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There is a growing interest of flexibility in urban plans, both within the planning profession but also by private investors. The collective idea, both among planners and literature, is that the urban is under a constant transformation. Further, flexibility in planning could be found as key of keeping updated to this constant development. Through the theories of temporary and tactical urbanism the positive and negative aspects of flexibility will be discussed and explored. The combination of literature analysis and interviews has formed the basis for creating an understanding how the practical field and literature interprets flexibility in a transforming era in Sweden. According to literature and interviews, this study has shown that flexibility within the regulations of the detailed development plan is key for cities to adapt to new circumstances.

The aim of the project is to understand urban constraints through analysis of sites’ deep context and to arrive with a relevant spatial solution. Moreover, we hope that the problems investigated and communicated will be once tackled. The object of analysis is the today image and urban structure of the unappreciated area of Holylands. The proposal is to recognize the favors and the wealth of the neighbourhood. Built originally for the middle-class, the neighbourhood used to be a welcoming area of the city with a strong culture of community and public activity. The analysis of the problem starts with the acknowledging the initial values and follows with the adaptation to the today situation. The scheme is the architectural intervention corresponding to the syntax of the area. The project investigates the neighbourhood in architectural terms and emphasizes the values and need of the community, public space, openness and clarity in the living environment.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate contemporary urbanism through the theories of Collage City and Karl Popper’s theories on utopia and tradition, further, to exemplify Malmö in this context. The essay employs several urban theories to understand the discourse of contemporary urbanism. The study has been done based on the theoretical basis of the essay since the goal has been to understand urban utopia and tradition. The method examines the theory and practice of contemporary urbanism to see whether the selected theories have any relevance to the current urban debate. Tradition can be viewed as the incomplete old theories on which the myth of society rests. Utopia wants to predict the future which in short is unreasonable since man does not possess such ability. The creation of the abstract good always results in repression according to Popper. The central aspects of urban theory consist of environment, economics and social justice, which here are treated with an emphasis on economics. Since the economic crisis of the 1970s, neoliberalism's market economy has shown hegemonic in capitalist countries. In practice, the environment and the economy are prioritized while social justice is neglected. This applies significantly to Malmö where construction takes place without dialogue with the inhabitants of poor areas, while the construction of privileged blocks is done actively through cooperation. In understanding the idea of the contemporary city, utopia and tradition are sufficiently helpful to at least uncover parts of the urban ideological constitution, however, the theories need to be complemented by additional contemporary theories to successfully articulate current urban discourses.

Our thesis started with a continuous discovery of theory and observation. As a group work of landscape architect and architect, during the study of our Urbanism program, we were both curious about the urbanism theories within Europe. Among them, partly in terms of the landscape background, we were particularly interested in the theory of landscape urbanism and its practices in Europe. Spontaneously, this became our original thesis topic.   However, after reading and collecting, we realized landscape urbanism theory was never as a main agenda in European academic world as in U.S. On the contrary, the role of landscape in urbanization is unignorable and has been examined for decades in Europe, which is one thing what landscape urbanists try to achieve. Moreover, during our reading of Swedish landscape and planning history, we noticed a series of significant parks which were built between 1930s-1950s, belong to a hardly forgotten design style named Stockholm School (Stockholmsskolan). This particular style and period of time is a fundamental part of Swedish landscape and planning history, deeply influenced the following park design as well as city planning in Stockholm. Almost all the parks of Stockholmsskolan nowadays become attractive spots for citizens gathering together, relaxing, and doing outdoor activities. Some of the parks are our personal favorite places in the city. Nevertheless, we choose this study not only to appreciate the significant parks but also to try to introduce them to other readers who might not be familiar with, especially to those who live outside of Europe with a different natural and cultural context.   Our brief study could be the start of further research, and the tool of photography plays a key role in different stages of our thesis. As K.W. Gullers introduced Swedish lifestyle to the world through a photo about life in park seventy years ago, it would also be our honor if our booklet could interest readers to appreciate and rediscover the contemporary Swedish public space and urban life.

As inhabitants on the earth and as designers in societies, we always think and try to make the world better, to be sustainable. Regarding everyday life in city, to enhance social sustainability, it is revealed that walkability and diversity mean a lot to livability and lovability. Building façades affect peoples’ walking behavior (Choi, 2012), and an area has better be with a good mix of residence and commerce etc. So in this study, focusing on shops which everyone has access to, I tried to seek a hint how to encourage shop owners to make the façades lively by themselves. Why by themselves is related to the idea of bottom-up urbanism that came up from a people- first point of view. The main theory used is affordance theory, originally defined as “what it offers the animal, what it provides or furnishes” (Gibson, 1979, p.127). With this, the study considered three affording-afforded relationships, that is, architects-shop owners, shop owners-shop owners, and the whole environment around façades- pedestrians, only the former two were investigated this time though. Using pixel analysis with photos, arrangement of elements around façades, its tendency, and whether cluster by elements exists or not were studied. After the investigation done, the study was concluded suggesting to reflect the result of observation on peoples’ behavior with affordance, and perhaps to make a design guide as a feedback from the world of everyday tactics to that of strategy, that are supposed to be closer, to make them in a loop to go on.

It is widely claimed that geographic information and maps are highly political. Many researchers have detailed the source of the power of maps and their ability to serve specific interests, represent certain ideologies and perpetuate systems of exclusion (Harley, 1988; Harvey, 1998; Wood, 1992). Maps can be both the products and the generators of power, thus assigning the mapmaker a great responsibility in the information that they choose or not to represent and how they decide to do it. Representing the same information in different ways, or choosing to omit certain parts of it and heighten others can reveal very different conclusions and lead to multiple interpretations. In the urbanism field, information often comes in extensive policy documents, development plans and land use maps. It is relevant to expand the sources of information that urbanists use when performing their job. Interest in mapping is high, made more accessible through tools like Google Earth and GIS software and with new forms of participatory mapping practices. Mapping has evolved from being done by and for figures of power and authority, to representing the issues, needs and conditions of everyday users. When mapping is reclaimed by the people, they can be used to propose alternatives to the image and language of power and become a medium for conversation or protest. By participating in the process, citizens can engage in dialogue with different stakeholders and government officials, acquire new skills and knowledge, be more informed and generate judgments about issues that concern them and exercise their political power. In the end, it is important to remember that making the map is not the end of the process, but the beginning, as information has to be processed, analyzed and discussed in a transparent and democratic manner as well. Cities are in constant growth and evolution and so the process of updating the information is ongoing. Maps should be kept updated and accessible in order for them to remain as a relevant tool for empowerment.