the steam” and reduces the risk of large scale disturbances and chocks (Folke et
al. 2003).
23
What then, is the relationship between diversity and ecological resilience? More
recent ecological research has revealed response diversity and ecological memory
as two central functions (Elmqvist et al. 2003; Bengtsson et al. 2003). Response
diversity defines the different ways species (and populations within the same
External drivers
species) contributing to an ecosystem function (e.g. -pollination)
Urbanisation may react to a
- Population
disturbance. To illustrate; if all pollinators would respond
- Migration negatively to climate
change the response diversity is low and the function -- is at risk of being
Technology (GMOs, etc.)
Globalisation
lost over
- Communication (IT)
- International trade
- World views
- “Surprises”
Urban Urban
Interventions Interventions
Change Diversity Change Diversity
Self- Self-
organisation organisation
External drivers
- Urbanisation
- Population
- Migration
- Technology (GMOs, etc.)
- Globalisation
- Communication (IT) Knowledge and self-
Figure 2.2: The figure presents different - International trade organisation de-coupled
- World views from ecological feedback
aspects of social-ecological systems that build - “Surprises”
resilience when they interact. Learning about
the external and internal environment leads to
Urban Urban
improved ability to self-organise in response to
Interventions Interventions
such environments. Change is a disturbance
that creates conditions for greater diversity,
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
e.g. through democratic debate or hay making
in a meadow. If the social-ecological system
self-organises and learns in relation to diversity
Change and change, Diversity
signals from the social-ecological Change Diversity
system are detected and capacity to adapt stored.
The figure illustrates a disconnection from the
ecosystems. When the generation of knowledge
and self-organisation are disconnected from
Self- and diversity in the ecosystems the
change Self-
organisation
result is self-organisation towards economic organisation
markets and efficiency. Since diversity is no
longer promoted this tends to lead to pathological
management of natural resources (adapted from
Folke et al. 2003).
Knowledge and self-
organisation de-coupled
from ecological feedback
24
time. If instead the response diversity is high pollinators will respond very differ-
ently, and the ones being positively affected can increase and thus compensate
for the ones in decline, thus sustaining the function (Elmqvist et al. 2003). The
knowledge we have today on which species contribute to response diversity for
different functions is limited, calling for preservation of all species as a precaution.
Swedish forestry and the storm Gudrun in 2005 may be used to highlight the
relation between response diversity and resilience. Heterogeneous landscapes
(so called mosaic landscapes) stand a better chance of surviving storms than do
homogeneous ones (monocultures) as strong winds will act differently depending
on vegetation and land-use. Looking back it is evident that the top-down driven,
monoculture based forestry was especially ill suited to deal with a disturbance
like Gudrun. The strategy founded on the economic efficiency of growing even
aged Norway spruce led to catastrophically large wind-felled areas, with most of
the spruce stands being affected in the same way. The system had low response
diversity. The areas least affected where the more heterogeneous ones where the
diversity of species, age and land-uses interacted (Hahn et al. manuscript).
Ecological memory deals with how renewal may take place after a chock even when
local populations have been lost. Three points are crucial. The first point is access
to support areas, i.e. similar environments not hit by the disturbance. Diversity at
the landscape scale is important since heterogeneous landscapes are more likely
to contain support areas, for example after a storm, since disturbances play out
differently depending on vegetation and land-use. The second point is presence
of mobile links, i.e. organisms (e.g. birds and insects) able to transport new seeds
to the disturbed area and thus initiating regrowth. The third point depends on the
intensity of the disturbance and is called biological legacy. It includes seeds hidden
in seed banks and surviving plants and animals. If the disturbance is intense, e.g.
a severe forest fire, the legacy is small and the area become more dependent on
the first two points (Bengtsson et al. 2003). An important conclusion within adap-
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
tive management of ecosystems is that you must be aware of these dynamics and
facilitate their operation.
Holling and Meffe (1996) described what happens if knowledge about the dynamics
of ecosystems is lost within management organisations:
“An ultimate pathology emerges when resource management agencies, through
initial success with command and control, lose sight of their original purposes,
eliminate research and monitoring, and focus on efficiency of control. They then
become isolated from the managed systems and inflexible in structure.”
25
2.3 Self-organisation and place-based learning
lead to decentralisation:
At the same time as the theories around adaptive management evolved, resear-
chers within aid programmes were observing how local groups were dealing with
problems of resource partitioning and trust building, learning and adaptive capa-
city (Ostrom 1990; Pretty 1995; Adger 2000). One important aspect for the growth of
these social values was a policy allowing local groups the freedom to decide them-
selves on the rules and regulations dealing with natural resources. Self-organised
rule systems are, as demonstrated by Ostrom (1990), followed to a greater extent
than externally imposed rule systems. Furthermore, Ostrom showed that such
self-organisation entails lower transaction costs for monitoring and eliminating
“free riding” problems (Ostrom 1990). These insights interbred with theories on
adaptive management, strengthening the belief that a certain decentralisation was
necessary within conservation biology, which was quite novel in a time dominated
by the belief in “the tragedy of the commons”. The thinking behind the tragedy of
the commons made it clear that management by the state or private ownership are
the only possible ways for managing natural resources sustainably (Hardin 1968).
Research by Ostrom, however, showed that social and ecological values indeed
may benefit from being managed by polycentric solutions where power is shared
by local and central levels (Ostrom et al. 2007; Folke et al. 2005), findings that led
to a reformulation of the theory of the tragedy of the commons and the Prize in
Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for Elinor Ostrom in 2009.
Based on the insights delivered by Ostrom and others research progressed from
focusing on how management should be organised to promote ecological resili-
ence, to seek a better understanding of the principles deciding the resilience of
coupled social-ecological systems (Berkes and Folke 1998; Adger 2000; Berkes et
al. 2003). An international and transdisciplinary research team studying different
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
traditional societies that had sustainably lived of local ecosystem services for a
long time noticed how these societies used traditional ecological knowledge
in their daily life to deal with uncertainty and used small scale and continuous
change to avoid large scale chocks (Berkes and Folke 1998; Berkes et al. 2003).
The concept adaptive co-management grew from the meeting of these thoughts
(Colding et al. 2003; Olsson et al. 2004). It emphasised and demonstrated clearly
the pivotal role played by individuals and local groups living and working closely
to the ecosystems. It is the local groups, on the ground, that monitor and notice
change. It is the local groups that understand change as contingent on the history
of a system and are able to respond swiftly to disturbances based on experiences
of past changes (Folke et al. 2003; Colding et al. 2006; Andersson et al. 2007).
Place-based learning is ever on-going within groups interacting with the local
environment and with time this results in shared experiences and a mutual history.
26
This dynamic is captured in the concept social-ecological memory (Barthel 2008;
Barthel et al. 2010). Self-organisation of local groups managing ecosystems leads
to a place-based learning and storing of social-ecological memory. The transdisci-
plinary theory development outlined above has resulted in the current focus of the
Stockholm Resilience Centre: research on integrated social-ecological systems,
what determines their resilience and the flow of ecosystem services to society
(http://www.stockholmresilience.org).
2.4 An expanded conceptualisation
of urban development:
The discussion on resilient urban development, where the city is seen as a fully
integrated social-ecological system, challenges practice within urban design and
demand considerable knowledge development. With a dynamic view of ecosys-
tems, these may not only be protected and preserved but also changed and even
created. This view opens up a new opportunity for integrating ecosystems into
urban planning and design practice, since this practice traditionally has been most
concerned with shaping the physical landscape to support social functions. The
historically well established, but in the perspective of the challenges of our time
unfortunate, dichotomy between man and nature could finally be bridged, leading
to a new understanding of both the city and humans as a natural and integrated
part of nature.
A keyword is ecosystem services, opening our eyes to how very dependent on and
connected to nature we still are. It opens up for a public welfare perspective on
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
ecosystems, facilitating their integration on equal footing with different social
systems. The interplay between all these systems must be managed in urban
development and more clearly be formulated as practical solutions.
Many parallels can be seen between traditional urban design and the discourse on
resilience. As our perhaps most obvious example of complex social systems, cities
have often displayed a high degree of resilience in exactly the sense described
above. Many cities have existed for centuries, despite having been constantly
exposed to dramatic disturbances like war and natural hazards, or transforma-
tions instigated by social or technological development. Thus they have proven
their ability to adapt and survive. It is quite easy to see how fundamental ideas
from resilience thinking, like diversity, self-organisation and knowledge, have been
decisive in these processes. This opens up for a wider discussion on the potential
to view also social systems from a resilience perspective. Especially interesting in
27
this context is to view the city from such a perspective and how it might include
ecosystems.
The city as a social system is tightly linked to its spatial structure, making it a
social-spatial system and setting it apart from social systems in general. This
means that it is a system that has assumed an explicit spatial structure for its
existence. The density and intensity characterising the city as a social system place
particularly high demands on its spatial underpinnings, which has contributed to
the development of cities to an advanced technology. The important distinction is
that the spatial system is a means for the social system, i.e. it provides a structure
for social processes. This has great similarities with how we understand ecologi-
cal systems and may thus be a first step towards an integration of these process
oriented systems, the ecological and the social, and a potentially shared frame-
work: space.
What differentiates ecological and social systems in this context is how the spatial
system has been used much more explicitly to influence the latter, not least cities,
to promote and strengthen as well as hinder or counteract them. Here we may
speak of urban design as an intervention with different kinds of self-organising
social systems with the aim to achieve certain targets. This has often happened
without much reflection and the spatial systems have been viewed as more or
less a part of the social system. That is an interesting question in itself, where
there is cause to view spatial and social systems as deeply integrated, and thus
more similar to spatially explicit ecological processes than we first might have
thought. Important is, however, to realise that this remains unformulated within
urban design. Even if cities as spatial systems house unusually complex social
systems, knowledge within urban design as a technology is more dominated by
tested solutions than scientific principles. For a long time this was quite enough,
but with the increasing pace of social development and the new and specialised
demands placed on cities during the 20th century, a tangible crisis came about,
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
clearly demonstrating that the current knowledge was not enough. This crisis has
intensified over the last decades as demands for sustainability has been added.
During the 20th century, attempts to build up a more scientifically based knowl-
edge of city development began, and even though many steps have been taken
we are still far from a comprehensive theory about the city (Batty 2008). Urban
morphology is an important and fundamental field for urban design, a field where
the last decades have seen rapid progress. Of particular significance for the
discussion in this book is the research tradition named space syntax, which has
a system-theoretical approach to the analysis of urban form, and which has been
proven able to establish strong links between the city as a spatial system and the
city as a social system (Hillier and Hanson 1984; Hillier 1996). The starting point is
to develop methods to describe and capture the systemic properties of urban form,
including the ability to quantify these for finding patterns and correlations between
28
form and social phenomena. Connections have been found between urban form
and the way people travel by foot through the city, where such movements have
been shown to be important for other social phenomena such as social segrega-
tion (Vaughan et al. 2005), security (Hillier and Xu 2004), housing rentals (DeSyllas
2000) and distribution of retail (Cutini 2005).
Here we can find a basis for a more analytical knowledge development about the
influence of the spatial system on the ability to house the social system of the city.
We may also extend the analysis to include the ecological systems. More research
is needed on the spatial logics of both social and ecological systems (Colding 2007;
Marcus 2008), and this report is one of the first concrete examples of the applica-
tion of this knowledge development.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 2: Approaches
29
3
Objectives
Services and synergies
3.1 New urban services through
synergy effects and linkages:
The objective behind this work has been to contribute with a forward looking docu-
ment that may function as a long-term platform for working with sustainability
issues when property developer Akademiska Hus proceed with work on Albano.
With this ambition some of the issues raised in the book are insufficiently explored
to get a complete answer, but raising them is a good way of starting the work
on finding the answers. At the same time, the situation here is no different from
urban design in general, which has always been characterised by the necessity
to act before having all the answers. The lesson learnt is that solutions that are
open-ended and general enough not to curb future potential should be sought.
This procedure should of course also apply to the development of Albano Resilient
Campus and its specific issues. Thus, this book may be seen as a long-term docu-
ment serving as a starting point for continued studies along the suggested path-
ways, but also as a source of concrete advise on what can be done already, thus
both highlighting what is short-term feasible and what is long-term necessary.
The primary approach has been to deal with sustainability in depth and to argue
for urban design that transcends the old dichotomy between ecological and social
systems. This is not just about including the ecological systems alongside the
more traditional urban systems but to understand their linkages and interplay,
making all systems a natural and integrated part of future urban design. Today we
are still far from what would have been seen as a utopian idea not that long ago,
both because of the demands of the present global environmental situation and
because of the rapid knowledge expansion we now see within the field. A simple
question the sceptic should ask is why all tomatoes and tulips are coming from
the Netherlands, a country, according to Swedish standards, urbanised to 90%
of its surface.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
The ambition has been to work at two levels simultaneously. One is to investi-
gate the needs for sustainable urban development with the intent of formulating
a theoretical basis general enough to be valid for other projects in other places.
The other is to test these principles on an actual case, Albano Resilient Campus,
where site specific conditions test the validity of the theoretical basis and show
how it must be adapted to a specific case. The intention has also been to provide
a solid foundation for further work on sustainability in Albano, which means a lot
of effort has gone into providing suggestions that include as much of the theory as
possible. The hope is that this should inspire future discussion and research, as
well as continued practical application in future urban design.
One important aspect has been to step away from urban design where sustaina-
bility is limited to “green” applications, or seen as an addition through technologi-
31
cal systems, and instead embrace performative urban design, i.e. a series of over-
lapping systems and conditions generating different services —an urban design
not only talking about sustainability but actually doing the job.
We have made a distinction between ecosystem services and public services to
gain precision in our analysis and to understand how we may best support them
through urban design, though we realise very well how tightly interwoven the
social and ecological systems are. This understanding is and must be the starting
point for treating the city as an integrated social-ecological system.
Every urban design faces the task of supplying and supporting a multitude of
services, which can be expanded to include also ecosystem services. In our work
we have been unable to cover all these services and the particular demands they
place on urban design. Instead, we have made a selection to illustrate what it
might look like. It is important to emphasise that ecosystem services, just like
more traditional public services, are subjective and not objectively necessary. In
all urban design there are trade-offs where some services are strengthened at the
cost of others. If the city is an expression of the society a certain city is the expres-
sion of one specific society, excluding a number of other potential societies. In the
same way, urban design supporting one ecological system does so at the cost of
others.
At the same time, urban design is rarely that specific in the system it supports.
Some level of generality allows freedom and variation within certain bounds.
Moreover, we have chosen uncontroversial services supported by most people,
including the politicians we have elected to govern us. Thus we do not think our
choice is controversial but still want to underscore that the services have been
chosen and may thus preclude other. There is a tendency within the sustainability
discourse to phrase things as forcing necessities and not admitting that sustaina-
bility too is laden with values and choices.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
3.2 Objectives for the ecological systems:
Since Albano today has low biological values management should focus on increas-
ing them, and strengthening biological values in adjoining areas. From a landscape
ecological perspective Albano is located in the middle of an urban-rural gradient
and is part of the National Urban Park. A millennium of co-evolution between
humans and nature has here resulted in a cultural landscape rich in biodiversity
and appreciated ecosystem services. A prerequisite for future generation of these
services is continued management founded on the long co-evolution (Barthel et al.
2005). Many of the historical and present land-uses thus supports the generation
32
of ecosystem services in this unique urban park, e.g. the many gardens support
pollination and biological pest control (Barthel 2008). Being located within the
borders of the National Urban Park, development is partly dictated by the 3rd
chapter 7§ of the act concerning the management of natural resources and the
law protecting the National Urban Park.
Albano Resilient Campus has the potential to function both as habitat and disper-
sal route for organisms living in semi-urban areas, also known in the literature
as urban adapters (Andersson et al. 2007; Ahrné 2008). This group includes many
organisms that we associate with gardens and small scale farming, i.e. landscapes
where humans and ecosystems have co-existed for a long time. Birds, pollinating
insects, small mammals and amphibians are some examples of the animals we
find in this group. It is here, at the interface between urban and rural, that these
organisms are found in greatest abundance (ibid). However, these comparatively
small habitats need to be connected in green networks at the regional scale to
ensure exchange between populations and thus long-term survival. Another impor-
tant point is that these small areas support similar biotopes in the surrounding
landscape (ibid). The greatest obstacles for preserving biodiversity in such areas
are ecological barriers isolating populations and poor quality of the local habitat,
which depends on local management (Barthel et al. 2005; Andersson et al. 2007).
Albano today is a degraded ecosystem and constitutes together with the road
Roslagsvägen an ecological barrier preventing animal movement between a
number of core areas along the Brunnsviken inlet and in Norra Djurgården. The
most important ecological objectives for Albano Resilient Campus are to give
room for continuous management of high quality habitats for a variety of organ-
isms generally found in garden landscapes and specifically in the National Urban
Park, and to shape buildings, land-use and roads so that they form corridors
connecting Brunnsviken and Norra Djurgården. If these two primary objectives
are heeded, Albano Resilient Campus should strengthen the ecosystem services
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
today generated in the National Urban Park, rather than weakening them. Three
ecosystem services have been chosen to illustrate the value of following these eco-
logical objectives.
Pollination, e.g. from wild bees and butterflies, is today decreasing around the
world as a result of changes in land-use and habitat loss, despite our dependence
on it (Steffan-Dewenter et al. 2005; Klein et al. 2007). Albano Resilient Campus
should be designed to counteract this trend and strengthen research and learning
on the importance of pollination.
Water services. Amphibians are under considerable threat from the current
urbanisation (Löfvenhaft 2002), and Albano together with the road Roslagsvägen
constitutes a movement barrier and a source of pollutants. New wetlands should
be established to support a bundle of ecosystem services that we have chosen to
33
call water services. Albano Resilient Campus should contribute to alleviating the
isolation of populations of amphibians and be designed so that water is purified at
the site before reaching the surrounding landscape.
Seed dispersal. The oak is a keystone species at this latitude with approx. 1500
species depending on it for habitat, food or shelter. Natural regeneration of oak
populations is in turn dependend on the Eurasian jay for dispersal. This bird hide
acorns, and as some of the them are forgotten new oaks appear far from the seed
trees (Andersson 2007). To strengthen oak regeneration Albano Resilient Campus
should be designed to support seed dispersal in the landscape.
