Gällivare: Älvrummet

Team När horisonter möts invited the people of Gällivare to develop Älvrummet by the Vassara River into a meeting place and cultural node in interaction with nature.

Conditions: The Vassara River is located in the middle of Gällivare and is a potential hub between the town centre and the southern parts of the town, such as the other side of the river, Repisvaara and the mountain Dundret. The surrounding land is divided between private plots and contiguous municipally owned land areas. The river is home to valuable species and habitats and is designated as a Natura 2000 site. The area contains the oldest and most important cultural environment in the town and a popular recreational and cultural trail along the river’s edge.

Challenge: How can the river space with all these existing values be strengthened to contribute to the living environment of the whole of Gällivare? The team will explore methods and approaches to develop and at the same time utilise existing cultivation plots, the site’s waterfront location and create meeting places and allow art and culture to take place in the landscape. How can the development plan for the area be translated into realistic qualities that are possible to implement? Which parts should be reconsidered and which should be allowed to live on in the municipality’s physical planning? How can the design of places and landscapes create the conditions for strengthening the development of qualitative and sustainable living environments?

Team När horisonter möts took its point of departure in the landscape as a whole, with its historical, cultural and ecological layers. The work was based in Älvrummet in Gällivare and on the insight that relocation was part of the place’s identity. While material elements could be moved over time, the immaterial – relationships, stories and shared values – needed to be re-created through deliberate and long-term processes.

To strengthen the existing natural and cultural values of Älvrummet, the team developed a proposal for a place-making process in which residents of Gällivare were invited to jointly shape the site. The process was grounded in collective making as a method, with participation, learning and local engagement at its core.

The work was summarised in a report presenting a proposal for a development and management plan for Älvrummet. The report described how workshops and prototype-based work can be used to create physical spaces for cultural expression, learning about local natural values and reuse, as well as encounters between different groups in society. The report can be found further down the page.

In 2025, När horisonter möts continued its work in Älvrummet within the framework of Visions in the North step 2. Prototypes were then implemented and tested on site together with the local community, as part of a learning and creative process in which participants’ contributions were reflected in the physical outcomes. The process was tested in Älvrummet with the ambition of being scaled up across the municipality over time.

The team’s long-term vision is for Älvrummet to develop into an area where local cultural history, stories, nature and creative practice are given space and shared with other parts of Gällivare and Norrbotten.

The team’s work and next report will be presented at the Visions in the North final conference on 25 March 2026. Read more and register for the conference here.

Knowledge hub

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