Artikeln diskuterar kulturarvet i ljuset av den ’gröna omställning’ som svarar på EU:s mål och riktade finansiella satsningar för industriomvandlingen i norra Sverige. Det kan jämföras med den stora industriella omställningen vid 1900-talets början såväl genom att skapa nya möjligheter men också genom de målkonflikter som uppstår mellan nya och befintliga värden, både vad gäller naturförhållanden och ekonomi som kulturvärden och historiska lämningar av mänsklig verksamhet. Omställningen berör platser med en lång historia av mänskligt liv och arbete och som spelar en viktig roll för de som idag bor där och potentiellt för de som söker sig dit för att driva verksamhet eller för att bo, leva och arbeta. I många fall visar det sig svårt att ta denna potential tillvara av skäl som är strukturella, juridiska och politiska snarare än knutna till enskilda aktörer. Artikeln är författad av en multidisciplinär forskargrupp som använder ett praktikbaserat förhållningssätt och samskapande dialog för att undersöka hur förbättrade planeringsprocesser som tidigt involverar olika aktörer, intressen och expertis i förändringsprojekt kan bidra till att lösa målkonflikter och skapa möjligheter. Målkonflikter mellan exploatering och bevarandeintressen i samband med myndigheters och privata aktörers hantering av natur- och kulturmiljöer har länge varit i fokus för forskningen och artikeln syftar till att komplettera dessa perspektiv utifrån exempel som illustrerar möjligheter för att det fysiska kulturarvet ska ses som en strategisk historisk resurs i samhällsutvecklingen. En utgångspunkt är att kulturarv inte är statiskt utan värderas och omvärderas i en process där olika kulturvärden kan associeras med byggnader, platser och miljöer. Dessa kulturvärden förändras alltså över tid, och olika aktörer förhåller sig till dem på skiftande sätt. Genom processer som inbegriper förhandling med andra intressen kan landskap, platser, byggnader, föremål och deras användning förvandlas till kulturarv. Ett samskapande arbetssätt har möjliggjorts genom ett forsknings- och innovationsprojekt, finansierat av Vinnova, vilket genomförts genom en kombinerad metodansats med fallstudier, i projektet kallade lärcase, som ram för empiriska undersökningar och praktiskt genomförande. De lärcase som lyfts i denna artikel är dels Nautanen, en tidigare gruvmiljö i Norrbotten där nyetablering planeras av Boliden AB, dels Kvarnsvedens tidigare pappersbruk i Borlänge, där Northvolt etablerar en fabrik för produktion av bilbatterier vilket medfört rivning av en byggnad med konstaterade kulturhistoriska värden, den så kallade Bobergshallen. Med förslag till fortsatt forskning genom begreppsutveckling i en multidisciplinär och praktiknära kontext problematiserar artikeln begreppet cirkulär ekonomi i relation till kulturarvsfrågor och möjliggör att kulturarvet nyttjas som strategisk resurs i den gröna omställningen med förhoppning att realisera förväntningarna om grön nyindustralisering och attraktiva livsmiljöer.

This book takes a deep dive into the design and planning, and unique challenges of settlements in the European Arctic. Attractive Arctic Cities require job opportunities, good societal and commercial services, and importantly, high-quality built environments in order to thrive. The cities of the European Arctic are generally small and sit in sparsely populated regions, with large travel times between places, making them uniquely challenging from a planning and design perspective. The chapters detail the planning process and place-shaping in the Arctic. Emphasis is placed on the importance of urban design, microclimate, cultural heritage, and movement and transport. The objective is to provide an overview for students and practitioners of architecture, urban design and town planning, of the design and planning of Arctic settlements in the European Arctic (Finland, Norway, Sweden) as well as in North America, Canada, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and China.

From March 2020, regulations and recommendations were implemented in Sweden to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which included limitations to public life. Overall, these sought to reduce activities that brought people together and in so doing, transitioned the relationship between cities and people into a new paradigm.

The study explores public usage of an Arctic city during the pandemic to understand how COVID-19 altered people’s ‘social life’. Data was collected in the Arctic city of Luleå, by structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. These indicate that: 1) a significant reduction in city visits, 2) multi-faceted city visits were reduced to single task based visits, 3) a significant reduction in leisure based activities, 4) an increase in digitalization of work, retail and leisure activities, 5) perceptions of responsibility, guilt, boredom and minimizing social networks were reported, and 6) post-pandemic, people questioned the ability of cities to bounce back.

The survey and interviews show that in the Arctic city of Luleå, restrictions put in place to reduce spread of the infection had a significant impact on public life and use of the public realm, which is in accordance with research from outside the Arctic.