As knowledge about the dynamics and functions of ecosystems in urban environ-
ments is yet incomplete we consider an adaptive approach to management as vital;
one where “learning by doing” is an important feature. This approach to ecologi-
cal design includes for example that ecological field studies are linked to ongoing
university courses to investigate how “social-ecological designs” can be strength-
ened and improved over time and that monitoring and evaluation of management
practices are happening continuously.
Apart from social-ecological design of highest quality, Albano Resilient Campus
should help increase the knowledge about the National Urban Park, its cultural
history as well as its ecology. The establishment of a visitor’s centre at the site
is thus seen as important. Valuable insights for how such a centre could be
designed may be gained from Kristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve
(http://www.vattenriket.kristianstad.se), where an eco-museum creates an arena
where different interest groups can meet and the different values in the landscape
are communicated to the public. A visitor centre at Albano Resilient Campus would
create a public space for the rich cultural and biological history encompassed by
the National Urban Park but still to some extent untapped.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
In our vision for the campus area we have also considered the management,
institutions and knowledge basis necessary for sustainable management. If at all
possible we want to avoid passive management done on entrepreneurial basis,
which is only too common in many parks, and instead promote public participa-
tion in the management (sensu Ostrom
1990). A positive side effect is the
pedagogical lessons on the human Figure 3.2: The figure shows ecological
dependence on ecosystems poten- processes on Albano Resilient Campus. To the left
are the spatial components we put in to create
tially derived through interactions with conditions for certain actors and processes in
schools and universities. the area (in the middle). These in turn generate a
number of ecosystem services listed to the right.
The services and the components are selected
in accordance with the discussion in this and
other chapters. The spatial components will be
described in greater detail in the coming chapters.
34
DESIGN COMPONENTS ACTORS & PROCESSES ECO SYSTEM SERVICES
AIR TREATMENT
the Railway park Pollinators
- Salix plants (bees, butterflies, etc)
POLLINATION
- Butterfly restaurants
- Sand banks Wild plants
- Bee nests RECREATION
ATTRACTIVITY
Insects - rich plant- and wildlife
Dr. Kristinas väg Flowers (garden) - cultural experiences
- Decidous trees
- Green corridor
- Canals & dams BIODIVERSITY
Small birds DISPERSAL CORRIDORS
Green Arteries
Birds of prey
IMPROVED OUTDOOR CLIMATE
Roslagsvägen - Evaporative cooling
- Pine trees - Shading INCREASED
- Decidous trees - Wind breaking ECOLOGICAL
- Wetland
RESILIENCE
Rodents PEST REGULATION
Oaks
IMPROVED INDOOR CLIMATE
Performative Buildings
- Cooling
- Green roofs Insects - Sun screening
- Planted courtyards (forest)
- Private terraces Fruits &
- Green facades vegetables WATER TREATMENT
- Storm water
- Grey water
Active Ground
FOOD
- Allotment gardens
Water plants Mushrooms
- Wetlands
- Test bed gardens EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE
- Canal by the marina - pedagogical activities
Dragonflies - field studies
Batrachians Micro organisms
- experiments
35
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
3.3 Objectives for the social systems:
Stockholm City, Akademiska Hus and Stockholm University all agree on the strate-
gic importance of Albano for the connections between the many colleges and
university departments that line the border between the city centre and the park-
land of Norra Djurgården. The intention is to preserve as much as possible of the
high quality natural environments while at the same time extending the attractions
and qualities of the city centre to Albano. The nature areas and knowledge insti-
tutes are today characterised by low accessibility and are therefore less utilised
than they could be. This also means that many of the knowledge institutes have
a poor supply of goods and services and the premises are occasionally felt to be
unsafe. Taken together, these factors lower the attraction of the area. Moreover,
the area has surprisingly weak links between the major institutes; Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, which
despite the closeness to rail-bound transportation have very little exchange
between them.
Among all the potential services that could be made available through new
development and design we have chosen to highlight a few that we see as particu-
larly important for Albano and adjacent parts of the city. The first is Albano Resilient
Campus as a learning environment where exchange of knowledge is crucial, and
where Albano could become the hub for knowledge exchange between many
different university departments and institutes. The second is publicity, which
is central for attractiveness as well as to ensure that the area does not develop
into a monoculture but truly become a public space in which also people outside
academia find reasons to spend time. The third is to further develop the supply
and access to the great recreational values, both cultural and biological. This
would be an important contribution to the establishment of a truly public space,
which in turn is fundamental for creating an attractive environment for know-
ledge exchange.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
Exchange of knowledge. The new project has great potential to attend to
and improve the connections between Albano and its surroundings and to develop
Albano Resilient Campus into an academic meeting place for knowledge exchange.
First priority is to make it easier to
travel by foot or bicycle between the
universities and the other institutions. Figure 3.3: The figure shows social processes
To improve accessibility and the experi- on Albano Resilient Campus. To the left are the
spatial components we put in to create conditions
ence of nearness there is reason to tie for certain actors and processes in the area (in
in Albano into a more continuous urban the middle). These in turn generate a number of
fabric with non-academic targets for services listed to the right.
enhanced exchange between the The services and the components are selected
in accordance with the discussion in this and the
universities and the city. Finally, the previous chapters. The spatial components will be
area needs a clear structure facilitating described in greater detail in the coming chapters.
36
DESIGN COMPONENTS ACTORS & PROCESSES ECO SYSTEM SERVICES
URBAN ACCESSIBILITY
the Railway park Passers-by PUBLICITY
- Park (generic users)
- Bike-/walkway
- Railway line
RECREATION
ATTRACTIVITY
Shops - health
Dr. Kristinas väg - cultural experiences
- Small commercial - revitalization
Restaurants
spaces Young
& cafés
- Entrances companies
DIVERSITY
Green Arteries
- users
Culture events - activities
Roslagsvägen
(film festivals, etc.) - experiences
- Bike-/walkway
INCREASED
- Riding path
SOCIAL
- Event spaces
Eco-businesses SAFETY RESILIENCE
Expos/ - a place for everyone
conferences - co-presence
Performative Buildings - overview
- Research institutes
- Housing
- Conference center Specific users INTERNATIONAL
- Business incubator COMPETiTIVENESS
- Visitor’s center - identity
- competence
Active Ground
Harvest markets
- Allotment gardens
EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE
- Climate change gardens
- pedagogical activities
- Test bed gardens
Site-bound - innovation
users - experiments
- business creation
37
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
connections that create natural meeting spaces. These could include everything
from foyers and lounges to indoors public spaces, but also be restaurants and
cafés run by enterprises outside the university.
Publicity. To make Albano Resilient Campus an attractive knowledge environ-
ment it is crucial to attract people not normally visiting the universities and
institutes. This would make the area a more integrated part of the rest of the city
and in turn make it more attractive to the people working there, put it in a public
context and prevent it from becoming an isolated institute. The connections to
the rest of Stockholm University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology must be
considered, as well as the connections to the road Roslagsvägen, which is today
connecting many of the major institutes in the area. With the new development
Albano Resilient Campus could become a new hub and destination, especially if
connected to public transportation through new tram or metro stations.
Recreation. There is a strong potential for developing the great experiential
values offered by high quality natural and cultural environments into recreational
destinations for the Stockholmers. This applies also to public spaces that can be
created with the help of the new development and new activities. It is central to
make sure the area does not develop into a academically dominated monoculture
but truly become a public space where also people outside academia can feel
at home and contribute to a more diverse social environment. All in all, Albano
Resilient Campus could become a node with a rich supply of recreational environ-
ments dedicated to social exchange, nature and culture experiences interlinked
with learning, and exercise and health related activities.
Apart from above mentioned services Figure 3.4: The figure illustrates how spatial
we have also identified the following morphology can be designed to create high quality
urban areas and services while at the same
two targets for both social and ecologi- time supporting local ecosystem services. Green
cal systems, which will contribute to arteries, for example, will promote services such
as urban accessibility, attractiveness, recreation
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
the areas resilience.
and publicity as well as supporting ecosystem
services such as biological pest control, seed
Place-based learning. This kind of dispersal, and air- and water treatment. The
learning is strongly connected to adap- Railway Park may serve as an example of how this
tive management, which requires good could work. It increases accessibility by providing
a pleasant cycle- and walkway for people. It will
local knowledge. Through an active be lined by greenery consisting of plants chosen
ground the area is divided into several for their ability to support ecosystem services
management units with different user like pollination. The same spatial components
thus support important ecological and social
rights, which strengthen the ability of processes both, showing how these are intimately
self-governance. Thus an effective and interrelated and in reality impossible to separate.
adaptive management is promoted,
which in turn offer more opportuni- The services and the components are selected
in accordance with the discussion in this and the
ties for place-based activities and thus previous chapters. The spatial components will be
greater local knowledge and better described in greater detail in the coming chapters.
38
DESIGN COMPONENTS ACTORS & PROCESSES ECO SYSTEM SERVICES
Passers-by
(generic users) AIR TREATMENT
the Railway park Pollinators
- Salix plants (bees, butterflies, etc) POLLINATION
- Butterfly restaurants
- Bee nests URBAN ACCESSIBILITY
Wild plants
- Park PUBLICITY
- Bike- /walkway
Shops RECREATION
- Railway line Insects ATTRACTIVITY
Dr. Kristinas väg Flowers (garden)
- Decidous trees Restaurants RECREATION
- Green corridor Young
& cafés ATTRACTIVITY
- Canals & dams companies
- Small commercial Small birds Birds of prey BIODIVERSITY
Green Arteries
spaces DISPERSAL CORRIDORS
- Entrances
Roslagsvägen Culture events DIVERSITY
- Pine trees (film festivals, etc.)
INCREASED
- Decidous trees PEST REGULATION SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL
- Wetland RESILIENCE
- Bike- /walkway Rodents SAFETY
Oaks Expos/
- Riding path Eco-
- Event space conferences IMPROVED OUTDOOR CLIMATE
businesses
Performative Buildings
- Gröna roof & facades IMPROVED INDOOR CLIMATE
Insects
- Planted courtyards (forest)
INTERNATIONAL
- Private terraces Fruits &
COMPETITIVENESS
- Research institutes vegetables
- Housing Specific users
WATER TREATMENT
- Conference center
- Visitor’s center FOOD
Active Ground
Vattenväxter Harvest markets
- Wetlands EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE
- Test bed gardens Mushrooms
- Canal by the marina Site-bound EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE
- Allotment gardens users
- Climate change gardens Dragon flies
Batrachians Micro organisms
39
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
conditions for place-based learning. Such learning feeds back into the system by
contributing to an effective and adaptive management.
Adaptability. Management needs to continually follow and adapt to changing
conditions when need arise. With this outlook, buildings and development need
a form that is not static and set once it is in place. Instead it should be possible
to continuously rebuild, reshape and adapt to new needs. Some solutions might
prove to be more difficult to adapt than others and we need to look for solutions
that could easily be altered or where great generality allows changes in function
and content. It also requires a professional knowledge focusing more on how we
may build on already existing structures rather than starting on something new.
For this we need administrative units that are capable of continuously facing up
to changes and new needs. As suggested earlier, smaller units and better local
knowledge seem important but need the freedom of a management right. Then
again, small units may lack both the competence and the resources necessary to
carry out important changes.
Problem with the extinction of experience is a negative side effect of urbanisation.
People living in cities are becoming mentally disconnected from the living ecosys-
tems as spontaneous presence and management have become impossible. This
leads to ecological ignorance also at a practical level (Kaplan et al. 1998; Miller
2005; Barthel 2008) and threats the creation of living ecosystems within urban
landscapes. The combined surface area of all the cities of the world is only about
2% of the total terrestrial surface and might increase with a few percent over the
coming decades, but the power resides in the cities, not too far into the future cities
will house two thirds of the world population. With future urbanisation comes the
responsibility to counteract the extinction of experience through actively promoting
experience based learning about our dependence on ecosystems. Research shows
that own experiences of local ecosystems through different kinds of public partici-
pation may stop or at least slow down this extinction (Kaplan et al. 1998; Miller
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
2005; McDaniel and Alley 2005; Armitage et al. 2008; Barthel et al. 2010).
Within the transdisciplinary research project “Co-management for building adap-
tive capacity in urban landscapes” scientists and scholars attached to SRC have
gained considerable knowledge about sustainable ecosystem management of the
National Urban Park (Barthel et al. 2005; Borgström et al. 2006; Colding et al.
2006; Ernstson et al. 2010). This project was part of the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment, a UN instigated program aimed at strengthening our knowledge
about the status of the ecosystems and their ability to provide us with ecosys-
tem services. Conclusions from this project supports the argument that Albano
Resilient Campus should tackle the problem with extinction of experience by
promoting public participation and place-based learning within the active grounds
of the area, including the educational activities in the surrounding area.
40
41
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 3: Objectives
4
COMPONENTS
Critical institutional and spatial components in
sustainable urban development
4.1 Identifying the tools of urban development:
A crucial issue for the integration of social and ecological systems into urban
development practice is a deepened understanding of how the ecological systems,
alongside the social, are expressed spatially. In current practices, space and how
it is shaped through buildings, landscape planning, etc. is the primary instrument
for supporting and guiding different social systems. To do this in an informed way
we need research on the spatial logic of these systems. In the same way and for
the same reasons we need the same information about the ecological systems.
Even though we primarily discuss urban design, the discussion could be broad-
ened to apply to also other types of interventions, for example “urban planning”
or “urban governance”. These may be perceived as different levels of a directed
intervention with the different self-organising systems of the city, such as social
networks, economic markets and ecosystems.
None of these interventions can act directly on self-organising systems, but instead
create, maintain and shape the conditions for them. The method for all interven-
tions at a given level can be said to be the same: urban space. It is by assuming a
spatial shape or by receiving a physical location in the city that systems become
urban, and it is through their spatial aspect that we can influence them through
spatial interventions.
Spatial interventions are executed at different levels, which to some extent can hide
the fact that they all deal with urban space. The perhaps most evident example
of how space functions as a means in this context is urban design. Within urban
design you try to reach and influence different self-organising systems in the city,
for example where people move and spend time by shaping and structuring urban
space through building and landscape design, both affecting the urban form. In
summary, you could say that urban design tries to guide self-organising urban
systems by shaping and structuring urban space through urban form.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Urban form is not something that exists in isolation and is not the only instru-
ment affecting the self-organising systems of the city. Urban form exists within a
framework of rules and regulations dealing with how land may be used and where
development is one use among many, or rather, a way to create conditions or
strengthen the potential for certain uses. If land is planned for housing this usually
involves construction of some sort to make it possible. The plan and its directions,
as well as the different legal acts that they are based on, can all be seen as instru-
ments for influencing the self-organised systems of the city, trying to guide them
towards desired trajectories just as the urban form does.
You could say that we have moved up one step in the hierarchy, where instead of
urban design we speak of urban planning. However, urban planning is a broad
concept usually including more than is described here, for example infrastructure.
43
Simplifying somewhat, you can still speak of urban planning as, analogously to
urban design, an attempt to guide self-organising urban systems by formulating
rules and regulations, especially concerning urban land-use. Such rules and laws
do not exist in a vacuum, but are found within a framework of what is usually called
social institutions. The rules and regulations which are central for urban planning
are but a specific section of such social institutions. The concept of institutions
is broad, and apart from the already mentioned rules and regulations there are
other institutions especially important in this context, e.g. organisations such as
governmental offices, municipal managers and property owners, and owner rights
such as private, public and cooperative ownership. Such institutions can also be
seen as tools for guiding and maintaining the self-organising systems of the city.
URBAN INTERVENTION
(Governance, Planning & Design)
Figure 4.1: A model for how different
kinds of urban interventions for reaching PROCESSES PRODUCTS
targeted actors and processes (the
self-organising systems) use different Governance Institutional systems
mediating systems (institutional systems
Physical planning 1 Legal systems
etc.). One important conclusion is that
all these systems target the spatial Physical planning 2 Infrastructural systems
component of the self-organising systems
Urban design Morphological systems
(Marcus 2008 in progress).
CITIES AS SELF-ORGANISING SYSTEMS
(Socio-economic & ecological systems)
To conclude, we have a system of different tools at different levels, fitted together
in a nested hierarchy like boxes within boxes. They can all be linked to different
professional practises aimed at guiding and governing the self-organised systems
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
towards achieving different political objectives. Urban governance primarily work
on an institutional level, where formulation of rules and regulations are an impor-
tant parts. Urban planning is carried out within the institutional framework, allo-
cating land-uses and proposing development schemes. Finally, urban design is
primarily concerned with urban development and form.
There are a number of reasons for bringing out the tools of urban development in
this way. First it clarifies where more knowledge is needed. In the case of urban
design, for example, it becomes evident that we need a better understanding of
how urban form affects both social and ecological systems to reach different goals,
e.g. resilient urban design. Second, it helps us see how different systems may be
managed together with the help of the same tool, for example how urban design
by means of urban form can reach and influence social and ecological systems at
the same time.
44
4.2 Social-ecological design components :
We have chosen to simplify this discussion to two different types of instruments,
spatial and institutional. The spatial instruments primarily consist of different
components of urban form and the institutional instruments include owner rights
and forms of management. In the following section the services chosen earlier
as especially important for Albano Resilient Campus will be discussed, from the
basis of these two types of instruments. The intention is to see how they may
offer spatial and institutional support and thus help with the long-term achieve-
ment of the objectives set for the area. We see it as a translation process where
each service is fitted spatially and institutionally. The intent is to look for general
patterns that will allow us to create a comprehensive spatial and institutional
structure where all services can co-exist —if at all possible. We have identified
six important components, three spatial and three institutional instruments.
Each is described separately below, but it should be remembered that there is an
advanced interplay between all of them.
Figure 4.2
Solid walls Permeable walls Property boundaries
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Formal institutions: Informal institutions: Social networks
Laws & regulations Local culture & traditions
4.2.1 Green arteries
Green arteries are spaces managing flows and access between people, activities
and places as much as between animals, plants and different biotopes. The way
this space is structured is decisive for connections and encounters between all
these entities. Inversely, this space may also obstruct or even hinder such connec-
tions and encounters, something that may be problematic or desirable depend-
ing on the situation. Apart from the structure itself it is important to consider
45
the capacity of such an artery to carry Figure 4.3
different sizes and kinds of flows.
