My project will focus on the neighborhood of Hovsjö in the city of Södertälje, located in the south of Stockholm county. Through this project I will examine aspects of this neighborhood’s isolation from the rest of the city. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches, I explore the nature of this isolation and question how much of this segregation is a result of its spatial orientation, as well as various cultural and social factors. As Hovsjö is an area with a high concentration of members of the Assyrian/Syriac immigrant community, it has natural affinities to surrounding immigrant neighborhoods, but its spatial arrangement inhibits this affinity. Furthermore, Hovsjö is also isolated from its surrounding environs; I will explain how it is cut off from its immediate neighbor to its south and west, Lake Måsnaren, a nature area with many recreational amenities. I show in my research that the lake is not well used by the residents of Hovsjö, despite their proximity to it. Investigating the physical structure and the layout of the area between Hovsjö and Måsnaren, I will show that this separation is due to physical factors as well as an inappropriate programming of the green spaces. Using this research, I will to suggest a series of interventions with will break down both types of isolation and thereby fully integrate Lake Måsnaren into Hovsjö, and Hovsjö into the rest of Södertälje. This integration will lead to the creation new cultural landmarks for both the city of Södertälje as a whole as well as its Assyrian/Syriac immigrant community in particular, and the results will link Hovsjö more deeply into Södertälje’s urban fabric and end its isolation.

<p>The key purpose of this research has been trying to understand, and study how assyrian/syriac youth create their identity under the influence of two or several different cultures. We have also looked upon how different factors such as history, religion, language, family and school play a role in the youths identity development.</p><p>We have used a qualitative method in our study where we have interviewed six assyrian/syriac youth. Because of their Christian faith the assyrian/syriac group has been forced to migrate from their countries to different parts around the world. In the new countries the group has been forced to create and live in a diasporaculture. The city Södertälje in Sweden has developed to become a metropole for this ethnic group where they have founded a substantial diasporaculture. In the new countries the assyrian/syriac youth have developed an attitude towards the new country and its culture, which is a mixture of their home culture and the majority communitys. Having to integrate and adjust to two different cultures, while at the same time trying to create ones own identity can sometimes lead to conflicts within the own ethnic group and the majority community. It appeared in the study that the assyrian/syriac youth felt like a duality between the home culture and the culture of the majority community, which felt like living a dual life.</p>

The key purpose of this research has been trying to understand, and study how assyrian/syriac youth create their identity under the influence of two or several different cultures. We have also looked upon how different factors such as history, religion, language, family and school play a role in the youths identity development. We have used a qualitative method in our study where we have interviewed six assyrian/syriac youth. Because of their Christian faith the assyrian/syriac group has been forced to migrate from their countries to different parts around the world. In the new countries the group has been forced to create and live in a diasporaculture. The city Södertälje in Sweden has developed to become a metropole for this ethnic group where they have founded a substantial diasporaculture. In the new countries the assyrian/syriac youth have developed an attitude towards the new country and its culture, which is a mixture of their home culture and the majority communitys. Having to integrate and adjust to two different cultures, while at the same time trying to create ones own identity can sometimes lead to conflicts within the own ethnic group and the majority community. It appeared in the study that the assyrian/syriac youth felt like a duality between the home culture and the culture of the majority community, which felt like living a dual life.