Sustainable Urban Development in Gällivare (SUD course, 2017)

The focus of this year course in Sustainable Urban Development is Gällivare which is located in the resource-rich region of Norrbotten. The region is at once heavily industrialized (steel, bio fuels, paper, extraction industry, large energy infrastructures) and one of the least densely populated area of Europe.

The project demonstrates the use of multifunctional ecological corridors for urban regeneration, where a specific focus is placed on the regeneration of mining areas and their connection with the rest of the town.

The aim of the project is to explore the challenges and opportunities in integrating urban planning and design considerations with mining sites. This move should contribute to: on the one hand, the sustainable (and economically feasible) rehabilitation of mining sites during and after operations have ceased; and, on the other hand, to diversify the local economy towards additional economic ventures (e.g., tourisms, sport, etc.).

Reclamation engineering, design, and environmental science can mutually benefit from an integrated approach to mine reclamation. By integrating design in mainstream reclamation strategies, mined site can become laboratories for “experimentation” for new urban practices aimed at delivering sustained development. Approaching mined site reclamation from a community design perspective calls for “interdisciplinary thinking”, involving fields as different as public policy, ecology, economics, engineering, and landscape design and planning.

Students: Adam Priscille, Brette Albin, Breunissen Björn, Fandos Miguel, Kristensen Kevin Lars, Lenglet Quentin, Stridsman Victoria, Westlund Kristin.

Supervision and teaching: Agatino Rizzo, Adolfo Sotoca, Sofia Lövgren, Erik Hidman, Alessandro Sgobbo (Federico II University), Damiano Cerrone (TU Tampere), Liza Yngström (Gällivare Kommun)"

Link to LTU site