There is a difference in how mice, jays
and people, use a green artery as well
as there is a difference between people
on bicycles and in cars. A long-term
structuring green artery should be
capable of handling a great variety of
different flows. Such arteries should
also be established on different scale
levels, for example between an area
and its surroundings, within the area,
within different parts of the area and
within buildings. Green Arteries
- accessibility through linear paths
4.2.2 Active ground
Active ground in this context refers to
the division of land, buildings or rooms
into several parts, promoting and
supporting the development of diffe-
rences and diversity. The very reason
to build a wall is to separate one room
from another, i.e. to create a cue for
your memory saying that these are
different things. This is also the way
space is used to create social diffe-
rences in society. Like for green arteries,
this means that some things are Active Ground
categorised and others not, that some - diversity thorugh division
distinctions are promoted over others.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
This is, of course, a subjective issue
that must be continuously discussed.
To create a general structure able
to sort different things into different
rooms is the basis for creating diffe-
rences but not the same as saying what
should be separated.
4.2.3 Performative buildings
Performative buildings can be seen as
a tool used when you want to intensify
or condense a public or ecological
service that in itself interacts with the Performative Buildings
technical, programmatic and aesthe- - intensification at certain nodes
46
tic functions of a building. From this perspective, buildings can be said to do
two things: intensify or condense a certain activity, and, give the activity some
permanence over time. Thus, buildings can be said to be a means through which
advanced activities and activities dependent on longer time perspectives can be
supported. The building is more or less part of the activity it supports and the
activity is the reason for constructing the building, which is why we call them
performative buildings.
4.2.4 Property rights/rules
Property rights are a kind of social institutions that govern management of natural
resources and ecosystems (Hanna et al. 1996). There are different levels of prop-
erty rights where ownership is the strongest, since it allows you to exclude people
and sell the property. Tenancy is a time bound leasing contract with the owner
where the manager may fence in part of the area but not all of it. Allotment areas
are one example of tenancy. User contracts are contracts between the landowner
and a local association entitling the association to manage the area but not to
exclude the public (Hanna et al. 1996). Tenancy and user contracts in combination
could be used for Albano Resilient Campus.
ill: Stockholms Stad
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Figure 4.4: Parcel maps over Enskede (left) and Södermalm (right), both in the same scale.
These maps illustrate that patchiness is nothing new in the city planning of Stockholm.
Albano is located in an area owned by the state, but as the area has a well deve-
loped hierarchy of management responsibilities we have chosen to use user
rights rather than ownership rights. User rights are tightly connected to specific
management units or properties and thus to what we call active ground. Through
a clear division of the area it can be assigned to different managers with different
user rights. User rights are the institutional side of the management unit where
the action space for the manager is determined, to whom the property rightly
47
belong, what is allowed or not etc. There must be congruence between the shape
and location of a management unit and the content of the property right belong-
ing to it. For example, certain activities may require certain amount of space, and
some locations may be more or less suited for the activity, depending on activities
in adjacent areas.
More concretely, we see it as highly prioritised that property rights are defined and
assigned to the different habitats in Albano Resilient Campus. These include areas
in which different managers today have the management right. User contracts
have primarily been used for park management in central Stockholm and some of
the adjacent municipalities. The framework could easily be applied to other organi-
sations. Thus we consider it important that user contracts are written between
Akademiska Hus and the manager of each site. The contracts may range from a
single flowerbed to participation in the management of a nature area. Users in this
context might be allotment garden associations, residents (individuals), learning
institutes, daycares, boat clubs and others. User participation builds on collabo-
ration with the landowners, organisations and associations. The user takes on a
greater responsibility for management, meaning that the management of certain
areas can keep high quality. Diversification also leads to a multifunctional land-
use that can, at least potentially, promote biodiversity.
4.2.5 Social networks
Social networks are the patterns of stable relations between actors in and around
Albano Resilient Campus. Social networks are more than just short, occasional
encounters —they require people to meet regularly and form some kind of mutual
relationship which allows transfer of information, shared understanding and
knowledge building (Borgatti 2009).
4.2.6 Local traditions
Local traditions are about establishing norms and practices that support social
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
networks between the groups interacting with the social and ecological systems
of an area. It also concerns how decisions at different levels may be reached
(Ernstson et al. 2010). To achieve this we suggest a long-term strategy for deve-
loping a “culture of collaboration”, i.e. to make management decisions through
discussions between stakeholder groups habitual. The format could be an inclusive
forum where issues are discussed and decisions reached. Between these big
meetings there should be more frequent smaller meetings engaging only subsets
of users. A scale crossing actor could be supported, perhaps in the form of a foun-
dation, which over time could connect all these meetings and groups. This local
tradition of collaboration requires stakeholder groups to allocate resources and
delegate responsibility within their organisations to always be able to participate in
the discussions about the management of the area. Formal user contracts should
be formulated with this in mind.
48
4.3 Ecosystem services
and urban system services:
In chapter three, a number of services are listed which seemed particularly
important for the suggested development of Albano Resilient Campus. There
are of course many more, but we have chosen a small subsample for highlight-
ing the principles underlying resilient urban design. Below follows an account of
these ecosystem and urban system services based on how the design compo-
nents presented earlier may contribute to the maintenance and support of these
services. Each service is first described and then some thoughts are presented on
how it might be supported by the different components and finally a suggestion for
a concrete solution for Albano Resilient Campus.
SERVICES ECO SYSTEM SERVICES URBAN SYSTEM SERVICES
Figure 4.5: The figure
illustrates how different
spatial and institutional
Water treatment
Pollination
Air treatment
Publicity
Improved outdoor climate
Improved indoor climate
Improved dispersal corridors
Natural pest regulation
Diversity
Recreation
Attractivity
International competitiveness
Exchange of knowledge
Urban accessibility
Safety
components support the
ecosystem- and urban
services we have identified
as relevant for Albano
COMPONENTS Resilient Campus.
Green
SPATIAL COMPONENTS
arteries
Active
ground
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Performative
buildings ALBANO
RESILIENT
CAMPUS
Property
INSTITUTIONAL COMPONENTS
rights/rules
Social networks
Local culture
49
4.3.1 Biodiversity:
As the Albano property today has low biological values, new development in its
maintenance should be seen as an opportunity to significantly increase these
values. Apart from rich recreational and cultural historical values the National
Urban Park offers a rich biodiversity. Of all the plants and animals in the province
of Uppland, approximately two thirds can be found in the park, including some
Blandskog
Frisk gräsmark
Fuktig gräsmark
Hygge / plantskog
Hällmark
Hällmarkstallskog
Odlingsmark
Sumpskog
Torr gräsmark
Trädklädd myr
med flytbladsvegetation
med vass etc.
Ädellövskog
Öppen myr
Övrig barrskog
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Övrig lövskog
Figure 4.6: Albano in relation to the Stockholm Biotope map.
50
800 vascular plant species and close to 250 bird species. Among the insects we
find as many as 60 red-listed species, of which 29 are critically endangered and
27 vulnerable. Furthermore, 32 red-listed species of fungi, about 20 red-listed
vascular plants as well as red-listed mammals (including several species of bats),
amphibians, reptiles, fish and birds are noted. The by far most important substrate
for insects is the old, hollow oaks. As much as 80% of the red-listed insects are
associated with old oaks and lindens. Thus, the oak is a “keystone species” for
the park, i.e. a species contributing with critical resources to a number of other
organisms, which would not be able to survive without it. Of all the trees in the
National Urban Park 25% are oaks and the park together with the oak population
in the Lake Mälaren valley constitute one of the largest in northern Europe, for
which Sweden has an international responsibility. As the oak has high biological
values and is strongly connected to unique cultural historical values it is important
to secure a viable oak population at greater spatial and temporal scales.
Green arteries
The passages passing by the Albano property (e.g. Roslagsvägen, Drottning
Kristinas Väg, the Railway Park, etc.) should be designed to support as much as
possible of the indigenous biodiversity found in the National Urban Park and other
ecosystems in Stockholm. The passages should be designed to facilitate move-
ment and dispersal between different areas and thus serve as “habitat corridors”
(Forman 1995). In other words, the passages should function both as habitat on
the Albano site and as links connecting green areas on greater spatial scales.
Studies of birds have shown that for example treed alleys can connect isolated
green areas and offer alternative foraging habitat and breeding sites. This would
be especially true for ground foraging birds and those nesting in trees. To get best
result management should strive for vegetation complexity. Many studies from
different cities have also shown that rail line habitats may house a rich flora and
fauna (see e.g. Kowarik 1995; Tikka et al. 2001; Zerbe et al. 2003).
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
The oak plays an important role for maintaining biodiversity in the National Urban
Park and its surroundings, and is in turn dependent on the Eurasian jay for long-
distance dispersal. Studies from the park show that the jay require conifers for
successful breeding (Lundberg et al. 2008) (fig. 4.7), and stands with conifers are
thus important. Moreover, the jay is a poor flier and preferentially does not cross
open areas because of the risk of raptor attacks. To promote dispersal Albano
Resilient Campus should have dense tree corridors facilitating movement between
Hagaparken and Norra Djurgården.
Green corridors would not only promote jay movements but also that of other
animals. Tree species composition along the passages should include both
deciduous and coniferous species. To promote insect and seed eating birds at
the Albano Resilient Campus new bird habitats should be structurally diverse, i.e.
have many different layers of vegetation. The wet environments in the National
51
Figure 4.7: The Eurasian jay plays a key role new oak trees. The jays, in turn, depend on
for natural regeneration of oak in and around dense stands of conifers to hide their nests and
the National Urban Park by moving acorns over avoid predators. In other words, to promote oaks
longer distances. The jays cache acorns for eating you need a landscape of oak stands mixed with
in winter but many of these are never retrieved. conifers (Hougner et al. 2006).
These acorns may then germinate and become
Urban Park are very important: the wetlands Lappkärret, Spegeldammen, Lillsjön,
Laduviken and Isbladskärret, as well as the swamp forest Uggleviken, all support
rare birds, dragonflies, amphibians and snails. In a study of amphibians and other
freshwater organisms in the Stockholm Metropolitan Area (Colding et al. 2009)
the general shortage of ponds was noted, threatening amphibian populations over
time. The link between Hagaparken and Norra Djurgården is especially weak due
to the barrier effect of road Roslagsvägen. The establishment of many new ponds
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
in the National Urban Park is very important to build resilience for freshwater
organisms. Our outline includes a number of wetland passages and pond systems
(blue arteries) that could serve as habitat and migration routes for amphibians and
other freshwater organisms. Lighting is another design component to consider.
Street lights along the passages should be of a kind that does not attract moths,
which would then become easy prey to other animals.
Active ground
Active ground presupposes that the land is managed actively by one or several
actors or groups. Having many managers tending the Albano property together but
with different objectives strengthens the potential for a more heterogeneous land-
scape. Diversity creates opportunities for a multitude of different habitats. Access
to suitable habitats does not necessary mean that an organism will be present, but
it increases the probability. We want it to be clear, however, that the near urban
52
location and the number of people expected to move around on and through the
area make it unlikely that more disturbance sensitive organisms will be found in
Albano Resilient Campus.
Performative buildings
To promote biodiversity in the Albano area in general, new green areas should
be structurally diverse, i.e. have many layers of vegetation. The combination of
structures in our suggestion for development, i.e. allotment gardens, park trees,
green roofs and walls, could work both as foraging and nesting habitats, as well as
stepping stones promoting animal movement through the area to Hagaparken and
Norra Djurgården, and further on towards Södra Djurgården. As birds contribute to
seed dispersal over longer distances the ecological design of the Albano Resilient
Campus could strengthen the currently weak ecological processes connecting the
National Urban Park and the green wedges of Stockholm. For a building, a green
roof and green walls offer extra insulation, wind break and reduced temperature
fluctuations, reducing the need for heating and cooling during winter and summer,
respectively. The carbon reducing effect of an expanded 3-dimensional green
surface improves air quality.
Property rights, social networks and local traditions
Biodiversity is managed and maintained through active practice. Studies have
shown that biodiversity in the Stockholm region is strongly dependent on a number
of different user groups and actors and that locally managed green areas (e.g.
allotment gardens, golf courses, gardens and backyards) interact functionally with
nature reserves and parks managed by the municipalities (Colding et al. 2006). In
the suggested outline for the different green areas on campus we have specifically
considered the management of these and the institutions and the knowledge basis
needed for sustainable management. We want to avoid passive management done
on entrepreneurial basis, which is only too common in park management. Instead,
public participation in management is promoted (sensu Ostrom 1990), where
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
pedagogical lessons about our dependence on ecosystems can be connected to
school and course activities. We want to establish a “system of sponsors” for the
different nature areas created at the Albano Resilient Campus, from sponsors of
“climate change gardens” and allotment gardens to “teeming” wetlands. Through
the sponsor system different actors and user groups are given a clear manage-
ment responsibility —an “adopt-a-plot” strategy developed and used in other cities
around the world to strengthen public participation. The strategy could lead to
reduced management costs as management to a large extent is carried out on a
voluntary, non-profit basis.
The climate garden could, for example, be established with the help of personnel
from the Bergius Botanic Garden, which could thus “sponsor” the activity together
with Stockholm Resilience Centre. In the same way, we would like to see fresh-
water experts from the Natural History Museum sponsor the wetland system on
53
the Albano Resilient Campus, in collaboration with researchers from Stockholm
Resilience Centre.
The green areas on Albano Resilient Campus should promote increased public
participation in the management of urban ecosystems, where lessons about our
dependence on ecosystems are promoted through different activities. This is to
counteract the “extinction of experience” (Miller 2005) stemming from increased
urbanisation and potentially problematic for the transformation into a more climate
adapted and sustainable society. Place-based learning should be developed
together with course activities, where students could be engaged in studies of
the performance of green walls, green roofs, ecoducts, wetlands, gardens, corri-
dors etc., in relations to the ecological processes they are meant to support. An
important aspect of this pedagogical process is that activities in nearby schools
are connected to the site. You could, for example, establish a cultivation plot in the
area managed by one of the schools, in line with the “adopt-a-plot” strategy. As
mentioned above, we also envision a so called “climate change garden” at the site.
These gardens have been established in a few cities outside Sweden to demon-
strate what might happen to vegetation as a consequence of climate change.
Another measure to increase learning within the area would be to establish one
or more “business parks”, e.g. a yard managed by a certain department/tenant in
the area. The method has been successfully applied in the Netherlands to make
land-use more efficient and contribute to “multiple land-use” planning (Snep
2009). How to best manage these yards is an important issue for the place-based
learning taking place on Albano Resilient Campus.
As knowledge about ecosystem dynamics and functions in urban environments
is far from complete it is important to have an adaptive approach at the Albano
Resilient Campus. In such an approach “learning by doing” is an important
element. The approach includes combining ecological field studies with different
educational activities at Albano Resilient Campus to investigate how the ecological
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
design may be improved over time through continuous monitoring and evaluation.
This should be done within the framework of co-management, social networks
and local traditions of decision making that bring together multiple actors and
make them exchange knowledge and experiences.
54
4.3.2 Pollination:
One of the tenets for resilience building at Albano Resilient Campus is to strengthen
the ecosystem services today generated by the National Urban Park rather than
weaken them. Many of the historical and current land-uses in this unique urban
park support ecosystem services. Pollination, for example, is supported by the
Figure 4.8
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Figure 4.9 Figure 4.10
Allotment gardens at Söderbrunn and pollinators within the area.
gardens in the park (Barthel et al. 2005). Worldwide, pollination is currently seeing
a decline caused by changes in land-use and habitat loss (Steffan-Dewenter et
al. 2005; Klein et al. 2007). Albano Resilient Campus should strive to counteract
this trend. When pollinators are lost biodiversity in general suffers. Many plants,
and associated organisms, depend on pollinators for their dispersal and contin-
ued survival. With a weakened pollination service it will become more difficult to
55
produce food since two thirds of all food products depend more or less on polli-
nation; a disquieting thought when population increase will demand increased
production. Thus it is central for societal development not to forget neglected
ecosystem services like pollination (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005).
Diversity and population sizes of pollinators are today higher in gardens than in
industrial agriculture landscapes, and thus the ecosystem service of pollination
has higher resilience in urban landscapes, even though land-use changes could
change this very quickly. At the possible event of a future transformation to a
more ecosystem based agriculture the pollination service could return to the agri-
cultural landscape. The urban, or peri-urban landscape, is thus a potential source
area for pollination services. Thus it is important to manage pollination in cities as
insurance for future food production when climbing oil prises will challenge the
industrialised agriculture.
Green arteries
Wild bees and other pollinating insects (e.g. butterflies) need a continuous supply
of flowers and places to nest. These two features must not be too far apart for
daily movements between to be possible. Thus, pollination requires good dispersal
routes. These can take the shape of corridors and be established within the green
arteries of Albano Resilient Campus. Such corridors should contain a continuity of
flowering plants throughout the season, from the end of April to October. Plants
flowering early are especially important for the pollinators. Pollinators need
places where they can nest, and nests can be built easily and placed along the
green arteries. These two measures together would provide a spatial support for
the migration of pollinating insects.
The life cycle of the Buff-tailed bumblebee serves as a good example. The queens
wake up from winter dormancy half starved. They need to find food within days
not to die from starvation. Plants flowering early, like Salix spp., near the nest site
provide them with food and thus help maintain large bumblebee populations later
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
in the season. Without these early flowering plants the queen will die and with her
a whole population and its ability to pollinate plants later in the season.
Active ground
Most pollinators are dependent on a network of high quality and diverse micro-
habitats, rather than a large, contiguous of more homogeneous habitats
(Beismejer et al. 2006). Research has shown that urban gardens support polli-
nation and biodiversity in urban landscapes (Biesmejer et al. 2006; Davis et al.
2009; Goddard et al. 2010), especially small-scale, traditional and intensively culti-
vated gardens like allotment gardens (Andersson et al. 2007; Barthel et al. 2010).
Studies of allotment areas in Stockholm have shown that they meet the criteria
for suitable habitat for pollinators, i.e. good foraging and migration possibilities
between gardens. Allotment areas at Albano Resilient Campus will have a stra-
tegic position as the last outpost in a line of allotment gardens running through
56
the National Urban Park. Thus, they
are important elements in the “active
ground” of Albano Resilient Campus, in
support of the pollination service.
