Day 12: Last But Not Least

We started off the morning with our last delicious European style breakfast. We then took the train and the tram to get to Hammarby Sjöstad. It was surprisingly accessible from the City Center which allows for tourists and locals alike to take advantage of the knowledge that is stored there. We spent a few minutes wondering through the site waiting for the information center to open. We were amazed with how sustainable everything on site was. Once the information center had opened, a very nice lady by the name of Malena gave us an informative presentation about the general background and history of Hammarby Stjöstad. As a group of Landscape Architects and an Architect we were awestruck by the collaboration between developers to let the landscape and building operate as one system. The site is incredible in that it is a former contaminated industrial district with makeshift housing appearing all over it. The original plans were to develop and market the site as the extremely sustainable Olympic Village for the 2004 Olympics (which were lost to the ironically extremely polluted city of Athens, Greece).

The site information center also included a model of the development as a whole which showed the many relationships it had with the surrounding community in terms of biogas productions, waste recycling, composting, and water circulation. To summarize some brief but fascinating lessons learned from the lecture:

-The development will eventually house approximately 30,000 residents

-More than 30 distinct developers were involved in the design and construction process which gave the space an aesthetic richness and rhythm

-The site encompasses 2 square kilometers (494 acres) and draws on many existing infrastructure systems

-The project has influenced site design and planning worldwide since it inception and draws visitors ranging from interested locals to foreign dignitaries

-The site houses four schools with plans for a fifth and provides jobs to thousands of people thanks to zoning requirements that require first floor office, restaurant, or retail along major street frontages

-Many goals and objectives were set upon the initiation of the project which is fantastic, however there were never any time or resources set aside in the beginning to measure these changes

 After the presentation we split up and decided to explore the area in greater detail in smaller groups. It seemed as though every small detail had been planned out and accounted for. The residents’ trash was taken care of by a space age vacuum system which allows for higher recycling rates and eventual return on investment. The excess storm water is collected from pavement, roof tops, parking areas, and lawns and moved into a series of canals which stretch the length of the site. These canals help sediments and pollutants be filtered out by natural and artificial processes before the water drains to the Baltic Sea. The aesthetics of the development as a whole was also well balanced with fascination with technical details. The wetlands located on site made you feel really connected to nature as you walked through the site. The design made it visible for people to see where storm water was being channeled to and what was happening to it. There was also an awesome wooden boardwalk that looped around Hammarby Sjöstad. It was right along the water and also had cozy little piers that you could spend time in enjoying the scenic views.

Before leaving the district, we grabbed a bite to eat at a Thai restaurant and then headed back to the train. We were interested in seeing a new waterfront installation, so we decided to make a quick stop there before returning to our hotel. The active use boardwalk was very interesting and relaxing to be at. It drew in a lot of people and activated the water’s edge.

We ended the day back in Old Town to enjoy our last traditional Swedish meal before journeying back to the United States.

Ross & Ashley

Day 11: Uppsala

This morning, we had an early start in order to catch our 7:40 train to Uppsala. The train ride was a brief forty-five minutes, but consisted of naps and the beautiful Swedish countryside flying by. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Helen, an administrator at SLU. Helen escorted us to the SLU campus in our first transit by car while being in Scandinavia. During the car ride, Helen gave us a quick description of what we were driving by and the general layout and character of Uppsala. At SLU, we first visited the landscape architecture studios and were guided by two teachers there, Bruno and Lotta.

During our tour, first year students were frantically working on their projects that were due in a few short hours. While talking to the first year students, we found that their program is quite a bit different than the landscape architecture program at K-State. The students mostly work 8-5 and go home afterwards. If they work late at studio, security guards kick them out of the building by midnight and lock the studio doors. After visiting the studios, we visited the landscape architecture administration building where we chatted with a few professors and practicing landscape architects over coffee and cookies. We then returned to the studios to view a few projects completed by fourth-year students for their planting design class. Next, we took a detour to our lunch through newly constructed garden plots surrounding a pond where landscape architecture students can view different species of plants. At lunch, we ate with faculty and students at a restaurant on campus. This restaurant was in a newly-renovated barn that was originally built in the 1800’s. Here, we learned about Swedish customs and life in Sweden in general.

