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Badlands : A Rediscovery of a Landscape of Extraction

Sweden’s landscapes are all marked by human activities, even in the landscapes today perceived as an untouched wilderness, remains of previous human resource extraction can be found. Historical imprints left in our surroundings speak of past memories and life; this allows us to evoke feelings and connect to a site. These sites are often celebrated as places of value since they store knowledge of our past – landscapes that can speak about us. Today these landscapes are reshaped by industrial machinery and our impact has reached a new global scale. Vast areas are laid to waste, extracted, transformed and finally forgotten. This thesis derives from the study of these types of important territories called landscapes of extraction. The thesis introduces Slite, a small mining town located on Gotland, where the impacts of these industrial Badlands have split both the town and its community in half. It is an investigation of possible scenarios and opportunities for the post-treatment after the industry has left. Furthermore, it is a continuation of my previous research, where concepts and instruments such as Mythology, Planetary urbanization and Reclamation are adapted to post-industrial landscapes (Högberg 2023, 3, 6-7). As a result, this thesis aims to support a reclamation process where these damaged territories can be rediscovered, revalued and reintegrated with the local ecosystem and community. A process that promotes a more productive, sustainable and responsible future for these sensitive but important landscapes. I consider these landscapes key territories, since they allow us to experience the true impact of our own consumption, thus they are essential spaces to fully grasp the consequences of our own usage of resources.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-227024
Date January 2024
CreatorsHögberg, Edvin
PublisherUmeå universitet, Arkitekthögskolan vid Umeå universitet
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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