The use of artificial fertilisers and
pesticides is in general little tolerated in
the allotment areas of Stockholm, and
should be banned outright in Albano
Resilient Campus to fully support polli-
nation. Organically cultivated allotment
gardens help create good habitats for
wild bees and other pollinating insects Figure 4.11: The figure shows the network
as they, relative to other gardens, have of allotment areas in Stockholm City. The
allotments displayed in the figure can be
a bounty of pesticide-free flowers considered functionally connected by invertebrate
during a prolonged growing season. meta-populations. City parks, cemeteries, and
With such gardens, Albano Resilient other inner-city green areas may benefit from
pollination by the insects found in allotment
Campus will have a continuously flow- areas, especially bees, because foraging distance
ering mosaic landscape to a very low between allotments and other areas is small. The
cost, promoting pollination also outside circles around the allotment areas have a 1.0-km
the Albano area. Moreover, survival radius, which is within the foraging range of most
bumblebees (Colding et al. 2006).
for insect eating birds is improved by
such management since it enhances
the number of insects. Other practices and protective norms within the allotment
gardening movement, e.g. putting up nesting boxes, bird baths and providing
food during winter, further increase the quality of these habitats for birds. This
promotes another ecosystem service important for food production: biological pest
control.
Other components that may support pollination include experimental gardens for
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
studies of urban ecology and the implications of climate change on vegetation.
Performative buildings
Green roofs could be designed to offer nesting sites for wild bees. South facing
brownfields, in this case exposed gravel and sand, are potential nesting sites
for many species of wild bees, some of them red-listed. Vegetation on the roofs,
especially of flowering perennials like shrubby cinquefoil and orpine, could facili-
tate movement and offer foraging. Flowering plants on walls and roofs promote
pollination. Putting up hollow sticks (e.g. short bamboo sticks) on the walls supply
nesting sites for many wild bees. An uneven wall surface also act as a wind break,
creating lee zones closest to the climate shell and thus reducing the need for
heating inside the building. Sunny yards should have a continuity of flowering
shrubs and plants, as well as vegetables, fruits and berries requiring pollination
(e.g. squash raspberry and apples).
57
Property rights, social networks and local traditions
The landowner should grant property rights to civil society groups. Collectively
held property rights to active grounds supporting pollination should be time-
limited in the same way allotment gardening is today and should in this context
be held by a well-defined group (Ostrom 1990; Wenger 1998; Barthel et al. 2010;
Krasny and Tidball 2009), supported by the national Allotment Garden Association
and the landowner. Allotment gardening at Albano Resilient Campus would offer
an almost cost free management, while also ensuring that there will be people
in the area during evenings and weekends. There are five allotment areas in the
National Urban Park today, and thus the area around the Albano area has a history
of small-scale urban gardens. The actors tending an ecosystem service as pollina-
tion should meet in a local tradition of collaboration to continuously network and
learn from each other about population changes and disturbances.
Spatial components supporting pollination should also facilitate learning about
management of ecosystems, and the institutions and practices necessary to
sustainably manage ecosystem services in urban landscapes (Barthel 2008).
The problem of extinction of experience described above can be counteracted by
architects, constructors and urban planners actively promoting a development
supporting experience-based learning about our dependence on ecosystems
(Colding 2011; Barthel et al. 2010). Albano Resilient Campus could become a
model for how sustainable urban design may mitigate extinction of experience
through the establishment of urban gardens focusing on learning about pollination
and its requirements.
Passive management should be avoided and public participation in management
promoted (sensu Ostrom 1990). Through public participation, pedagogical lessons,
in this case social-ecological memory (Barthel et al. 2010), can be stored in the
area and within the active groups. Research shows that public participation in the
management of urban ecosystems may foster sense of place, experience-based
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
learning and memory of local ecosystems, and thus counteract the extinction of
experience and build social capital on a local level (Miller 2005; Andersson et al.
2007; Ernstson et al. 2009; Barthel et al. 2010). Examples of public participation in
Stockholm include user contracts for housing co-operatives, allotment areas and
wetlands co-managed by organisations in the civil society and the city (Colding 2011).
Knowledge about the relation between pollination and active ground, green arteries
and performative buildings is incomplete, and thus learning by doing is an impor-
tant aspect in the management. This approach to ecological design include for
example active management done by independent civil society groups, whose
traditions and ecological performance are constantly analysed by researchers
within urban ecology and ecological design. Thus management of the an eco-
system service like pollination at Albano Resilient Campus becomes a subject for
58
social-ecological field studies connected to ongoing education. This contributes
to science through constant monitoring, documentation and evaluation of design
and practices, and to the discussion on how the “ecological designs” of the area
can be improved over time to keep up to date with knowledge development. This
sub-project makes it possible for Albano Resilient Campus to develop into a “living
laboratory” for transdisciplinary research, social-ecological design and urban
resilience with focus on the ecosystem service pollination.
Allotment gardens are managed intensively on a non-profit basis by groups in the
civil society. A constant “monitoring-improvement” of management and design
as above contributes to an adaptive management. This should be linked to on-
going educational activities, engaging students in investigations of how well active
grounds, green arteries and performative buildings performs with respect to the
maintenance of pollination at Albano Resilient Campus and the larger landscape.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
59
4.3.3 Water related services:
Water is a basic requirement for the survival of humans as well as other orga-
nisms. Access to clean water is one of the most important issues for sustainable
development. In Sweden, the supply of water is relatively good, but this may
change in the future. There is a great potential to make our use of water more effi-
cient. In the current sanitary system we contaminate clean water by mixing it with
waste water from different sources, which must then all be purified. The proximity
to the Brunnsviken inlet makes water a central issue for the Albano area. The
water on the property can be divided into a number of different systems connected
to a bundle of services. Since they are all related we have chosen to deal with them
under the same heading.
1) Run-off water (storm water). Could be collected and treated locally in
constructed ditches/wetlands. These could be placed along roads and across the
whole property, also providing aquatic organisms with dispersal corridors.
2) Grey- and blackwater. There are experiments with greywater (e.i. water
from showers, sinks and kitchens) treatment through local recycling and this
should be tried at Albano Resilient Campus as a step in using the area as a know-
ledge generating laboratory. If greywater is separated from blackwater (e.i. water
from toilets) the latter can be used for biogas production together with organic
waste.
3) The water of the Brunnsviken inlet. The water in the inlet is keeping
a relatively stable temperature over the year and could thus be used both as an
energy source for heating and cooling buildings.
Approximately 12% of all animal species are directly dependent on freshwater for
their survival. Freshwater living organisms are declining globally, and are declining
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
faster than both terrestrial and marine organisms. One third of all amphibian
species has already gone extinct and between one third and half of the remaining
about 6000 known species of amphibians is threatened. In Sweden, amphibians
are among the most threatened animal taxa. Frogs, toads and newts all have
life-cycles that require access to water for survival and reproduction. Amphibians
depend on spawning waters in close proximity to suitable terrestrial environments,
e.g. mixed forests with a rich herbaceous layer, pastures, forest edges and wet
meadows. Form such core areas the amphibians can spread to close-by ponds and
wetlands of lesser quality. In poorer habitats reproduction may fail some years, but
these areas are never the less important as dispersal corridors between the core
areas and supplemental habitat for young animals. In such system, the destruction
of a core area may lead to the disappearance of amphibians from the whole area,
despite an apparent wealth of ponds and wetlands (Colding et al. 2009). Amphibian
migration is dependent on dispersal corridors like ditches, brooks, lush mead-
60
ows, shrublands or forests. These connect populations and make recolonisation
possible. The distance between suitable habitats for amphibians in the National
Urban Park is too big today, and many of the small water bodies are isolated. As
individuals are unable to move between populations, we are risking local extinc-
tions over time.
Dragonflies are another group of organisms dependent on freshwater environ-
ments. Of the 164 known European species, 61 of which occur in Sweden, more
than one third is threatened primarily because of habitat loss.
The wet environments in the National Urban Park are very important, as previously
mentioned the wetlands Lappkärret, Spegeldammen, Lillsjön, Laduviken and
Isbladskärret, as well as the swamp forest Uggleviken, all support rare birds,
dragonflies, amphibians and snails. Establishing a system of wetlands would
improve conditions for freshwater dependent organisms and the aesthetic values
of such wetlands would further strengthen the experiential values of Albano
Resilient Campus.
LEGEND
Storm water (a)
Grey water (b)
RAIN WATER
Black water (b)
Heating/cooling (c)
Treated water
ROOFS
ROSLAGSVÄGEN OTHER ROADS
BUILDINGS
SWALES/WETLAND WETLANDS & CANALS WETLANDS BY BUILDINGS
BIOGAS PLANT
ALONG ROSLAGSVÄGEN ON THE ARC SITE FOR GREY WATER
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
BIOGAS
INFILTRATION TO
BRUNNSVIKEN FERTILIZER
GROUND WATER
Figure 4.12: Schematic outline of the water system at Albano Resilient Campus.
Green arteries
The road Roslagsvägen is the main artery for traffic through the area. Run-off must
be taken care of and treated locally through e.g. surface-flow wetlands. Wetlands
and ditches could be established alongside the road. The purified water then flows
from these to Brunnsviken or percolates down to the groundwater. Run-off water
61
from roofs and other impervious surfaces should be integrated in the over-all
wetland system. Roslagsvägen is the greatest barrier for connecting the wetland
system of the area to Brunnsviken. Overcoming this barrier is crucial for the abil-
ity of the wetland to function as dispersal corridors. A common solution in such
situation is to establish underpasses for amphibians. We see an opportunity to
design such underpasses not only to function ecologically but to become part of
the experience for visitors to the park.
Active ground
We suggest a system of wetlands with
ponds and open canals for run-off
water for Albano Resilient Campus.
Ditches will function as retention tanks
and as boundaries between different
land units. They should be integrated
with and interrupt impervious surfaces
and roads. They should be designed
to provide connected dispersal corri-
dors for amphibians and other aquatic
organisms, linking Brunnsviken with
Figure 4.13: A system of wetlands, ditches
the Söderbrunn allotment area and and ponds offers dispersal corridors between
Uggleviken, east of the Albano area. Brunnsviken, the allotment area and Uggleviken
The wetlands have a pedagogical role (east of Albano) and connects different
populations of amphibians.
in informing visitors about the impor-
tant ecological function of wetlands.
When it comes to land-use planning
in general, large impervious surfaces
connected directly to sewers should be
avoided. Reinforced grass, permeable
seams and other permeable surfaces
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
are to be preferred. Ditches should be
established next to parking lots. From
a run-off perspective, larger parking
lots are best placed under ground.
Examples: Augustenborg, Västra Ham-
Figure 4.14: A canal behind the marina would
nen, Malmö, Sweden; Potzdamer Platz, allow aquatic organisms to migrate without
Berlin, Germany. affecting the activity.
Treating the water from some selected buildings should be integrated into the
land-use. Greywater and perhaps also blackwater can be purified biologically in
constructed wetlands. After the treatment process the water can be discharged
into the larger wetland system, or perhaps recycled in the buildings as water for
washing or flushing toilets. The design should be pedagogic, making the system
part of knowledge development and public functions at the property. The system
62
could for example be linked to the visitor centre or a research institute.
Examples: Flintenbreite, Lübeck, Germany; Sidwell Friends Middle School,
Washington D.C., USA.
Performative buildings
Run-off water from the roofs is channelled into the wetland system. The green
roofs and walls function as reservoirs and use up much of the water locally, e.g.
for the plants growing on the roofs. Green roofs and walls create an evapora-
tion effect cooling the air during summer and thus reduce the risk of high indoor
temperatures. The extra insulation offered by green roofs and walls reduces the
need for heating during winter.
Water treatment can be integrated into the design of the buildings and be placed
in for example yards or atria. Possibilities for urine separation should be investi-
gated and, if doable, coordinated with the development of Norra Djurgårdsstaden.
Blackwater could be used together with organic waste to produce biogas. This is
already done in the water treatment plant Henriksdal, but could be done in a more
local treatment plant/biogas plant. The urine would be stored separately and later
mixed with the left over sludge from the biogas production to produce an effective,
organic fertiliser.
Example: Sidwell Friends Middle School, Washington D.C., USA
Water from Brunnsviken could be pumped through the buildings. It would, in
combination with the thermal mass of walls and beams, function as a heating
and cooling element. The system could be operated together with the wetlands
by routing the water through the wetlands on its way back to Brunnsviken, thus
achieving a symbiosis between Brunnsviken, run-off water management, wetlands
and indoors climate regulation. Before doing this, however, the water quality must
be evaluated, making sure that the water does not leach the soils or harm the
wetland ecosystems by high salinity levels or unsuitable water temperatures.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Examples: Kvarteret Katsan, Folksamhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Property rights, social networks and local traditions
Stockholm City is responsible for managing run-off water from the road
Roslagsvägen. We propose that the wetlands established on the Albano property
are managed by a cooperative, including for example Akademiska Hus, the Natural
History Museum and other tenants in the area. Ditches and ponds might func-
tion as natural boundaries between different management units and through their
design support different user rights held by different stakeholders. A centrally
placed wetland should be designed to become part of the park area, accessible
to the public. Other, more functional and technical parts of the water treatment
system, need not be as visible. Legally supported user rights for some parts of the
wetlands would allow research institutes to independently develop these wetlands
as knowledge increases. All kinds of wetlands should be made accessible to visi-
63
tors and designed to be pedagogic. In that way they will become part of the story of
the area and make people aware of the linkages between society and ecosystems.
An important prerequisite for continuous monitoring, and in extension an adaptive
management, is that sampling and evaluations are planned from the start.
The surfaces dedicated to purifying water from buildings may be seen as experi-
mental laboratories that can be redesigned over time to test new types of water
treatment. For example, it could be tested which plants are most effective and
how the capacity could be increased during winter etc. Through constant monitor-
ing, feedback on the different methods will be more or less immediate, allowing
for quick adaptation to test new solutions for improving the performance. These
wetlands may be managed by the property owner or by the tenant, preferably in
collaboration with companies or research institutes active in the subject area.
Managing the wetlands as a cooperative —a water association— would bring
together several different actors. Meetings within the association would promote
and support local social networks. Bringing the attention of users and visitors
to the importance of water for ecosystems would increase the public awareness
and the respect for ditches and wetlands. The water systems could also become
part of the identity for the area. In attempting the latter much can be learnt from
the social movements that created Kristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve
and its eco-museum.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
64
4.3.4 Exchange of knowledge:
One fundamental aim with Albano Resilient Campus is to create a knowledge
environment of highest international standards, both for research and educa-
tion, and for dealing with environmental and sustainability issues. The overarch-
ing theme in the current discussion about knowledge development is meetings,
putting exchange of knowledge in focus. We can see two fundamental prerequi-
sites for any kind of exchange, including exchange of knowledge.
First, conditions promoting differences must be created. We need a diversity of
knowledge environments with different theoretical profiles where differences
are found and supported at many different levels; between individuals, between
research labs, between departments, and between universities and the rest of
the society. Without differences there is no reason for exchange, which is true for
exchange of knowledge as well as social exchange in general, including economic
exchange. Thus it is important to not forget the need for promoting differences and
diversity in urban design.
Second, conditions promoting meetings and encounters where the exchange can
take place must be created. It could be formal meetings, which are often planned
and located to squares or meeting-halls. The true challenge for urban design is,
however, to create conditions for informal meetings, the ones that are not planned
in advance. There are two crucial things to remember:
1) Space should be seen as a system of flows where meetings take place at stra-
tegic nodes. To create informal meeting places is less about designing specific
urban spaces and more about their location in the larger system.
2) We must remember that meetings take place at different levels and that these
meetings have different functions. Meetings range from between individuals to
between the university and the public, and it is important to create conditions for
meetings at all these levels. Such an environment may successfully support and
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
facilitate the exchange of knowledge (Bergström et al. 2010).
Green arteries
Green arteries are spaces managing the flows between separated environments
and where differences can evolve. It may be spaces connecting different work
stations in a building and thus individual researchers with different expertise.
Meetings and exchange between these researchers are fundamental for success-
ful research. Green arteries also include spaces that connect research labs or
departments, or the universities to the rest of the society. The organisation of this
space is crucial for the extent it contributes to and facilitates informal meetings, or,
as may happen, the opposite. It is thus very important to establish green arteries
on different scales, accessible and easy to use for many different individuals, envi-
ronments and activities within Albano Resilient Campus while at the same time
avoiding activity specific passages.
65
It is very important to tailor the design details of these spaces to the different levels
and the different meetings taking place. We must conceive green arteries that
stimulate different meetings depending on their location, e.g. within a research
environment, a department, a university or a city. All these constitute different
social contexts and conditions. For example, it seems easier to discuss research
related issues within a research lab, where everyone knows each other and has
much in common, than at the departmental level where scientific approaches
and views differ more and people know each other less well. Never the less,
such departmental meetings may be the starting point for future contacts and
more effective exchange. All these social-spatial situations need to be managed
skilfully to establish a well functioning knowledge environment that prioritises
exchange of knowledge.
More concretely, a number of green arteries, at different scales, should be planned
and established at Albano Resilient Campus. Two of them are of particular strate-
gic importance:
1) the passage following alongside the industrial rail line, much of which is raised
somewhat above the Albano area and
2) an extension and rerouting of the road Drottning Kristinas Väg to join the road
Roslagsvägen.
The first has the potential to become part of an extended tram system and
provide a swift and efficient link from Karolinska Institutet, the new Karolinska
University Hospital and Albano Resilient Campus to the new development at Norra
Djurgårdsstaden and Värtahamnen. This section is in turn just one part of the new
tram system that will connect onwards toward Sundbyberg and the west part of
Stockholm and the new rail lines from Värtahamnen towards Stockholm city in the
east. The artery should be designed to also attract cyclists and pedestrians.
The second artery is the road Drottning Kristinas Väg, already called “the academic
road”. Realising the hopes for Drottning Kristinas Väg as an academic meeting
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
place will require placing and design that truly make it an attractive alternative for
moving between the university centres. Today, it is primarily used by drivers trying
to avoid traffic jams instead of being a vibrant academic environment. To increase
the number of cyclists and pedestrians between the three academic nodes
Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University,
tree issues matter:
1) the artery must connect to the future Albano Resilient Campus in a natural way
and lead on to Stockholm University,
2) it must be placed so that it is lined by potential starting points and destina-
tions 3) it should provide an attractive connection with the tram system at Albano
Resilient Campus. Thus, we suggest a partial rerouting over Albano in order to
connect to road Roslagsvägen which, with the construction of Norra Länken, can
be redesigned to a much more attractive green artery with many starting points
and destinations, including Stockholm University.