Once we were done with lunch, our new friends showed us what we could visit in Uppsala and from there we said our goodbyes. Our guide, Helen, dropped us off at the castle in Uppsala where we had spectacular views of the Royal Gardens, the church in Uppsala, and the entire city. We walked around the castle and through the Royal Gardens before making our way to an impressive cathedral of grandeur. This church is the final resting place of what appeared to be many dignitaries and members of royal families.

Our next stop was the Linnemuseet, the garden of the father of botany. Linne was responsible for creating the system by which we classify genus species of plants. The garden was quite charming. After this, we separated and explored the majestic town of Uppsala before meeting back at the train station for our 5:00 train back to Stockholm. 

Next after a much needed nap, we headed to dinner where we ate at a small outdoor café while listening to a live jazz band that was playing in front of a large crowd in the park. We ended the night with a brief walk around the neighborhood surrounding our hotel before returning to our rooms for much needed rest. More tomorrow as we tour Hammarby Sjostad!

Kristy & Alyssa

  

Day 10: Gardens Galore

Once we woke up, packed our belongings, and got off the cruise ship, we headed back to our hotel in Stockholm. The weather looked a little questionable, but that didn’t stop us! We dropped our things off and headed off to Skogskyrkogarden (Woodland Cemetery), which is an absolutely amazing cemetery in Stockholm. When we arrived, we were all amazed with how green and lush all the vegetation was. Near the entrance, we came across a meditation area for visitors to sit and be in while they are there. As we kept exploring, the cemetery got more and more interesting. It was so different from anything I had ever seen in the United States. It felt as if we were walking through a forest you would see on a movie with the giant trees and unique grave stones everywhere with gorgeous vegetation surrounding them.

After making our way through most of the cemetery, our next stop was at some allotment gardens and community gardens called Eriksdalslundens Kolonitradgardsforening. My main focus for this trip is allotment gardens and community gardens, so I had been anticipating this day the whole trip! The community gardens were just right down off the hill from the allotment gardens, so we stopped at the allotments first. This first set of gardens that we explored consisted of a small lawn with a lot of vegetation and a small house on each plot. The vegetation that was grown at these allotments was mostly just flowers, shrubs, and trees. There was not much food being grown and harvested on the plots, but they were still beautiful! The little houses were so quaint and cozy looking. Once again, this was something else that I had never experienced in the United States.

After making our way through the allotments, we wondered to the community gardens. These were also awesome. The community gardens consisted of multiple small wooden boxed that people could grow their own food in. It was also in a really unique location down along old abandoned railroad tracks. More food production was taking place in these community gardens than in the allotment gardens up the hill. It was really interesting to see what types of vegetables and vegetation people were choosing to grow.

The last stop we made for the day was at Stockholm University. Here we were met by a professor who taught at the university and had a special interest in ecology and urban farming. She talked to us about how she owned her own farm outside of the city and experimented with different types of crops. She showed us a community garden that had just been designed and constructed near the entrance to the campus a year ago. The community garden was very interested to see and hear her talk about because it was designed and built by the students in one of her courses. You could tell just by her talking about it that she was very proud of what they had accomplished! We all thought it was awesome how the students got to actually design and build something on their campus.

Once we were done learning about the campus community garden, the professor took us to another area that had more plots with allotment gardens. This second set of allotment gardens was drastically different than the first ones we had seen. On these plots, there was once again a lot of vegetation and a little house. However, the house was much smaller and it didn’t look like people actually stayed in them, unlike the gardens we saw first. Also, in contrast to the first allotment gardens, these were full of vegetation for harvesting. All in all, I would say it was another successful day in Sweden!

 -Ashley