I am an architect and hold a Doctor of Philosophy in critical studies of architecture with a design-based and transdisciplinary thesis entitled Projecting Urban Natures (2017). An overarching drive for my research and teaching since the start in 2005, has been a firm conviction that if we are to promote ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development, we need to explore novel forms of problem-solving that can support cross-disciplinary innovation and the engagement of a multitude of actors, including citizens. I view urban design and urban planning as an inclusive, reflective and, by necessity, transdisciplinary practice and throughout my research and teaching I have worked closely with professionals and researchers from the fields of e.g. systems ecology, natural resource management, political ecology, urban design, architecture and landscape design, as well as artists, planners, developers, local interest groups, and NGOs. My work has been propelled through workshop-based, site specific, and experimental design processes with the aim of exploring new paths and future projections that can be tested in their real-world environment.
Collaborations has taken place with practitioners and researchers at the African Center for Cities in Cape Town, the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, James Corner Field Operations, NOD (later COMBINE), Wingårdhs, MUST Urbanism. In 2021/2022 I did a postdoc at the architecture and urban research think tank cityLAB situated within UCLA's Department of Architecture and Urban Design. Since 2005 I have collaborated closely in several projects with the municipality of Stockholm and I have had reoccurring collaborations with Stockholm Resilience Centre through projects such as “Challenging Dichotomies” initiated in 2005, and later “Albano Resilient Campus” in which I was part of initiating and conceptualizing the field of “Social-Ecological Urbanism”.
Since 2005 I have supervised multiple projects at bachelor and master level and since 2022 I am secondary adviser to doctoral candidate Emílio da Cruz Brandão. Prior to joining SLU I have been teaching at the School of Architecture at KTH since 2005 with a primarily focus on the urban scale and scope. I have been a driving force behind starting the Urbanism and Landscape Studio at KTH with a focus on urbanism, landscape and ecology.
In my role as a teacher, my aim is to empower students in such a way that they may develop a critical and systematic outlook and intellectual curiosity in relation to the ever growing complexity and urban/global challenges we currently face. I encourage and challenge my students to experiment, test and “try on” a multitude of perspectives and views, and through this become both aware of the cross-disciplinary and holistic approach needed to move forward, but importantly without downplaying their potential role as active agents of change, as narrators and producers of knowledge themselves.
Erixon Aalto, H., Marcus, L., & Torsvall, J. (2018). Towards a Social-Ecological Urbanism: Co-Producing Knowledge through Design in the Albano Resilient Campus Project in Stockholm. Sustainability, 10(3), 717.
Erixon Aalto, H., & Ernstson, H. (2017). Of Plants, High Lines and Horses: Civic Groups and Designers in the Relational Articulation of Values of Urban Natures. Landscape and Urban Planning, 157, pp. 309–321.
Erixon, H., Borgström, S., & Andersson, E. (2013). Challenging Dichotomies—Exploring Resilience as an Integrative and Operative Conceptual Framework for Large-scale Urban Green Structures. Planning Theory & Practice, 3, pp. 349–372
Barthel, S.; Colding, J.; Erixon, H.; Ernstson, H.; Grahn, S.; Kärsten, C.; Marcus, L.; Torsvall, J. Principles of Social-Ecological Urbanism—Case Study: Albano Campus, Stockholm; TRITA ARK Forsknings Publikationer: Stockholm, Sweden, 2013.
Erixon Aalto, H. (2017). Projecting Urban Natures: Investigating Integrative Approaches to Urban Development and Nature Conservation. Ph.D. Thesis, KTH/Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Erixon Aalto, H, & Öst, A., 2021. Falsk motsättning mellan stad och natur. Rapport for Architects Sweden (Sveriges Arkitekter).
Erixon, H. (2006). Odla staden, bygg naturen. Arkitekten, 8, pp. 48–51.
Utveckla Valhallavägen till Stockholms gröna bredband, article in DN Debatt in collaboration with Lars Marcus; Stephan Barthel, Johan Colding, 2012.
Chans sätta Stockholm på kartan, article in Svenska Dagbladet. Barthel; Colding; Erixon; Ernstson; Grahn; Kärsten; Marcus; Torsvall, 2011.
Om en ny planeringsmetod – Järva som exempel, [A new planning method – example Järva], in the Norwegian architectural Journal Byggekunst, nr 05, Erixon, 2005.
Related press:
Podcast Urbanistica about the Urbanism & Landscape Studio, May 2021, interview by Mustafa Sherif.
Nästa stad tar form. [The future City emerges], Journal Arkitektur,30 September, 2020, Article/interview by Annica Kvint.
Coronan ökar behovet av grönare städer, [The corona virus increases the need for greener cities], Dagens Nyheter (DN), September 2020, Article/interview by Annica Kvint.13 (17)
Restmassor från tunnelbanan kan bli nya öar. [Residues from the subway can become new islands.] Published in the journal Extrakt. 17 nov 2020, Article/interview by Charlie Olofsson.
De vill bygga ut Stockholm – med rester från underjorden. [They want to expand Stockholm - with remnants from the underground], Published in the news paper mitti, 8 januari 2021, Article/interview by Johan Sjölund.
Stora parker gör staden hållbar. [Large parks make the city sustainable], The journal Stad. Article/interview by Karin Andersson, September, 2018.
I framtiden kan städer bli synonyma med värmestress, [In the future, cities may become synonymous with heat stress], article in Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) referencing my PhD thesis, by Elisabet Andersson, 2018, August 10th.
Review of Doctoral Thesis in the journal “Arkitekten”, by Annica Kvint. May, 2018.
Framtidens städer har hus av trä och gröna artärer, [The cities of the future have houses of wood and green arteries], article in Dagens Nyheter (DN), referencing the Albano Resilient Campus project (ARC), Annica Kvint. 2017, April 5th.
Här ska staden stärka biotoperna, [Here the city will stregthen biotopes], article by Nina Gunne in the journal “Arkitekten” about the ARC project, 2010
Bygget som förstärker naturen, [The new neighborhood that strengthens nature], article by Susanna Baltscheffsky,SvD, about Patch Work, 2010
Parkerna gör staden mer urban. [The parks make the city more urban], Article/interview by Elisabet Andersson, SvD, 2008
Stora Parker. Article /interview by Dan Hallemar in the journal Arkitekten.
http://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1154184&dswid=8814
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204616300858
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/3/717
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14649357.2013.813960
https://issuu.com/kth-arkitekturskolan/docs/studio_urbanism_and_landscape_fall_2022
Studio Urbanism & Landscape: Mass and Water by KTH Arkitekturskolan - Issuu