66
Active ground
Active ground in this context means division of land or buildings into several parts
and thus promotion of the development of differences, e.g. different knowledge
profiles. Again, it is important to consider many different levels, within research
labs and institutions as well as within the universities as whole. The larger society
must also be present and take part of the knowledge development going on at
the universities. On the most general level this could be realised by placing public
roads and passages in connection to and through the university campuses where
different departments and research environments could advertise themselves.
More specifically, it could be done by establishing other activities and land-uses in
direct connection to the campuses, e.g. residential areas, service establishments
like restaurants and shops, and public spaces like libraries or exhibition venues.
The core is to create separate spaces for different activities that can stimulate
meaningful meetings.
It is important that Albano Resilient Campus does not become a monolith with only
one main actor but instead from the start is planned as a whole made up by parts
with at least some independence, i.e. several management units. Akademiska Hus
and Stockholm City should be the primary managers, but it is important to pass
on at least partial management responsibility for land and buildings. This places
certain demands on the design of technical systems, accessibility and fire zones.
Performative buildings
Performative buildings offer opportunities for strengthening the development of
differences in knowledge profiles and make sure that these have the specific
spatial facilities needed to develop their uniqueness. These could be work stations,
laboratories, workshops, seminar rooms etc. The probability for informal meetings
could be increased by connecting designed meeting spaces to strategic nodes in
the spatial structure, e.g. cafeterias, assembly halls, squares or parks. These need
to be designed to be relevant for the place and meeting intended. Location is cru-
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
cial not only for the social character of a place but also for how it may be designed. A
park at a very strategic location becomes more like a square and need more imper-
vious surfaces to avoid soil erosion than do a more isolated park. A big assembly
hall might be an attraction in itself and may not need the very best location.
The design process must from the start view buildings as fundamental production
instruments for knowledge development and exchange of knowledge. Previously,
the focus has been buildings with special uses and equipment, e.g. laboratories
and experimental workshops. Today, when advanced computer technology has
made even very complex laboratory experiments something you could do on a
laptop, the question of what kind of buildings we need has become much more
general to its nature. In the fast changing academic environment generality is an
important factor for creating a long-term framework for flexible use of buildings
67
in support of knowledge exchange. The social exchange between individuals and
groups is much emphasised today and therefore places to meet have become
central in the discussion on knowledge development. Performative buildings must
provide advanced social environments, both field specific research environments
like departments and labs, and inter- and transdisciplinary environments like
foyers, cafeterias and lecture halls together with public spaces outdoors.
Property rights, social networks and local traditions
Successful knowledge development is tightly linked to the potential for developing
differences and specific knowledge profiles. Through polycentric property rights
this could be taken one step further and not stop at being a spatial division of land
but be reflected in jurisdictional units with the possibility of own resource manage-
ment. This would be extremely interesting from the perspective of research
activities as it opens up for independent institutes and research centres with the
freedom to make quick changes, develop their own networks and follow different
developments in general.
The actors behind such property rights do not have to be the research environ-
ments themselves but could include other actors focusing on the exchange of
knowledge. Conference venues, if run by someone external to the university, could
be used for activities outside academia, which in turn could offer new possibilities
for meetings between the university and the public. It might also be actors more
progressively engaged in arenas for such activities. Stockholm has the interesting
example of Färgfabriken (http://www.fargfabriken.se), which has established itself
as an area for general meetings and is actively trying to create linkages between
different professions within urban development. This arena outside the established
organisations and institutions has been vital since such an independent activity is
a property right of its own.
We suggest that Akademiska Hus, as the primary manager of the academic environ-
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
ments within the area, delegates responsibility and assign property rights to
assisting managers. This should include managers of both academic activities
and their facilities as well as for service activities like apartments and commerce.
Thus there will be a more fertile ground for developing research environments
with strong identities and distinct knowledge profiles making them internationally
competitive. Other actors capable of competently running and developing places
for knowledge exchange, from conference venues to “third places”, i.e. informal
meeting places outside the entities home and work and local association driven
activities, should be welcomed.
Polycentric property rights linked in social networks open up for an adaptive
management capable of keeping up with swift changes and windows of opportunity
that are encountered in the knowledge based society of today. It could be financial
opportunities, new collaborations, use of own premises etc. With a polycentric
68
responsibility for the management a more efficient and for the activities relevant
management can be promoted, be it a research institute, a conference company
or an allotment garden association with the ambition to communicate knowledge
about local cultivation.
In relation to knowledge exchange, polycentric property rights can be taken from a
purely managerial issue to actually address the development of knowledge about
the local environment or the use of the local environment as a study area. For
Albano Resilient Campus, the area itself is of strategic importance for local and
regional ecosystems, and there are many reasons for studying it. This should be
considered when deciding on which new and advanced knowledge environments
to establish in the area. Such research could be combined with studies of an
advanced social-ecological system; a place-based learning that could give birth
to a local adaptive management and an urban structure that could change and
develop continuously.
Taking yet another step further, the development may be viewed from a pedagogic
and public awareness perspective, where such activities as described above can
open up for interactions with the public, which could visit facilities and discover
new findings. This could be done either through exhibitions or by visiting areas
under study, which could be designed to accommodate such pedagogical activi-
ties. It is also possible to visualise special institutions assigned the task to run and
develop such activities, e.g. an exhibition hall, an auditorium or a small museum.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
69
4.3.5 Publicity:
Turning Albano into an internationally
competitive knowledge environment
with developed interfaces for meetings
and exchange of knowledge at many
levels requires that the area is per-
ceived as genuinely public. There are
many reasons for this, but foremost is
the nature of knowledge development
and knowledge exchange in the society
of today, where research and education
are far from isolated activities tied to
the academic environments. Instead,
the modern society and cities in devel-
oped economies should be seen as
permeated by knowledge development Figure 4.15
and knowledge exchange. Academic environments are condensed nodes in a
larger knowledge system rather than environments with exclusive rights to such
activities. Companies and other public administrations and offices are active in
knowledge development, which makes exchange between all actors a necessary
factor in all urban design. The backside is that the scrutiny and quality assessment
of new knowledge, as well as access to it, may short-circuit. This is another funda-
mental reason why nodes for knowledge development and exchange should be
situated in contexts exposed to the public. This can be achieved through different
forms of public access to new knowledge, e.g. databases, public libraries, publica-
tions in journals. Universities, colleges and different research centres also need to
be placed in a public context.
Green arteries
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Fundamental for creating a public space is that it is physically accessible to the
public. This goes beyond avoiding locked doors and fenced areas. It must be
easy getting to and through such spaces and they must be parts of a contiguous
urban space. There are many ways for achieving this, but one of the basics is to
make sure that there are public and easily navigated passages leading to and
through such environments. Such passages should not only lead to the area itself
but also connect to other areas in the city, making sites like Albano Resilient
Campus parts of a greater whole. This will contribute to more people moving
through the area, adding to the sense of publicity. People with other intentions
and interests spending time in and around the academic environments will add
diversity and even stronger publicity.
Publicity is not a question of who owns the land nor the rules and regulations
governing what is allowed to do in different places. Publicity is established through
70
University
T
Extension to Tvärbanan Solna
New metro stop
ALBANO
New tram line & park T
J
KI
KTH
T J
Karlberg T
Exention to Spårväg City
T
Central station
T
Figure 4.16: Potential for expanded railways. J
Highway in tunnel
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Valhallavägen is extended ALBANO
Dr. Kristinas väg is extended
Figure 4.17: Potential for expanded cycle- and walkways.
71
human practice. Many people using a place in a way that resembles a public space
not only leads to the perception of the place as public but to legal treatment as a
public space. To claim a place as public the degree of accessibility and connections
to surroundings are crucial, which is why placement and design of green arteries
are fundamental. There are different kinds of passages, not least arteries for
different kinds of transportation which enhances the potential for movement and
flows. The different means of rail bound transportation are important for Albano
Resilient Campus. Existing good coverage by the metro and Roslagsbanan, and
possibly a tram line in the future, should be taken advantage of and built upon. Car
traffic should not be made more difficult, especially since we know very little of
the cars of the future. Bicycles are today increasing exponentially, which must be
taken into account.
Especially important for publicity is the potential for moving around in and through
an area by foot. In many ways it is when you are walking that you contribute to the
feeling of publicity. By foot you can reach areas otherwise difficult to reach, and at
a pace that will keep you present in the area for a longer time. Passages of this
kind are thus seen as particularly important. Two factors decide the accessibility of
a passage for pedestrians: its geographic distance to other passages and places,
and its mental distance to other passages and places. If the geographic distance
is too great the destination will be less accessible and visited less often. Great
distances may thus work just as well, and much more subtly, as locked doors if
you want to keep an area secluded. We also need to consider the mental distance
to other passages, places and parts of the city. The mental distance is about ease
of navigation, which decreases with the number of turns and changes in elevation.
Short geographic distances can through design and placement become passages
that feel mentally much longer. Sometimes there are reasons for creating such
mental distances, for example if you want seclusion, but it lowers the accessibility.
Thus it is important to bridge both geographic and mental distances if you want to
achieve good accessibility, which is a prerequisite for true publicity.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
Active ground
Good accessibility is not enough to achieve true publicity. Not only the number
of people present is important; it is the diversity and composition of people, their
different backgrounds and reasons for being there that makes an urban space
feel truly public. This quality can be partly promoted by making sure an area like
Albano Resilient Campus is accessible, not only from the nearest surroundings
but also from further away. It can also be supported by offering opportunities for a
wide array of activities, or many different practitioners of the same activity, within
the area. Here the concept active ground is fundamental. Diversity is promoted by
the division of the area into many management units with different property and
user rights. This contributes to more people visiting the area for various reasons,
which creates greater diversity in the public space.
72
Performative buildings
Designing buildings and places to support such purposes may further strengthen
publicity. It might be assembly halls and auditoriums, but also public spaces
outdoors, specially designed to facilitate public meetings, manifestations and
events. With the kind of knowledge environment intended for Albano Resilient
Campus, opportunities for sharing spaces for events and manifestation by
academia and the rest of the society seem very good. Here what is often referred
to as “third place” is important. Cafeterias and restaurants are seen as especially
important since they can be used both by people working in the academic world
and people outside it. In this context it seems interesting to expand the concept to
include public knowledge institutes, e.g. libraries and museums. It would be an
inspiring challenge to design these in accordance with the needs of our present
knowledge based society so that they may function as meeting places between
academia and the rest of the society. Perhaps especially interesting for Albano
Resilient Campus are association based activities where local associations in
collaboration with groups of researchers or public administrations could engage
in local activities such as allotment gardening, experimental cultivation, trade with
local products, etc. All with great potential for exchange with the rest of the public.
Property rights, social networks and local traditions
The importance of devolving the initiative to develop public spaces should be rather
evident by now. You can easily imagine the difficulties facing a central manager
trying to develop and supply an attractive selection of knowledge facilities, meeting
places and service providers, especially if the intention is to attract people also
from outside academia. A polycentric structuring and delegation of property and
user rights to more managers of different kinds create potential for specialisa-
tion and special competence within different fields and a much greater diversity
in the supply. This cover the whole range, from running conference venues that
can be used by both academia and the rest of society, via knowledge institutes
like libraries, museums and “third places” like cafeterias and restaurants, to local
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
associations and corporations, all of which can be run by different managers with
different property rights.
Such polycentric distribution of management should provide greater capacity to
adapt to local conditions or external changes. Trends may change quickly and with
them the markets, which must be understood. It might be the number of visitors to
conferences or choices offered by restaurants, where not the least the number and
type of students can be critical. Connected to this is the potential to develop local
knowledge about what is economically feasible given a certain market and the site
specific conditions for good management. Especially important is the potential for
communicating knowledge about the local environment, which is of great interest
to many Stockholmers and not just to those locally active. Here the public spaces
described earlier are important.
73
4.3.6 Recreation:
Whatever the ambitions for research and education at Albano Resilient Campus
are, the location demands equally high ambitions for the area as a place for
high quality recreational experiences. Albano Resilient Campus has the poten-
tial to become one of the most important entrances to the National Urban
Park, both to the western part around the Brunnsviken inlet and to the eastern
Norra Djurgården with its unique assets and variation in recreational environ-
ments. More than an entrance, Albano Resilient Campus could become a dense
node both making the other parts of the park more accessible and offering an
aggregation of recreational opportunities in itself. Developing the Albano area
in congruence and agreement with already existing recreational values is one of
the primary objectives. These values are based on the unique cultural history and
biological values present in the National Urban Park. Recreational use of the area
is important also for increasing publicity and the exchange of knowledge between
academia and the rest of the society. We see great opportunities for synergies and
co-development of different activities within this interface, opportunities that must
not be lost in future planning.
Green arteries
To ensure that Albano assumes the role as entrance to the National Urban Park
and a node for the unique recreational opportunities existing there, Albano must
be made as accessible as possible. For doing this green arteries are essential.
Aside from the importance of rail bound transportation and the road Drottning
Kristinas Väg, we now want to bring up the road Roslagsvägen/Valhallavägen as
the potentially most important green artery in the area. Already, this passage func-
tions as a connected line accessing and touching at the National Urban Park in
a series of more or less manifest entrances. Unfortunately it is marred by a high
load of heavy traffic, reducing the attraction and accessibility for pedestrians and
cyclists. With the construction of Norra Länken the traffic load will be reduced,
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
especially the heavy and most disturbing traffic, and we see new opportunities to
change the form and use of Valhallavägen/Roslagsvägen.
We suggest that this passage, passing all the institutes along Valhallavägen
and the Albano area, to the tunnel entrance of Norra Länken close to Stockholm
University, is designed as an access promoting interface between Stockholm City
Central and the partially and unevenly developed parkland of Norra Djurgården.
Albano Resilient Campus should be designed to become one of the most impor-
tant entrances to the National Urban Park with a concentrated set of recreational
destinations on the site itself, e.g. parks, experimental fields and starting points
for different cultural and nature walks. The site could also become a starting
point for jogging and cycling tracks of high quality as well as for canoeing on
the Brunnsviken inlet.
74
Active ground
To make Albano Resilient Campus attractive in this regard diversity, again, should
be supported. As before, we see division of the land and distribution of property
rights to many actors as important. It can provide a wider array of recreational
activities, e.g. connected to research institutes or association based activities such
as allotment gardening and experimental fields. Actors interested in recreational
services are of course especially important. Services could be commercial, like
gyms or renting out bicycles or canoes, or non-profit like dissemination of know-
ledge to the public through a visitor centre with activities that for example could
include tours in the National Urban Park.
Performative buildings
To give the above suggested function a focus, a building especially designated
as a visitor centre should be planned and built. It should emphasise how human
cultivation and management of the biological landscape over time has created the
unique environment we see today. The centre would become both a starting point
for visits to the National Urban Park and a place for exhibitions, including thematic,
temporary exhibitions. The centre should be a small and alert museum with a
strong local connection that can keep up to date with current issues within the
environmental debate and complement the Natural History Museum. One impor-
tant aspect for strengthening the identity of this museum is to design the build-
ing itself to exemplify sustainable construction and showcase some of the most
recent technology. The building should be able to be changed over time to reflect
best practice as our understanding changes and develop, and thus be a prime
example of performative sustainable building.
Property rights, social networks and local traditions
We have already argued that it is important to make sure that the supply of activi-
ties and services is not only something offered from one central actor, and this
is just as true for recreational activities. Diversity should be built bottom-up by
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 4: Components
means of a polycentric management composed of many different managers and
kinds of management. Thus it is important to divide the land, and sometimes
buildings, into several management units with different property and user rights.
The expectation from theory is that such diversity should be more sensitive and
adaptive to changing conditions. For example, a more local, site specific manage-
ment may quickly change the recreational activities on supply to fit the weather.
Such a diverse management structure offers great opportunities for place-based
learning at Albano Resilient Campus, with regard to recreational issues. This is
achieved through the development of better and more attractive recreational
opportunities and activities through good local knowledge, and through offering
learning about the site and the rest of the National Urban Park recreational activi-
ties, e.g. cultural and nature walks, exhibitions and publications.
75
5
Conclusions
Social-ecological compositions
5.1 The Albano case:
Parallel to the theories and strategies
presented above, the working group
has continuously worked with design
outlines for the area. This “research
by design” has been very important to
test the applicability of different ideas
and to deepen our understanding of the
different parts.
In the following chapter we present the
conclusions from this work. We have
chosen to call the designs resilient
compositions since they deal with Figure 5.1: The topography creates a valley
several of the components described winding through the area.
earlier, combining them in different con-
figurations usually including both social
and ecological components. The compo-
sitions deal with several levels: from
large scale plans to local solutions to
specific problems. The compositions
ce
ntr
al
may be seen as examples of what the
sik
tlin
je
physical reality of Albano Resilient siktlinje från Bellevue
Campus might look like. We do not
have a final proposal and the compo-
sitions should be seen as a basis for
continued development of the project.
Figure 5.2: Important sight lines.
To get all the functions and uses
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
described earlier, the property must be divided into several units with manage-
ment responsibilities shared by many different actors. From the start it must be
clear for the actors which part of the property they are responsible for and what
their rights are. Actual use within the units may vary; a unit should not be viewed
as having a single function and each actor may well have several activities within
the unit. Activities open to the public are promoted within each unit.Conditions are
site specific and each actor has specific criteria for how to best carry out its acti-
vity, which must of course be considered when dividing the property.
Today houses and buildings follow the general topography and leave the valley
running east from Brunnsviken via the Söderbrunn allotment area relatively unde-
veloped. Here we envision a strip of parkland reaching through the area. Important
historical sight lines from the Bellevue peninsula has generally been considered
in earlier development and we see it as important that the present landscape
77
contour is preserved, e.g. by adjusting
the height of the houses to make sure
that the hilly sky line remains visible.
To attract people moving between
Stockholm University and KTH Royal
Institute of Technology to pass through
the area it is important to make the
mental distance as short as possible.
