*Photo: Mats Engfors, Fotographic. 2024.* Deserted house, Boden.

Visions in the North step 2

Boden: Derelict houses in the river valley

Giving new life to abandoned houses in the river valley. A new model for rural development.

Conditions: Approximately 25 kilometres north of Boden city centre, the Råneå river passes through the river valley. This is a cross-municipal landscape that runs from Gällivare in the north to Luleå in the east. Norrbyarna, as the villages along the river valley are called, has a committed civil society and here a grocery store and a service point are run in collaboration between civil society and the municipality. There are around 550 derelict houses in the area, mapped through the Growing Together project. A number of these also have no known owners.

Challenge: What role can the already built play in the communities of the future? The team will focus on the question: How can the identified derelict buildings be used and contribute to meeting the needs for housing and good living environments for both existing and new residents? How can this be designed with ecological, economic and social sustainability in mind?

Team Boden has developed a model to revitalise abandoned houses. It’s about meeting the municipality’s housing needs – without building new. The starting point is: How can we use local conditions – in the form of buildings, history, people and relationships – to meet the needs of places and achieve sustainable local place development?

The housing stock in Gunnarsbyn is dominated by owner-occupied houses. But more housing options are needed for older people, young people and families who want to stay in or move to Gunnarsbyn. However, low property values make it possible to leave houses empty, while also making it risky to build new ones.

With the support of Boden municipality and the local association RÅEK, the team has mapped the needs, conditions and resources of the municipality and the village. Based on the mapping, team Boden has developed a strategy to strengthen the co-creative power of the village and drive a place-based and resource-efficient rural development.

The team has examined empty buildings that are too large or too ‘odd’ to be sold as villas. The buildings have the potential to become small apartment blocks, while being historically and socially significant to the site.

The project proposes three prototypes: The Village Benefit, Sharing Architecture and Co-building. Team Boden’s proposal is a recipe that can make a real difference in more places across Sweden. It is about moving from idea to action and developing places based on existing buildings, the history of the place, the people and the

Designed Living Environment

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