Is a New Vision for Stockholm Meant to Sway or Scare?

As cities across the world look for ways to blend higher densities to accommodate the increased demand for urban living, a recent proposal for how to solve Stockholm's critical lack of housing in the core of the city may define "inelegant density."

1 minute read

June 12, 2012, 10:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


While planners, designers, and officials in cities such as Los Angeles seek ways to blend "elegant density" into their existing urban fabric to accommodate the increased demand for urban living, a recent proposal by Stockholm-based architecture firm visiondivision, may set back such efforts in their city.

The plan, called "Stockholm Stacked," calls for "a change in planning regulations to eliminate height restrictions on courtyard typologies" in an effort to "build where most people actually wants [sic] to live." The plan responds to a real problem for the increasingly segregated city in which demand for limited housing available in the core of the city is driving up prices and forcing development and low- and middle-income residents to its outskirts.

However, visiondivision's plan, featuring dramatic renderings with foreboding skies and clumsy towers poking out of Stockholm's courtyards, may serve to turn off more people from finding ways to increase density in the core of the city than it will convince.

Thanks to Brent Toderian

Monday, June 11, 2012 in ArchDaily

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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