Therefore we want to create a sight
line and a pedestrian passage diago-
nally through the area, making sure
that the presence of Kräftriket is felt
already at AlbaNova on the other side Figure 5.3: Green arteries
Connect the transportation networks of the city.
of Roslagsvägen. This passage has the Clear passages and sight lines through the area.
potential to become the natural route Open public passage of parkland along the valley.
for cyclists and pedestrians passing
trough Albano Resilient Campus. Potential actors:
-Stockholm City
-Swedish Transport Administration
The first step is to divide the property -Akademiska Hus
and designate the parts to the diffe-
Services:
rent spatial components: green arter- -Publicity
ies, active ground and performative -Urban accessibility
buildings. The passages (green arte- -Diversity
ries) will ensure access to and routes -Security
-Attractiveness
through the area for different means -International competitiveness
of transportation. Trafikverket (the
Swedish Transport Administration) will
be responsible for rail-bound traf-
fic along Roslagsbanan and the industrial railway. Stockholm City will be
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
responsible for the major roads (except Norra Länken, which falls under the
Swedish Transport Administration). We propose a passage of parklands running
east-west through the area. This passage will be an important place for meet-
ings and encounters and we suggest a shared management by Stockholm City
and Akademiska Hus.
For the performative buildings the building proprietor will be ultimately respon-
sible, in this case most probably Akademiska Hus.
Active ground divide the property into a number of units to which different actors
are assigned property rights. Actors might be research institutes or cooperatives
like for example allotment garden associations or a water association. We further
propose an expansion of Söderbrunn allotment area when the road is moved from
the east to the west side of Roslagsbanan.
78
Figure 5.4: Active ground Figure 5.5: Performative buildings
The property is split up to ensure the diversity of Make use of aspects of the cultural history.
actors. Clear passages and sight lines through the area.
Potential actors: Potential actors:
-Akademiska Hus -Akademiska Hus
-Stockholm University -Stockholm University
-Tenants -Stockholm City
-Research institutes
-Stockholm Vatten Services:
-The Natural History Museum -Publicity
-The Swedish Association for Allotment Gardens -Diversity
-Söderbrunn Allotment Garden Association -Microclimate
-Bergianska Trädgården -Indoors climate
-Residents -Security
-Attractiveness
Services: -Diversity
-Diversity -Publicity
-Publicity -Attractiveness
-Attractiveness -International competitiveness
-International competitiveness
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
79
Figure 5.6: Research and education Figure 5.7: Public activities
Buildings and yards. Vast, connected Preferably at ground level. Facing the central
floors. Flexible premises. Assembly halls passages. Educational functions.
and conferences at ground level. Good
communications. Potential actors:
-Shops
Potential actors: -Restaurants/cafeterias
-Stockholm University -Visitor centre
-KTH Royal Institute of Technology -Demonstration gardens
-Karolinska Institutet
-Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Services:
-Stockholm School of Economics -Publicity
-Diversity
Services: -Security
-Exchange of knowledge -Recreation
-Publicity -Attractiveness
-Microclimate -International competitiveness
-Attractiveness
-International competitiveness
-Water treatment
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
80
Figure 5.8: Housing Figure 5.9: Green roofs
The upper floors. Attractive, good light conditions. Stepping stones for birds. South facing terraces
Accessibility. for the residents. Some roofs connect directly with
the ground.
Potential actors:
-SSSB Stiftelsen Stockholms Studentbostäder Potential actors:
-Housing firms -Research institutes
-Akademiska Hus
Services: -Residents
-Diversity
-Microclimate Services:
-Indoors climate -Exchange of knowledge
-Security -Publicity
-Attractiveness -Diversity
-International competitiveness -Air treatment
-Pollination
-Run-off water treatment
-Microclimate
-Indoors climate
-Recreation
-Attractiveness
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
81
Figure 5.10: Water association Figure 5.11: Allotment gardens
Connects Brunnsviken with the areas east of Söderbrunn expands. Creates a corridor for
Albano. A system of wetlands, ditches and ponds. pollinators. Units of at least ten plots. Sunny sites.
Public, educational functions.
Potential actors:
Potential actors: -The Swedish Association for Allotment Gardening
-Akademiska Hus -Söderbrunn allotment garden association
-Stockholm Vatten
-The Natural History Museum Services:
-The National Property Board -Exchange of knowledge
-Research institutes -Publicity
-Tenants -Diversity
-Security
Services: -Air treatment
-Exchange of knowledge -Pollination
-Publicity -Microclimate
-Diversity -Recreation
-Microclimate -Attractiveness
-Water treatment
Blandskog -Recreation
Frisk gräsmark -Attractiveness
Fuktig gräsmark
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Hygge / plantskog
Hällmark
Hällmarkstallskog
Odlingsmark
Sumpskog
Torr gräsmark
Trädklädd myr
med flytbladsvegetation
med vass etc.
Ädellövskog
Öppen myr
Övrig barrskog
Övrig lövskog
Figure 5.14: The new development will
complement the biotopes in the surroundings.
(see also fig. 4.6)
82
Figure 5.12: Experimental gardens Figure 5.13: SYNTHESIS
Good growing conditions. Public, educational The synthesis leads to a diverse blend of
functions, e.g. a climate change garden. functions, actors and activities in the area.
Potential actors:
-The Natural History Museum
-Research institutes
-Bergius Botanic Garden
-Stockholm University
Services:
-Exchange of knowledge
-Diversity
-Publicity
Figure 5.15: spatial organisation
-Air treatment
The program is organised spatially so that each
-Pollination
actor gets the best opportunities.
-Microclimate
Public activities on the ground floor with
-Recreation
entrances facing the street. Institutions occupy
-Attractiveness
the main body of the buildings. Housing for
students and researchers is located on top of the
institutions facing south/west, thus enjoying the
best sun and a beautiful view of the water whilst
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
protecting the institutions from overheating.
Green roofs become part of the landscape to the
north/east or private and public terraces to the
south/west.
HOUSING
TERRACES
INSTITUTION INSTITUTION
VISITOR’S CENTER PUBLIC / COMMERCIAL PUBLIC / COMMERCIAL
83
Synthesis
All in all, this leads to a diverse blend of functions, actors and activities in the
area. We will find research of highest international standard, allotment gardeners
cultivating the land, students milling around in the streets and parklands, people
out on their Sunday walks and visitors to the National Urban Park. We will also
find a plethora of plants, animals and biotopes. The diversity of environments and
actors will be a fertile soil for many different meetings and developments. This is,
as explained earlier, one of the central tenets of the resilience theory.
To be able to judge the effectiveness of the different measures tested in Albano
Resilient Campus they must be seen in a broader context. The aim is to make the
area interact with the rest of the city and strengthen passages for humans as well
as other species.
The street system connects to that of the rest of the city primarily via roads
Valhallavägen and Drottning Kristinas Väg, and secondarily via the pedestrian
passage along Brunnsviken. Moreover, a new walkway along the industrial rail-
way would connect Norra Stationsområdet, Karolinska Institutet, Albano Resilient
Campus, Norra Djurgårdsstaden and Värtahamnen.
The parkland passage through the area will become a new entrance from the city
to the National Urban Park, and vice versa. The location of the visitor centre will be
strategically important.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Figure 5.16: Panoramic view of the new parkland passage.
84
Universitetet
ALBANO
Norra Djurgårdsstaden
Karolinska
KTH
Norra station
Figure 5.17: Streets (red) and walkways (green) connect to the existing street system.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Figure 5.18: The parkland passage through the area will be the new gateway between the city and the
National Urban Park.
85
5.2 Design of active ground:
Two things are especially important
to remember when designing the
landscape. The first is that each actor
must have a clear space for action.
The boundaries between manage-
ment units will play a critical role.
The second is the multifunctionality
of the spatial components. A buil-
ding or a landscape element has not
just one function to fill. A façade is not
just something separating inside from
outside, it should also advertise the
building, let in light etc. It may also
have other functions, e.g. serve as a
wind break reducing the need for heat-
ing, provide habitat for birds and other
animals or produce electricity through
solar panels.
In the same way design can do bet-
ter than to use simple fences to sepa-
rate land units. Figure 5.19 is showing
a catalogue over a number of perfor-
mative borders offering additional
functions to just separating different
units. Examples include ditches (which
take care of run-off water, help irriga-
tion and facilitate animal movements)
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
and gabion walls (which combine
aesthetics, offer somewhere to sit
down, and wintering possibilities for
amphibians provided that they reach
below the frost line).
On the landscape scale we work with
contrasts between open and vegetated
areas, and see it as important to pre-
serve the feeling of openness in the
east-west passage running through the
valley.
Figure 5.19:A catalogue of performative borders
86
87
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
5.3 Design of green arteries:
We have identified three main passa-
ges on the Albano property: Drottning
Kristinas Väg, Roslagsvägen and the
Railway Park.
Drottning Kristinas Väg
The road Drottning Kristinas Väg is
today leading through the campus of Universitetet
KTH Royal Institute of Technology. We
propose an extension crossing Albano
Resilient Campus and connecting the
area with Kräftriket and Stockholm
University.
We see this extension as the central, ALBANO
urban passage through Albano Resi-
Norra Djurgårdsstaden
lient Campus, and the design approach
is relevant also for other impervious
surfaces in the area. Most of the car
Karolinska
traffic will be channelled around the
area, which offers certain freedom KTH
when designing the passage. It is
important that the passage provides a
Norra station
sight line through the area and beyond,
thus shortening the mental distance
and making sure you “can see where
you are walking”.
Figure 5.20: Location of Drottning Kristinas väg
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
In terms of motor traffic the passage should be open for emergency vehicles,
snow ploughs and delivery vehicles, but since these will be infrequent a perme-
able surface could be used, e.g. reinforced grass. These are superior from a run-
off perspective, as they allow water to infiltrate directly, and may also function as
dispersal corridors for animals and plants. The surface will be interrupted by a
scatter of vegetated plots or ditches/small ponds further facilitating water infil-
tration. The passage should be designed to retain options for future development
and novel solutions to transportation issues. Personal Rapid Transit, either on the
ground or suspended in the air, might be one such.
The façades facing the passage should be designed to let vegetation continue
vertically. This could be achieved either through espaliers, terraces or layered
plantings. Such design improves the climate both indoors (through shading and
wind break) and outdoors (shading and evaporative cooling).
88
Figure 5.21: Outline of street section;
Drottning Kristinas Väg.
Universitetet
Roslagsvägen
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
The road Roslagsvägen is the main
route passing through Albano Resilient
Campus and will remain so even after
the completion of Norra Länken. Today
it constitutes a barrier running through
the National Urban Park, a severing
that might be remedied through de- ALBANO
sign. One approach would be to plant
Norra Djurgårdss
vegetation alongside the road. To func-
tion as a corridor for bird movements
such a passage should be structurally Karolinska
diverse, i.e. contain vegetation with
different heights—ground vegetation, KTH
shrubs and trees. Figure 5.22: Location of Roslagsvägen
Norra station
89
Another approach would be to create underpasses under the road. Figure 5.23
shows how the system of ponds, ditches and wetlands passes under Roslagsvägen
on its way to Brunnsviken. Finally, it passes under a boardwalk along the inlet.
Thus we want to demonstrate how ecological features can be made visible and
become experiences for visitors. Making visitors aware of ecological functions in
their surroundings is the first step towards increased understanding and, in exten-
sion, changed behaviour.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Figure 5.23: Outline of street section; Roslagsvägen
90
The Railway Park
The Railway Park is a linear passage along the industrial railway running east-
west through the property. The passage increases the accessibility to and from
the area, providing people with a pleasant promenade bordered with greenery. It
is important not to place anything that encourages people to enter the safety zone
along the railway. Instead, this zone could be stocked with features making it a
high quality corridor for a number of species, including pollinating insects, small
mammals and birds. The vegetation should be chosen strategically to support
ecosystem services, e.g. pollination and seed dispersal. Especially exposed areas
University
may need fences or barriers to ensure security. These barriers could be covered
T
with vegetation.
Extension to Tvärbanan Solna
New metro stop
ALBANO
New tram line & park T
J
KI
KTH
T J
Karlberg T
Exention to Spårväg City
T
Figure 5.24: Location of the railway park and possible extentions.
Central station
Wild bees are important for pollination since they provide higher response diversity
T
compared to domestic bees (see chapter 2). J Many species of wild bees rely on a
continuous supply of suitable flowers and sites for nesting. These two resources
must be located close enough to allow daily movements between them. The vege-
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
tation in the Railway Park could be colour coded with bands of different colours
attracting different species. If these bands recur regularly they may lead organisms
from one side of the park to the other. Wild bees can be further promoted by supply-
ing nest boxes placed in sunny sand or gravel slopes, like those provided by the
railway embankment. On a larger scale the nest boxes can be placed to form larger
patterns that help wild bees to navigate. To support many different species the
passage should contain many different biotopes; not only suitable habitat for wild
bees and butterflies but also rock outcrops, coppices with conifers and other trees.
If harbour Värtahamnen or the transports going to and from it would change loca-
tion or be rerouted in the future the railway has potential to instead become part of
the public transportation network. It could connect either to Tvärbanan at Solna or
to Spårväg City via Karlberg.
91
Figure 5.24: Outline of the Railway Park: Nest
boxes for bees, vegetated protective barrier,
colour coded flower beds.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Figure 5.25: Outline of the Railway Park:
Conifers, exposed bedrock, Salix species, flowers
and fruit trees.
92
Where the Railway Park borders built-up areas trees could be replaced with vege-
tated pergolas, offering shade to the promenade and future railway stations.
Figure 5.26: Outline of the Railway Park: Tram stop.
A very sensitive area is where the Railway Park crosses Roslagsvägen. This would
be a suitable place for an ecoduct connecting Albano Resilient Campus to Bellevue
and Hagaparken. Large ecoducts unfortunately have boring, shaded underpasses.
We propose a different design that could have additional symbolic and values. A
two-layered shell of metal mesh functions as a vegetated tube enclosing the rail-
way. The space between the two shells can be filled with soil, making the tube both
a plantation and an espalier. The cylindrical shape provides structural stability.
We suggest planting the tube with flowering plants to attract butterflies and other
pollinators, like a meadow folding on itself. This would provide a new entrance to
the area and a manifestation of the new development.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Figure 5.27: Outline of the Railway Park: Ecoduct
93
5.4 Design of performative buildings:
Strategies based on local conditions
should be mandatory. Information on
local climate, wind, sun exposure and
temperatures are fundamental for
the design of buildings and outdoors
environments. Deliberate placement,
form and orientation of buildings, with
respect to local climate; provide good
conditions for favourable micro-climate
and attractive public spaces. Form
itself, through bio-climatology, can
greatly reduce the need for heating and
cooling in the buildings.
The buildings in Albano Resilient Campus will be energy efficient, primarily
through their placement, orientation and form, i.e. through passive design. Local
renewable energy sources will be utilised and integrated into the design, i.e. an
active system. Water from Brunnsviken can be used for heating or cooling. The
proposed southward facing terraces will be ideal for solar panels.
Generality is central for reducing the amount of waste products. In the fast changing
academic world new demands and needs will arise. The architecture must be
designed for long-term usability and to be able to accommodate changing needs
Figure 5.28: Conceptual Section
Unbroken urban connection one direction
and unbroken park-like feeling in the other.
Residential apartments with terraces facing south
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
and west at the upper floors.
HOUSING
PARK
TERRACES STREET
PARK
INSTITUTION INSTITUTION
VISITOR’S CENTER PUBLIC / COMMERCIAL PUBLIC / COMMERCIAL
HEATING & COOLING FROM BRUNNSVIKEN
94
Figure 5.29: Green roofs function as stepping Figure 5.30: Semi-open facade green house
stones for birds and other flying organisms, - Double-glass facade as green house.
connecting Norra Djurgården and Hagaparken. - Plants enhance indoor air quality.
- Outer shell open to pollinators but not to birds
with minimal environmental impact. - Inner shell open to air but not to insects
- Automatically shut in cold weather
Generality in spatial dimensions, num- - Prolongs the plant season
ber of floors and installations provide - Connects to surrounding eco systems
a framework that allows flexible and - Maintanance from inside without skylifts
adaptive use of the buildings over time.
When in use, the new development
will consist of zero energy buildings,
changing the relation to energy use
during the construction phase. Looking
at the whole life cycle of a building,
saving energy in the construction phase
and choice of building material become
critical for reducing the total energy
need. Less energy demanding materi-
als, e.g. recycled materials, are much
to be preferred.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
The green building components sug-
gested (roofs, walls and yards) have
performative qualities in addition to
functions as bird habitats etc. The
vegetation functions as an insulating
layer, offers shade and has an evapo-
rative cooling effect during summer.
Treatment of run-off water is facilitated
by the extensive green, permeable
surfaces. Multifunctionality should be a
guiding principle at all levels.
95
Case study: Hydrophile - Hydrodynamic
Green Roof, by s.e.r.v.o. 2010
Speculative proposal for a green roof system commissioned for the exhibition
Envelopes in 2010.
Project Description
The Hydrophile prototype is part of an ongoing research project exploring the
development of synthetic architectural systems that are informed by the forma-
tion, function, or structure of biologically produced substances and materials as
well as biological mechanisms and processes. In contradistinction to a biomimetic
approach where biological models are emulated for their tectonic and morphologi-
cal properties, we are taking a design
approach that can be characterized
as bioinformational—a responsive,
bi-directional approach to the design
of synthetic systems that takes into
account their inherent material and
physical biases and integrates them
with performances gleaned from the
biological realm.
The Hydrophile derives its name in
part from the hydrodynamic proper-
ties found in the shell of the Namib
Desert beetle. A coalescence between
formal and material performance
occurs at a micro scale in the shell of
the beetle where hydrophilic (water
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
attracting) and hydrophobic (water
repelling) regions are interspersed to
collect and direct the flow of water. In
the Hydrophile prototype this principle
ill: s.e.r.v.o.
is applied on an architectural scale for
the design of a hydrodynamic green
roof system. The extensive green roof
typology usually comprised of a thin, primarily horizontal substrate for growing
low-water plants and enabling rainwater run-off is reconsidered in this project to
produce an occupiable zone characterized by immersive depth.
The primary performative aspect of the Hydrophile is the cultivation of biotopes on
and through a variegated roofscape augmented with systems for percolating water
through soil substrates.