The conclusion is that in the short term, the role of urban centres in daily life was reduced and the role of digitalisation for work, goods and services was rapidly advanced. However, the research also shows that the ‘social dimension’ of Arctic cities - to see other people and take part of civic life on site - was not easy to replace and is valued by the community.

In the arctic and subarctic region, climate change may require in the future the relocation of entire communities, with dramatic impacts on their built heritage. In northernmost Sweden, the two arctic mining towns of Kiruna and Malmberget are already experiencing similar disruption due to subsidence caused by mining. This paper investigates the actions implemented to mitigate the impacts of the ongoing urban transformations. Historic buildings and entire districts are demolished, documented or relocated, sometimes with the ambition to recreate historic environments. These controversial processes exemplify the scale and the level of the challenges and dilemmas that climate change will soon pose to historic environments. Can relocation preserve the complexity of an historic urban environment? How are decisions on what to save made? How do the loss and the relocation of heritage affect the local communities? Discussing and understanding it is crucial to make northern historic sites and communities more resilient.

The subsurface can be used for a variety of purposes in the urban environment and the subsurface should ultimately be seen as a multifunctional resource, offering a multitude of benefits to humans and the society. Underground construction is commonly planned according to the first come, first served principle and later claims on other resources in the subsurface will have to adapt, often at high costs, or are made impossible. This pilot study is a first step in developing a method aiming to investigate a procedure for mapping an area's subsurface resources, having the multifunctionality of the subsurface in mind, and integrating this information into urban planning processes. A mapping of the existing resources (supporting, provisioning, regulating, cultural) used at present and their future potential is presented, and an analysis, using an interaction matrix, of how the different subsurface resources can influence each other (conflicts and synergies) if the use(s) changes. Conclusions are that: 1) the concept of geosystem services can strongly support the communication about the subsurface between civil/geotechnical engineers and planners; 2) there is a need at the municipality or city level for systematised and digital 3D archives for easy access to information in relevant format; 3) planning based on the perspective that the subsurface has multiple resources, makes subsurface planning not only a metropolitan issue but also relevant for smaller municipalities. Further work is suggested to: i) explore the concept of geosystem services in a planning context; ii) suggest at which planning level different geosystem services can be optimally managed; and iii) develop tools to support planners for handling subsurface conflicts and acknowledge synergies.

The subsurface is a precious, multifunctional and finite resource that should be managed in accordance with its full potential and its value to society. It can be used for a wide variety of purposes, which are not always compatible, and short-term use can conflict with long-term use and future possibilities. In Sweden, as well as in many countries worldwide, the “first-come-first-served” principle applies to getting access to the resources in the subsurface, compromising fair inter- and intragenerational distributions of these resources, and sustainable development. This report summarises the outcomes of the research project Sustainable use of underground space (SUB), financed by the Swedish research Council Formas and BeFo Rock Engineering Research Foundation. The aim of the project has been to investigate how subsurface dimensions can be integrated in urban planning processes and legislation, as well as proposing a framework for sustainable planning and use of the subsurface. 

In this article, we problematize the implementation of smart urban experiments in the resource-rich, Arctic periphery. Our case study is the so-called Norrbotten Technological Megasystem in Sweden, with a specific focus on the mining towns of Malmberget/Gällivare and Kiruna. Kiruna in particular is a well know case study as its urban centre is being relocated due to subsidence caused by underground mining. The new town centre is being developed as a testbed for smart urbanism. We argue that if we look at the nexus between resource extraction and urbanization in Kiruna and Malmberget, we find smart city thinking more aligned to the bottom line of the resource extraction industry rather than being an innovative project to make economic development compatible with broader climate and societal challenges. Methodologically, we use historic analysis and assemblage thinking to look at the territorialization and de-territorialization of resource-extraction in Norrbotten over the last 100 years.

Purpose –This article investigates how different notions about the conservation of builtheritage develop in a situation of structural change that demands either the demolition orrelocation of a large number of historic buildings.Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a case study of the on-going urbantransformation of the Swedish mining town Kiruna. The investigation was based on the textanalysis of urban planning documents and media reporting, which was used to distinguishstakeholders’ positions towards conservation based on authenticity aspects.Findings – The conservation goals of the urban planning process are unclear and thestakeholders have conceptually different views regarding which parts of the town’s builtheritage are of significance, which negatively affects the ability to make well informed,transparent and intelligible management decisions. Stakeholder views on the management ofbuilt heritage span from the relocation of a few, single historic buildings to maintaining theintegrity of the town as a heritage site by moving a significant number of buildings.Research limitations/implications – The Kiruna case, being exceptional because conservationin situ is impossible, has the potential to highlight the relation between single historic buildingsand the integrity of an urban heritage site, as well as implications for conservation on theurban scale.Originality/value – This investigation contributes to knowledge of built heritage in situationsof structural change, which is of concern for planning and conservation practice. Currently,many urban areas are under pressure of transformations or destruction

