Living Streets – a design competition for upper secondary schools!

What would the streets of the future look like if they weren’t built for cars? In connection with SVT’s major series How Sweden Was Built (Så byggdes Sverige), ArkDes invites upper secondary school classes from across the country to take part in the design competition Living Streets.

The assignment: Create a prototype for a sustainable, healthy, and vibrant street. How can tomorrow’s streets be designed when cars are no longer the starting point?

To get started, teachers and students can use the Living Streets toolkit – an educational resource with a design process, background material, and exercises for use in the classroom.

Students can also find inspiration in the SVT series How Sweden was built ↗. In eight episodes, starting on 30 October, Gert Wingårdh, Mark Isitt, and Petra Mede – together with a range of experts – explore themes such as the city, the suburb, the industrial town, and the residential street. ArkDes has contributed archival material to the production.

All upper secondary schools are welcome to participate, and several entries may be submitted from the same school or class. Registration is open throughout the competition period: 30 October 2025–13 March 2026.

Entries are submitted digitally to ArkDes. A submission template will be sent to participating schools on 28 January 2026.
The jury consists of Gert Wingårdh, Mark Isitt, and from ArkDes, Madeléne Beckman, Kris Johnson-Jones, and Olle Lundin.

The winning proposal will be exhibited at Torget at ArkDes in May 2026.

The competition is especially suitable for subjects such as architecture, design, art, geography, cultural history, and construction.