What could SLU’s agricultural field research station Röbäcksdalen in the outskirts of Umeå look like in the future? To find out, a student design competition was arranged by SLU Urban Futures, in co-operation with Umeå municipality, during the spring of 2024.
Combining a research station with an open public space
SLU students, primarily from the SLU Landscape Architecture programs, were invited to participate in the competition and bring forward questions such as: How can the site retain scientific integrity while remaining open and publicly accessible? How could an urban multifunctional site for recreation, biodiversity and research be co-created? How can the public awareness of SLU research conducted at the site be increased?
Inspired by the urban-rural context
The winning contribution Becoming Röbäcksdalen, was created by Landscape Architect students Malin Almgren and Emma Nygren. The concept aims at reconnecting Umeå with the agricultural landscape and transform Röbäcksdalen into a place where Umeå’s residents and visitors can engage, participate and develop a relationship with the landscape. The design principles focus on welcoming and informative entrances, trail systems to encourage exploration and discovery and introducing more varied spatial experiences to avoid the monotony of large, open spaces.
When Malin Almgren and Emma Nygren visited the site in July this summer they were struck by the character of the area and the potential that Röbäcksdalen offers. Situated only two kilometres from the city centre, yet quite unknown by many of the citizens in Umeå.
‘Röbäcksdalen is a hidden gem, geographically a part of Umeå, but emotionally it feels detached. We realized that the separation between Umeå and Röbäcksdalen can symbolize a larger societal divide ‒ a growing disconnect between modern life and the agricultural landscapes that are vital to our communities,’ says Emma Nygren.
‘Becoming Röbäcksdalen aims to reconnect Umeå with its agricultural landscape by transforming it into a welcoming, multifunctional space that invites public exploration and engagement. This concept seeks to foster a deeper connection between the public and agricultural landscapes, creating an understanding of the area’s ecological and social significance while enhancing its inherent qualities and functions,’ says Malin Almgren.
Visionary, feasible and realistic
Dimitris Athanassiadis, hub coordinator at SLU Urban Futures in Umeå, now hopes that the ideas can be implemented in future management plans concerning Röbäcksdalen.
’Their contribution are very welcome and of high quality. It is a good fit that they suggest solutions to the challenges we had previously identified, like lack of information about the area and difficulty for visitors to know where to enter the area. In addition to visionary the contribution is also concrete and feasible and realistic to a high degree,’ says Dimitris Athanassiadis.
Contact information:
Emma Nygren, emma_nygren@live.se
Malin Almgren, malin.reve@gmail.com
Text: Teresia Borgman
Visualizations from the winning contribution Becoming Röbäcksdalen.
Photo: Emma Nygren. The images are modified with AI and other tools.