96
ensive urban ecolo-
al performance will
nto account aspects
urrents, vegetational
e proposal is consid-
bles new patterns of
illiam Mohline
ill: s.e.r.v.o.
YDRO DYN A MIC GREEN ROOF The vegetation system applied to the roof of the Hydrophile building relates
Conducting research into rich fensthe interac-
ill: s.e.r.v.o.
to the existing biotopes in and around the Albano region in Stockholm and
ranges from open water surfaces and to dry heathlands and bare
tion between organic and synthetic
substrate or roof. The main driving factors for the design of the Hydrophile
building and its plant communities are the substrate thicknesses, substrate
design, and the roof topography / roof geometry. The roof topography is used
a green roof system commissioned for matter,
the exhibition we place an emphasis on
to direct water to depressions where large amounts can be stored to support
wet meadows and even more wet areas such as fens. The substrate thickness
design isowsused techniques where morpho-
to create vegetational gradients ranging from shrublands and mead-
on thicker substrates to dry meadows and heathland on thin substrate
layers.
logical and The
material
substrates on the site are
properties
in part based on local
become
soil material. This will
allied by the toreduce
generate structural, environ-
pe is part of an ongoing research project exploring
hetic architectural systems that are informed the need for transport and utilize a resource that is otherwise with-
structure of biologically produced substances and out value. The soil at the site is high in pH. The local material is mixed with
mental, inorganic
mechanisms and processes. In contradistinction to a
ere biological models are emulated for their tectonic
and
recycled roof tiles.affective
All soil materials are testedperformance.
porous aggregates such as pumice, lava, crushed leca, or preferably
for possible toxic or harmful
substances.
mational - a responsive, bi-directionalIn Hydrophile the material properties
erties, we are taking a design approach that can be
approach to LEGEND
stems that takes into account their inherent material As the intention of this project is to addresses more extensive urban ecolo- Hydrophobic surfaces
ntegrates them with performances gleaned of fromsynthetic
the ceramics with varying
gies, techniques for coupling morphological and material performance will
be deployed on a variety of scales in the project taking into account aspects
Hydrophilic surfaces
Intermediate surfaces
degreesofcommunities, of porosity
and toxic areas inand surface treat-
the local ecosystem including hydrological flows, air currents, vegetational Water flow directions
its name in part from the hydrodynamic proper- need of remediation. The proposal is consid-
HYDRODYNAMIC DIAGRAM: OF GREEN ROOF CORNER
ered as a constituent of an urban infrastructure that enables new patterns of
ments
shell of the are coupled
f the Namib Desert beetle. A coalescence between
ormance occurs at a micro scale in the occupancy to emerge on andwith through themorphology
site. of
c (water attracting) and hydrophobic (water repel-
ersed to collect and direct the flow ofprotuberant
Hydrophile:forms
Hydrodynamicin Greenorder to perform
water. In the
s principle is applied on an architectural scale for the Roof
as hydrophilic
c green roof system. The extensive green roof typol-
of a thin, primarily horizontal substrate for growing
by servo
and hydrophobic agents.
Project architects
The protuberant
bling rainwater runoff is reconsidered in this project
e zone characterized by immersive depth. Marcelyn Gow, Ulrika Karlsson morphology of the
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
roofscape
e aspect of the Hydrophile is the cultivation
a variegated roofscape augmented with systems for
of bi-
Marcelyndirects
Design team
the
Gow, Ulrika Karlsson, Jonahflow
Fritzell of water to
irrigate organic matter—dirt.
ill: s.e.r.v.o.
h soil substrates.
the interaction between organic and synthetic mat- Green Roof / Ecology Consultant
is on design techniques where morphological and Tobias Emilsson, Ecologist, PhD
me allied to generate structural, environmental, and
Hydrophile the material properties of synthetic ce- Funding
The Hydrophile
ees of porosity and surface treatments are coupled
otuberant forms in order to perform as hydrophilic
green roof is incor-
Vetenskapsrådet (the Swedish Research Council)
porated KTHinto a proposed buildingWilliam Mohlinefor
. The protuberant morphology of the roofscape di- Special Thanks
irrigate organic matter - dirt. School of Architecture, Hanna Erixon, Lars Marcus,
bioscience
of is incorporated into a proposed building for biosci- innovation located in the
n the Albano region of Stockholm. Volumes housing
Albano
the bioscience center are suspended within a more
ope that is partially below grade on the existing site.
Resilient Campus in Stockholm.
Volumes
ll experience the green roof from several vantage
e (walking amidst a dense landscape of indigenous housing the various programs
ded ceiling system that pulls down to of close the
proxim- bioscience centre are suspended
with protuberant forms that emit water, air or light);
m within (in the interior of the auditorium space and
within
eas designed for the cultivation of vegetation in semi a more extensive building enve-
icroclimates). The roofscape is thus extremely varied
lope
rance has a specific performance in the green roof
ventilation, lighting, or irrigation). that is partially below grade on
the existing site. Visitors to the centre
ill: s.e.r.v.o.
ated into a system of urban green surfaces that pro-
he migration of species, possibly supporting existing
will experience the green roof from
abitat networks. The plant material for the green roof
eeding, planting, and hay transfer from local similar
LEGEND
Hydrophobic surfaces
several vantage points: either from
ned to promote the biodiversity of plant and animal Hydrophilic surfaces
Intermediate surfaces
ocal environment. Water flow directions
HYDRODYNAMIC DIAGRAM: OF GREEN ROOF CORNER
97
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
98
DRY SYSTEMS substrate 0 - 70 mm WET SYSTEMS substrate 200- 350 mm
drainage 11 mm drainage 11 mm
The thinnest vegetation systems will be dominated by Water is a key element in the roof design of the Albano
drought tolerant grasses, herb and succulents on the thicker building. The building is located in the western fringe of the
sections, and by bryophytes/moss and lichen on thinner PLAN 1 : 200 nationalstadspark a short distance from the Brunnsviken
sites and on edges towards bare roofing material. These thin bay in the east. A thoughtful design of the water system on
vegetation systems will in many cases look similar to the roof and on the lot could would increase available wet
constructed traditional green roof systems or mimic more habitats in the area and support movement of amphibians
naturally occurring alvar systems. The substrate layers will from the wet areas in the west and towards the protected
have a neutral to alkaline reaction and range from 0 cm areas in east.
depth up to 7cm.
The vegetation will be established using cuttings
(succulents) and seeds (grasses and herbs). Planting will be PLANT COMMUNITIES SPECIES
made in certain spots. Bryophytes will be left for spontane-
ous colonisation Wet Deschampsia (Tall grass meadow) Achillea millefolium
Agrostis capillaris
Anthriscus sylvestris
SPECIES PLANT COMMUNITIES Carex nigra
Desehampsia cespitosa
Allium schoenoprasum Festuca pratensis
Alvar
Arenaria serpyllifolia Festuca rubra
Erophila verna Filipendula ulmaria
Geranium pusillum Leueanthemum vulgare
Melica ciliata Phleum pratense
Satureja acinos Poa pratensis
Sedum acre Potentilla anserina
Sedum album Ranunculus acris
Path Ranunculus repens
Allium schoenoprasum Rumex acetosa
Dry meadow on bedrock
Artemisia campestris Succisa pratensis
Festuca ovina
Festuca rubra
Sedum album Tall sedge mire Agrostis canina
Thymus serpyllum Caltha palustris
Carex paniculata
Carex pseudocyperus
Allium oleraceum Dry meadow rich in herbs on bedrock
Cirsium palustre
Allium schoenoprasum
Cladium mariscus
Anthyllis vulneraria
Deschampsia caespitosa
Artemisia campestris
Equisetum fluviatile
Briza media
Equisetum palustre
Centaurea jacea
Eriophorum angustifolium
Centaurea scabiosa
Filipendula ulmaria
Festuca ovina
Iris pseudacorus
Filipendula vulgaris
Lysimachia nummularia
Fragaria viridis
Lysimachia thyrsiflora
Galium verum
Lysimachia vulgaris
Helictotrichon pratense
Lythrum salicaria
Helictotrichon pubescens
Phalaris arundinacea
Plantago media
Phragmites australis
Plantago lanceolata
Schoenoplectus lacustris
Poa compressa
Solanum dulcamara
Potentilla argentea
Thelypteris palustris
Potentilla tabernaemotani
Typha angustifolia
Primula veris
Typha latifolia
Pulsatilla vulgaris
Viola epipsila
Thymus serphyllum
Viola palustris
Trifolium montanum
Verbascum thapsus
Veronica spicata
Fen Carex diandra
Carex elata
substrate 150 - 300 mm Carex flacca
M E A D O W V E G E TAT I O N drainage 25 mm Carex panicea
Eriophorum angustifolium
Increasing substrate layers will allow higher and more domi- Eriophorum latifolium
nant vegetation as compared to the drier areas. This will Filipendula ulmaria
Menyanthes trifoliata
allow a larger range of plants. These systems will have Parnassia palustris
supplementary irrigation with recycled water. Pedicularis palustris (halvparasit)
Primula farinosa
Succisa pratensis
Trichophorum alpinum
SPECIES PLANT COMMUNITIES
Anthriscus sylvestris False Oatgrass meadow
Arrhenatherum elatills
Artemisia vulgaris
HYDROPHILE BIOTOPE LEGEND BIOTOPE MAP LEGEND
Centaurea jacea
Cerastium fontanum sp vulg. DRY SYSTEMS
Cirsium vulgare Cultivated land
Dactylis glomerata Alvar, dry meadow on bedrock Rich meadow
Festuca pratensis
Festuca rubra Dry meadow rich in herbs on bedrock
Heracleum sphondylium
Dry meadow
Holcus lanatus
Knautia arvensis MEADOW VEGETATION
Heath bedrock
Leucanthemum vulgare
Plantago lanceolata False oatgrass meadow
Rumex acetosa Flower-, intermediate rich meadow
Veronica chamaedrys Open mire
WET SYSTEMS
Agrostis capillaris Flower meadow Semi-dense urban fabric
Ajuga pyramidalis Wet deschampsia, tall grass meadow
Anthoxanthum odoratum This vegetation system is com- Coniferous forest
Campanula patula prised of a rather low meadow Tall sedge mire
Campanula persicifolia type with high herb diversity. It is Hardwood
Fen
Festuca rubra maintained through cutting but Deciduous forest
Helictotrichon pubescens
also through careful plant selec-
Hieracium aurantiacum Mixed forest
tion. This vegetation type will also planned wet ground
Hypochoeris maculata
Knautia arvensis include hemiparasitic plants that
Leontodon autumnalis have been shown to influence
Leontodon hispidus plant dynamics and dominance BIOTOPE MAP OF STOCKHOLM, ALBANO REGION
Leontodon hispidus between Stockholm University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. 4 km from Stockholm
between species.
Leucanthemum vulgare City Centre
Lotus corniculatus
Plantago media
Poa pratensis
Potentilla crantzii
Primula veris
Rhinanthus minor
Scorzonera humilis
Verbascum nigrum
HEADER BIOTOPE MAP OF STOCKHOLM, ALBANO REGION
Intermediate rich meadow between Stockholm University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. 4 km from Stockholm City Centre
Alchemilla spp.
Anthoxanthum odoratum
Briza media
Deschampsia cespitosa
Festuca ovina
Filipendula ulmaria
Galium boreale
Geranium sylvaticum
Geum rivale
Hypericum maculatum
Hypochoeris maculata
Knautia arvensis
Luzula multiflora
Potentilla erecta
Prunella vulgaris
Ranunculus auricomus
Rhinanthus minor
Rumex acetosa
Solidago virgaurea
Veronica chamaedrys
Viola canina
Viola riviniana
BIOTOPE PLAN OF HYDROPHILE Source: reformatted and translated from biotope map of Stockholm [Kartografiskt material].
/data collection: Katarina Löfvenhaft and Siv Runborg during 1994-98; map editor: Joakim
Lannek
HYDROPHILE BIOTOPE LEGEND BIOTOPE MAP LEGEND
DRY SYSTEMS Cultivated land
Alvar, dry meadow on bedrock Rich meadow
ill: s.e.r.v.o.
Dry meadow rich in herbs on bedrock
Dry meadow
MEADOW VEGETATION
Heath bedrock
False oatgrass meadow
Flower meadow, intermediate rich meadow Open mire
WET SYSTEMS
Semi-dense urban fabric
Wet deschampsia, tall grass meadow
Coniferous forest
Tall sedge mire
Hardwood
above (walking amidst a dense landscape of indigenous vegetation intertwined
with protuberant forms that emit water, air or light); from below (as a suspended
ceiling system that pulls down to close proximity with the floor); or from within
(in the interior of the auditorium space and specialized laboratory areas designed
for the cultivation of vegetation in semi climatically-controlled microclimates). The
roofscape is thus extremely varied in section. Each protuberance has a specific
performance in the green roof system (i.e. apertures for ventilation, lighting, or
irrigation).
The roofscape is incorporated into a system of urban green surfaces that provide
important links for the migration of species, possibly supporting existing biotope
structures and habitat networks. The plant material for the green roof is estab-
lished through seeding, planting, and hay transfer from local similar habitats.
Thus, it is designed to promote the biodiversity of plant and animal species particu-
lar to its local environment.
The vegetation system applied to the roof of the Hydrophile building relates to
the existing biotopes in and around the Albano area and ranges from open water
surfaces and rich fens to dry heathlands and bare substrate or roof. The main driv-
ing factors for the design of the Hydrophile building and its plant communities are
the substrate thickness, substrate design, and the roof topography/roof geometry.
The roof topography is used to direct water to depressions where large amounts
can be stored to support wet meadows and even more wet areas such as fens. The
substrate thickness is used to create vegetation gradients ranging from shrub-
lands and meadows on thicker substrates to dry meadows and heathland on thin
substrate layers.
The substrates on the site are in part based on local soil material. This will reduce
the need for transport and utilize a resource that is otherwise without value. The
soil at the site is high in pH. The local material is mixed with inorganic porous
aggregates such as pumice, lava, crushed leca, or preferably recycled roof tiles. All
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
soil materials are tested for possible toxic or harmful substances.
As the intention of this project is to address more extensive urban ecologies, tech-
niques for coupling morphological and material performance will be deployed on
a variety of scales in the project taking into account aspects of the local ecosystem
including hydrological flows, air currents, plant communities, and toxic areas in
need of sanitation. The proposal is considered as a constituent of an urban infra-
structure that enables new patterns of occupancy to emerge on and through the
site.
Project Architects: Marcelyn Gow, Ulrika Karlsson, s.e.r.v.o.
Design Team: Marcelyn Gow, Ulrika Karlsson, Jonah Fritzell
Green Roof/Ecology Consultant:Tobias Emilsson, Ecologist, PhD
Funding: Vetenskapsrådet (the Swedish Research Council)
99
5.5 Institutional compositions:
Resilience through place specific social-ecological design is founded on the ability
to learn from constantly changing circumstances and, based on this new know-
ledge, make new decisions, either to resist or embrace change (adaptive capacity),
or to direct change more actively (transformative capacity). The question is who
should learn, how they should learn and who should make the decisions. Based
on the insights presented in chapter 2 we argue that more learning and decision
making should be devolved to the local level. This will require rules and norms for
monitoring, learning and decision making within and in relation to the area. In the
language used in the resilience literature social institutions (Ostrom 1990) shape
the growth and development of such social processes, and we have dedicated this
final part to the articulation of a number of social-ecological design principles that
provide both institutions and physical form that support ecosystem- and urban
services. Though based in the Albano Resilient Campus we argue that these prin-
ciples could be used as starting points for discussing and designing institutions
and physical forms in other places as well, with due consideration of the local
culture and ecology.
Resilience is not just a matter of ecological or physical design. It is also shaped
and changed by social institutions (Hanna et al. 1996; Folke et al. 2005). A clari-
fying example is the property rights studies of fishermen along the coast of Turkey
who since the 1970s have managed to establish a long-term management of fish
stocks by an intricate system of rules for where and when, and by whom, fishing
is allowed (Hanna et al. 1996). Key aspects for the continuation of such rules, also
when new actors enter the arena, are access to social arenas where the fishermen
can meet (i.e. real locations like the harbour, the bar or the square) and that actors
breaking the rules can be disciplined and sanctioned, either through paying a social
price (e.g. people refusing to talk to them) or through a material price (e.g. fines or
restrictions on their fishing activities). Relationships, or social networks, between
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
fishermen are important for maintaining a rule system that supports long-term
fishing. Though Ostrom is less explicit on this point it is clear that the local tradi-
tions (Berkes and Folke 1998), supporting norms and rules are influenced by these
networks (Barnes 1954; Bodin 2006; Ernstson et al. 2010). Studies of allotment
gardeners point to similar principles. Results highlight the importance of spatial
proximity to each other (an aspect of the physical design) and annual meetings and
coffee breaks not only for maintaining rules (e.g. that you must manage actively)
but also for facilitating social learning about local ecosystems (Barthel et al. 2010).
It is not surprising that the individual can learn more and much faster if the social
practise (e.g. fishing or cultivation) is shared with others, and that the collective
local knowledge about ecosystems and their dynamics accumulate over time if the
practise is site specific (Barthel et al. 2010). The site specific learning and detailed
knowledge about past dynamics that are so important for adaptive management
arise through a shared site, shared social networks and shared practice.
100
Social-ecological design for increased resilience must on one hand strive to
support local knowledge about the social-ecological dynamics of a site, through
the knowledge generating practises of local groups. On the other hand, such site
specific, local knowledge must be linked to groups working at a higher level and
thus being able to contribute with knowledge about the larger political, economic
and ecological context. This could be realised through building social networks,
i.e. social relationships strong enough for groups active on different levels to be
able to understand and trust each other, where a deeper and more comprehensive
picture can be negotiated and re-examined over time (Ernstson et al. 2010). Based
on such a scale crossing understanding, increased awareness of local dynamics
can be used for detection, interpretation and decision making. However, an actor
cannot be designated a specific position in a social network (Borgatti et al. 2009).
Instead, social networks should be seen as emerging spontaneously in relation to
social institutions, culture and spatial morphology.
may
mar
aug
nov
jun
apr
dec
dec
jan
sep
jan
oct
feb
feb
jul
Meetings Time
National/
international
Stockholm
level
NUP
Albano
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
Local
Actors
Figure 5.31: The area has a number of actors active at different levels. Several meetings are held during
the year where the actors can interact.