A major urban transformation is taking place in Kiruna, a mining town in the northernmost part of Sweden; the iron ore mine extends beneath the settlement and the mining activity will cause severe subsidence the coming decades. This will affect the town's built cultural heritage. Kiruna´s built cultural heritage is well established since the 1980´s, and a considerable part of it is ‘official heritage’, where buildings as well as built-up areas are protected by both local and national legislation. Conservation of the built cultural heritage involves challenges to the urban planning practice due to the extensive urban transformation. This paper presents an on-going case study that analyses the valuation and management of Kiruna´s built cultural heritage in the contemporary urban transformation process. The empiric material primarily consists of planning documents and media coverage. The meaning of the built cultural heritage to different stakeholders is interpreted through discourse analysis; there is a heritagisation process in which certain aspects of the built environments history becomes significant in the present due to cultural and social processes. In Kiruna there is a strong ‘authorised heritage discourse’ in which particularly older wooden buildings, associated with the town´s mining history, is reinforced as cultural heritage in the contemporary planning process. However, it is also possible to identify a de-heritagisation process in which the historic values of the ‘official heritage’ is diminished, and attributes in listed buildings being formulated as a liability to a sustainable urban transformation. There is a tendency that the built cultural heritage is managed as fixed and static entities in the urban planning, rather than as a dynamic, socially and culturally constructed phenomenon. In order to address the variety and diversity of values and meanings related to the built environment, planning methods need to be developed in order to make conscious and pertinent urban planning decisions.

This study investigates approaches towards conservation of the historic buildings and historic environments in the large scale urban transformations of Malmberget and Kiruna in northernmost Sweden, and how these can be understood as mitigation measures for negative impact on historic values and architectural qualities caused by the mining activities. Both towns were founded at the turn of the 19th century, to enable mining the rich iron ore deposits in the region. Currently, subsidence caused by mining is affecting the built environments, because the iron ore reaches beneath the settlements. Both towns are designated heritage sites of national interest for the purpose of conserving the cultural environment, and both have conservation plans adopted by the respective local councils. In Kiruna, there are listed buildings,and many buildings are protected in detailed development plans.

The mining company is obliged to compensate for damage it causes. However, compensations primarily cover economic values, and focus on replacing functions, not heritage values. Mitigation measures for negative impact on historic values and architectural qualities can mainly be considered as constituting relocation of some of the historic buildings, and documentation of the built environments that will be demolished. An alternative strategy to compensation for the loss of historic environments seems to be to redefine the built heritage and its significance. ‘Heritagisation’ processes are taking place, in which some of the historic buildings are reaffirmed as representing significant built heritage, and thus are being relocated, while the major bulk of historic buildings, many that have had formal protection, are instead being dismissed as heritage. Thus, ‘de-heritagisation’ is taking place, as the historic values of these buildings are considered to be non-significant, they lose their protection, and are ultimately being demolished.

The city of Kiruna is about to transform, due to the expansion of the iron ore mine that is dominating the city’s labour market. The built environment is at the same time a cultural heritage of national interest. The purpose of this paper is to examine which images of the city that become important due to the city transformation. This is accomplished by a textual criticism of three different sources; newspaper articles, the municipality’s plans and documents, together with a survey made at the local high school. Places mentioned in the source material have been mapped, and then interpreted as being imaginary geographies of the images of Kiruna. Three strong images have been identified. These are Kiruna as the Mining City, as the Ideal City, and as the City That Will Move. Different sets of places are connected to each image. Apart from these places, there are an other kind of places, important to the everyday life in Kiruna. All together, these places constitutes Kiruna. However, in the paper they are explained as being different means of the production of space. Using Henri Lefebvres terms, the images are an example of representational spaces, while the everyday life is a spatial practice. This helps explaining why the built environment is perceived in different ways, and why certain places are looked upon as cultural heritage.

This licentiate thesis is part of a larger case study that examines the built cultural heritage in Kiruna’s urban transformation. The research study presupposes it is necessary to address cultural significance of the built environment in urban planning practice. In Sweden, a conservation planning strategy emerged during the 1980s, in response to the extensive urban renewals that took place in many towns over the decades before. In spite of this, there are many examples of how demands for urban renewal challenge urban conservation.The aim of the thesis is to explore how the concept of built cultural heritage is understood in contemporary urban planning and how urban planning practice affects the built cultural heritage. The main research question is: how are buildings and built environments transformed into cultural heritage?The analysis draws on concepts such as ‘heritagisation’, ‘heritage’ and ‘authorised heritage discourse’. Heritagisation is defined as a process in which something, such as a built environment, turns into heritage. Heritage is perceived as a social and cultural construction in which values and meanings are attributed to, for instance, built environments. There is a distinction between official heritage that is authorised by legislation and unofficial heritage, which is not formally recognised. The authorised heritage discourse is characterised as a hegemonic heritage discourse favouring the monumental and aesthetically appealing, being a concern for heritage specialists.The research is performed as a qualitative, interpretative intrinsic case study of Kiruna’s contemporary urban transformation. The case study is triangulated using multiple methods and a variety of data. The main methods used are text analysis of records, planning documents and media coverage as well as semistructured interviews and observations.Kiruna was established in 1900, with the mining company LKAB as the main stakeholder, in order to provide housing for the large number of workers required in the iron ore industry. The hopes were very high for the design of the new town and some of Sweden’s most famous architects, planners and artists at the time were hired. From the 1980s until 2005, the town’s built environments were recognised as built cultural heritage. Local, regional and national authorities collaborated in protecting designated buildings. In 2004, it became publicly known that subsidence caused by mining activities would affect the settlement; the town would, therefore, be relocated. This has caused controversies around the management of the built cultural heritage in the urban transformation processes. The case of Kiruna illustrates the impact of legislation in defining built cultural heritage and the influence of the authorised heritage discourse on urban planning practice. There are, however, difficulties in implementing the notion of cultural heritage as socially and culturally constructed into urban planning processes; rather, the heritage is perceived as a fixed entity. It is suggested that also unofficial heritage should be recognised in the urban planning processes, in order to manage the long-term urban transformation process.

This doctoral thesis presents research that aimed to contribute to the understanding of heritagisation in built environments and how heritagisation interacts with structural changes to an environment. The theoretical framework of the research was based on heritagisation, a concept defined by Harrison (2013) as the process through which objects, places and practices are turned into cultural heritage. The research was part of a single case study investigating conceptualisations of built heritage during the urban transformation of the town of Kiruna. Kiruna is a mining town in the northernmost part of Sweden that has plans to be relocated so that the mining company LKAB can continue mining the iron ore deposit that extends underneath the settlement. Kiruna is also a designated heritage site since the 1980s, and includes a large number of protected buildings. Hence, it is of interest how the built heritage is managed during the urban planning process. This is not only because the urban planning situation, which includes the relocation of an entire town, is special, but also because the town’s built heritage inevitably will change during the urban transformation. The research underlying this thesis has followed heritagisation during the urban transformation, from 2004, when the urban transformation was announced, until 2015. The empirical data used consist of planning documents, media reporting and observations, which together provide an overall view of the public discussions over the course of the urban planning process. Findings from the Kiruna case study show that the town’s officially recognised built heritage corresponds with the concept of an authorised heritage discourse (AHD). This heritage discourse was challenged by the urban transformation. Conservation goals are not clearly stated in the urban planning process and there are differing ideas for how to manage historic buildings during the urban transformation. These ideas shift both over time and between stakeholders, and the outcome of the urban planning process depends on a balance between the discourses of heritage conservation, urban development and architectural production. During the urban planning process some parts of the town’s official heritage have been reaffirmed as built heritage, while others have been dismissed. The concept of heritagisation was adopted and developed throughout the research presented in this thesis. This research also introduced the concepts of re-heritagisation and de-heritagisation, which refer to new heritagisation processes that occur when built heritage is contested and challenged during urban change. One of the main conclusions of the research was that the changes in meaning during the heritagisation process can be divided into four dimensions to analyse the complicated relationship between different interests and strategies in urban planning. Heritagisation can refer to: the addition of new heritage; reaffirmation of already designated heritage; re-interpretation of already designated heritage; rejection of previous designated heritage.

Kiruna, a mining town in northernmost Sweden, is being relocated so the mining company LKAB can continue mining the iron ore deposits that extends underneath the settlement. Kiruna is also a designated heritage site since the 1980s, with a large number of protected buildings. This article investigates how political decisions and negotiations between LKAB and the authorities affects heritagisation processes during the urban transformation. The analysis is based on planning documents, media reporting, and observations. Results show there is a strong authorised heritage discourse in Kiruna, which is reaffirmed through the urban transformation, in which some historic buildings – mainly representing the mining company’s history – are highlighted as significant and will be moved. Simultaneously, other parts of the built heritage are being dismissed and eventually demolished.

Even as the global economy of the twenty-first century continues its dramatic and unpredictable transformations, the landscapes it leaves in its wake bear the indelible marks of their industrial past. Whether in the form of abandoned physical structures, displaced populations, or ecological impacts, they persist in memory and lived experience across the developed world. This collection explores the affective and “more-than-representational” dimensions of post-industrial landscapes, including narratives, practices, social formations, and other phenomena. Focusing on case studies from across Europe, it examines both the objective and the subjective aspects of societies that, increasingly, produce fewer things and employ fewer workers.