One mechanism for establishing social relationships is meetings. Meetings socia-
lise (sharing the same experiences and information lead to shared understanding)
and increase the time spent together and thus the chances of getting to know each
other (Field et al. 2006; Frank 2009). Design can promote meetings, at least to
some extent, through establishing rules for where to meet and whom to invite.
Research has shown that if people attend the same meetings over time chances
are much better that they establish direct social relationships (Diani and Bison
2004; Frank 2009), a fact well known by business executives and social movements.
Spatial context 101
In figure 5.32 we show how meetings between groups of actors active at diffe-
rent levels, from allotment garden associations and people managing the wetlands
to representatives for The Ecopark Association (umbrella organisation with the
aim to protect the National Urban Park from exploitations that could harm the
natural and cultural values), Stockholm University, Stockholm City etc., may
promote a scale crossing network. The prescribed pattern of meetings may over
time act to stabilise social relationships suitable for place-based learning and
adaptive management.
The incitements for why individuals and groups should allocate time and resources
to come to these meetings are important. Mechanisms are needed that either
attract actors to come to the meetings or discourage absence, or both. This is
where time-bound contracts could be important, and we argue that these are
important social-ecological design components together with the form elements
of green arteries, active ground and performative buildings.
Spatial form and institutions for promoting a continuous process of meetings
should be visible and understood as part of a tradition of public participation, what
we have chosen to call local tradition. To be robust such a design should include
contracts for everyone with property rights to participate in decision making
and knowledge generating activities. This may be implemented through inclu-
ding formal obligations to allocate resources for these meetings within the property
rights. Those organisations active in the management of ecosystems on Albano
Resilient Campus, through tenure, user contracts and ownership, should thus
be mandated and obligated to attend meetings. This would include Akademiska
Hus, Stockholm University, allotment garden associations and other stake-
holders but exclude the broader public. The latter would, however, be represented
by Stockholm City.
One vision (of many possible) for how this may be organised is to have general
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
meetings two times per year where management of the local ecosystems is
discussed. In between these general meetings regular, smaller meetings with
fewer participants focus on distinct ecosystem services. Such a structure for
meetings depends on stakeholder groups allocating time, resources and respon-
sibilities so that they can participate in these discussions on the management of
the area. In summary, social-ecological design includes elements such as social
networks and institutions for joint knowledge generation. It promotes the develop-
ment of a tradition of public participation, i.e. developing the norm and practise of
reaching management decisions through discussions between the stakeholders in
the area. We call this local tradition.
102
NUP
le
Albano
Local
Actors
Spatial context
Social link
Scale-crossing link
Scale-crossing broker
Figure 5.31: The figure illustrates an idealised times of abrupt and rapid changes is to mobilise
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
picture of the social network that could be resources from different parts of the society
established at the site. Local groups are the and instigate collective action targeting specific
foundation, with linkages to each other and to problems or opportunities. The ideal network
actors at higher societal levels. An important facilitates processes for continuous and place-
position within such a network is filled by based learning and mobilisation of the resources
the scale-crossing broker charged with the needed for collective action in times of crises or
coordination of the management (Ernstson et al. opportunities, i.e. adaptive governance of local
2010). This position could be held by a foundation. resilience.
One important function of this coordinator in
103
5.6 Implementation:
Sustainable development is a process and approach, not a societal endpoint. The
aim for the development of Albano Resilient Campus is to expand the limits for
what is possible, and to reach highest possible ecological, economic and social
values in a resource and cost effective way. Interactions between traditional educa-
tional activities and the learning experiment offered by the development add to the
uniqueness of the area. The target is a locally anchored dynamic, process based
urban development model, a collaboration process.
A stepwise development of Albano Resilient Campus requires planning to define
which spatial components should be established to ensure important ecological
Figure 5.32: Panoramic view of the Railway Park, entrance to the area.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
104
and social services from the start. As work progresses each component must
be integrated into the whole system and contribute to several interacting functions
and processes. The ideal would be for the three spatial components; green arte-
ries, active ground and performative buildings, to be established in parallel so that
their interrelations and interdependencies can be evaluated and inform the next
phase of development.
To ensure collaboration all the way from planning to management Albano Resilient
Campus should be established through dialogue. It should be an arena for collabo-
ration and interactions between different interests and thus enriching the develop-
ment of the project in a process based urban development.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 5: Conclusions
105
6
Epilogue
There are many ways the work presented here could be described. It is an attempt
to interpret the very broad concept of sustainable urban development from a
resilience theoretical perspective. It is an outline of an emerging field of research
integrating resilience theory and urban morphology. It provides an example of a
forward looking urban development that fully incorporates the institutional frame-
work into its practice. Finally, it is a concrete proposal for the development of a
sustainable campus at Albano.
It all rests on the necessity to embrace a much larger whole than has previously
been the case in both research on sustainability and the practice of building cities.
The background is, of course, increasing globalisation and the fact that there no
longer exists an outside—for good and bad, we all share the same room. Though
global news often are frightening, be it melting polar ice sheets, global financial
crises or large scale oil spills, there is still a hopeful note in the fact that these
news reach all of us, not just a few, and that they identify a global community that
has never existed before. Or, as captured in the well-known words of the British
renaissance poet John Donnes:
“No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. [...]
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.”
Trying to embrace the lager whole and thus become more relevant for the chal-
lenges we face, this work has transcended several well-established boundaries.
Two of these we see as especially important. The first is the line drawn between
social system concerning people and the ecological systems belonging to nature.
For a long time this division has been implicit in how we view the world, though
it was only with the dawn of the 20th century we got the tools to make it a way of
dealing with the world. Looking back it is almost difficult to see how we managed
to deceive ourselves and adopt such a world view when our dependence on the
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 6: Epilogue
ecological systems surrounding us is so obvious. Starting from the other end it is
equally difficult to see the romantic view of nature as a static and pristine paradise
when changes are so apparent, not least the ones we ourselves have initiated. If
you look closer it is hard to find a single system made by man that does not include
ecological processes and ecosystems.
Yet we have attempted to create a parallel world somehow disconnected and
independent from nature. This illusion has now caught up with us and we must
abandon notions both of our independence and of paradisal nature. There is vast
experience to learn from since we in practise never have abandoned our close
interaction with nature and continuously developed methods and knowledge for
how to coexist with it. Not in a paradisal primeval state but through consciously
influencing and altering nature while at the same time not losing sight of where
107
the limits are and what the consequences of our actions will be. Social-ecological
systems have evolved through a continuous learning process and interaction with
nature. This is the kind of knowledge we must rediscover and combine with scien-
tific knowledge for dealing with the very complex systems surrounding us.
This outlook is a fundamental must for the many professions involved in urban
development through their practise. It is within practice we find the second boundary
we have tried to transcend, i.e. the divide between spatial and institutional tools
for creating resilient social-ecological systems. The divide is an old one, and one
between different professions and disciplines. On one side we find the urban archi-
tect who has a strong tradition of using spatial tools for shaping the city, and on the
other, with a shorter history and less clear identity, the planner and policy maker
who uses primarily institutional tools. Today, this field is fluid and significant
redefinitions of concepts and professions both are beginning to become discern-
ible. What we wanted to do was to emphasise the necessity of seeing all these
instruments and tools as a comprehensive whole, each end every on needed to
reach the envisioned targets for urban development. This makes design more than
spatial instruments like streets, buildings and different infrastructural systems,
extending to and including also institutional systems like property rights, social
networks and meeting traditions. It also understand these spatial components
and artefacts as natural reflections and integrated parts of evolving activities and
local traditions, making knowledge about the performative aspect of these arte-
facts necessary. All these different aspects need to be intentionally combined into
a whole to develop viable and successful urban systems.
This may seem insurmountably complex, but our work has resulted in three
central keywords that may guide us across this rugged landscape. It is easy to
see how people always have had to deal with impossible situations by acting with-
out knowing the full consequences. First of all, generality; each construction and
artefact, be it institutional or spatial, must be able to accommodate changes or
variations on a theme. For example, we will always need to move around, and every
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 6: Epilogue
development scheme must deal with this basic need, but we must also understand
that the means for transportation are many and that optimal solutions may change
over time. This diverges from common, expert led practise with its preference for
the tailored, site specific solution. The role of the expert will change, but not his or
her importance. Expert knowledge is needed to find more general and long-term
solutions, moving from expertise to wisdom, if you will.
The second keyword is adaptive capacity, stressing the need to learn to live with
constant change. This requires openness when it comes to designing our artefacts,
be they spatial or institutional. In practise this happens constantly; walk through
any city and you will see buildings undergoing reconstruction to assume new func-
tions or roles. Or think of reorganisations at your work. With better knowledge of
the effects of different spatial and institutional forms, and greater emphasis on
108
general solutions, these reconstructions could be minimised and thus also the
cost in material and human resources. One of the reasons why we find changes
troubling is our strangely static understanding of our surroundings, where we
expect specific solutions to last forever. This is prominent not least in many of the
professions driving urban development; all easily enamoured in specific solutions
and reluctant to see them change.
The final keyword is decentralisation, to meet one of the main challenges for
sustainability. This challenge runs like a red line through the book; the strengthe-
ning of social-ecological resilience and a vital flow of ecosystem services and
urban services. Uncertainty and surprises are parts of the social-ecological
systems of the city; meaning that management, planning and urban development
should embrace change as a strategy rather than something you respond to. Such
change should be anchored in the local level to fit local needs. Many small scale
disturbances or changes promote diversity and reduce the risk of large scale
disturbances by letting off the steam. Procedures for continuous monitoring and
place-based learning about the local environment are needed to make it possible
for local groups to self-organise rules and rights surrounding the management
of the local social-ecological systems and the services they provide. Place-
based learning within local groups interacting with their environment results in
a common history, stored experience and local traditions. This calls for public
participation in the planning of greener future cities. Strategies are needed for how
to mobilise resources for collective action in times of crisis or windows of oppor-
tunity, meaning that top-down governance still has a role to play. Resilience as a
strategy endeavours to support local knowledge about social-ecological dynamics
at the same time as it calls for collaboration with organisations working at higher
levels in society and thus with an understanding of larger spatial scales. Our vision
is a combination of public participation and long-term planning of the large scale
systems in accordance with the empirical observations that lead to the revision
of the tragedy of the commons theory. These highlight polycentric solutions as
the way forward for jointly managing our resources resulted in the Nobel Prize in
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism 6: Epilogue
economics for Elinor Ostrom in 2009 and should inspire and permeate sustainable
urban development.
In conclusion, this results in a substantial redefinition of the practise under-
lying what we normally call sustainable urban development. However, we want to
stress that much of these thoughts are already present in development processes
today, and what we need to do is to take them seriously and let them become more
influential in the process. In short, to stop relying on expert, top-down and very
specific solutions and instead trust more in local knowledge and bottom-up self-
organising processes that are allowed to change over time.
109
Acknowledgements:
The KTH Environmental Humanities Laboratory and White Architects are recog-
nized through having supported parts of the publishing of this book.
The Swedish research council Formas is acknowledged for providing funding
during the research for this book through the grants SUPER, on “Sustainable
Urban Planning for Ecosystem Services and Resilience” (Dnr: 250-210-145), the
grant “Ways of Knowing Urban Ecologies” (Dnr: 250-2010-1372; WOK-UE) and the
grant “Moving from urban form to social-ecological form: Knowledge for urban
resilience building.” (Dnr: 250-2010-1279).
The authors would also like to thank the following people for their valuable contri-
butions to the content and process of this work:
Jerker Nyblom, Anders Rosqvist and Erik Westin, Akademiska Hus
Kersti Hedqvist, Stockholm University
Olof Olsson, Erik Andersson and Jennie Svedén, Stockholm Resilience Centre
BSK Arkitekter
Matts Ingman, former KIT partner
Stefan Lundberg, the Swedish Museum of Natural History
Christer Lännergren and Eva Vall, Stockholm Vatten
Ulrika Karlsson, Royal Institute of Technology/s.e.r.v.o.
All workshop participants
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http://www.vattenriket.kristianstad.se
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Local Names:
AlbaNova is a center for physics, astronomy and biotechnology.
Akademiska Hus is the main tenant providing universities with buildings for
education and research in Sweden.
Bellevue is a park with a view over Brunnsviken. It is part of the National Urban
Park.
Brunnsviken is a lake in the National Urban Park, lined by parks and university
buildings.
Drottning Kristinas väg (The road of Queen Kristina) leads through
the campus of KTH Royal Institute of Technology and continues toward the Albano
area.
Hagaparken is an English park which is part of the National Urban Park. The
park contains several historically interesting buildings.
Isbladskärret is a small wetland with rich birdlife. The wetland is part of the
National Urban Park.
Karolinska Institutet is a medical university founded in 1810.
Kräftriket is an area where Stockholm University has some of its premises.
This is the location of Stockholm Resilience Centre and Stockholm Environment
Institute.
Laduviken is a small lake in the National Urban Park.
Lappkärret is a small lake in the National Urban Park. The lake has a rich
birdlife.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism
Lillsjön is an overgrown lake on Norra Djurgården.
Norra Djurgården is a large park area and part of the Royal Djurgården as
well as a part of the National Urban Park.
Norra Djurgårdsstaden is a prioritized development area in Stockholm with
high ambitions concerning climate, energy, recycling, transport, living and work-
ing. The goal of Norra Djurgårdsstaden is to be a model for sustainable urban
planning.
116
Norra Länken is currently the largest road building project in Sweden. The aim
is to solve the traffic problems of Stockholm and serve the infrastructure in the
development areas Norra Stationsområdet and Norra Djurgårdsstaden.
Roslagsbanan is a railway used by commuter trains.
Roslagsvägen is a main road to/from Stockholm, passing for example
Brunnsviken and Stockholm University.
Spegeldammen is a small, created lake in the National Urban Park.
Spårväg City is a railway in central Stockholm which will be further developed in
different phases.
Stiftelsen Stockholms Studentbostäder (SSSB) is the main tenant
providing the students of Stockholm with housing.
Stockholm Vatten manages the drinking water and effluent water in
Stockholm.
Söderbrunn is an allotment association within the National Urban Park.
Söderbrunn is the oldest allotment area in Stockholm, founded in 1905.
Tvärbanan is a light rail line connecting different metro lines in Stockholm.
Valhallavägen is the longest street in inner Stockholm. The traffic load is
heavy and one of the aims of building Norra Länken is to reduce the traffic on
Valhallavägen.
Värtahamnen is a harbor which is part of the development plans in Norra
Djurgårdsstaden.
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism
117
Authors:
Stephan Barthel does research on environmental and social-ecological issues
in metropolitan landscapes. He is currently employed at Stockholm University, dep.
of History and Stockholm Resilience Centre, where he is leader of and participant
in several large research projects. Main research focus has been development of
the interdisciplinary concept of social-ecological memory, which is of importance
for theorizing about natural resource management. Inspired by sociology, anthro-
pology, history and archeology combined with systems ecology he has several
years of experience in empirical field studies. He is co-founder of the company
Barthel Resilient Urban Environments.
Johan Colding serves as an associate professor and head of the urban research
at the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences. He also serves as leader for the research theme Urban social-ecological
systems and globalization at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, at the Stockholm
University. His main interests cover institutions, biodiversity conservation, and resili-
ence building of urban ecosystem services, with special focus on urban systems.
Henrik Ernstson develops a research repertoire that seeks to investigate how
biophysical processes are inherently tied up with cultural and political dimensions
of urban life. In unpacking how urban ecologies are related to issues of justice and
power, he draws on social movement research, critical geography, environmen-
tal history, systems ecology and natural resource management. Empirical entry
points has been civic groups mobilizing to change decision-making processes
around urban land and so called ‘green space’, with empirical case studies from
Stockholm and Cape Town. He works as lecturer and Principal Investigator at
the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town and at Stockholm
Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. He is currently also at the History
Department at Stanford University.
Hanna Erixon is an architect with experience from numerous ecologically
oriented planning and urban design projects including work with James Corner
Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism
Field Operations in New York, MUST Urbanism in Amsterdam, Swedish based
architecture and urban design firms Wingårdh and COMBINE and the Office of
Regional Planning and Urban Transportation in Stockholm. At present, she is
completing her PhD dissertation at the KTH School of Architecture in Stockholm
in which she discusses and explores more integrative approaches toward urban
development and green-structure planning through utilizing practice-based
research methods and though interdisciplinary collaborations with scholars from
the fields of systems ecology and resilience science, environmental history, plan-
ning, urban design, landscape architecture and the arts.
118
Sara Grahn is artistic Professor in Sustainable Design at KTH School of
Architecture, and practising architect and partner at White Architects, a
Scandinavian based practice. She is responsible for the Master program at
Sustainable Design Studio, where the main focus is to investigate the relationship
between architectural design and sustainable performance through integrated
working methods. Sara Grahn has in her practice been responsible for several
complex urban design projects and public buildings where sustainable solutions
have been the core of task.
Carl Kärsten is practising architect and founding partner of KIT, a Stockholm
based architecture practice that work in all scales with a focus on innovation
and sustainable development. In 2011 he co-founded Barthel Resilient Urban
Environments, a company where architects and ecologists work together on
analysis, strategy and design of urban projects. He is frequently commissioned as
lecturer at commercial and academic institutions.
Lars Marcus is professor in Urban Design at KTH School of Architecture in
Stockholm. He manages the research group Spatial Analysis and Design (SAD),
in the field of Spatial Morphology, the study of how spatial form generated by
architecture and urban design supports, structures and sets limits to people’s use
of space as an aspect of everyday life. He is also co-founder of the international
2-year master program Sustainable Urban Planning and Design (SUPD), which
he also chaired and founder and partner in the consultancy firm Spacescape,
performing spatial analysis, design support and policy development in architec-
tural and urban projects for architects, municipalities and real estate companies.
Jonas Torsvall is practising architect and founding partner of KIT, a Stockholm
based architecture practice that work in all scales with a focus on innovation
and sustainable development. In 2011 he co-founded Barthel Resilient Urban
Environments a company where architects and ecologists work together with
analysis, strategy and design of urban projects. He has degrees in Architecture
from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm and the University College of
Fine Arts, Stockholm. In 2006 he was part of starting up the NGO Architects with-
out borders in Sweden (ASF-SE).
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119
