The lampposts are in place along the streets in the residential area of Heden on the outskirts of Örebro. There are bike racks, a small playground and garbage cans. The flowerbeds are half full and are largely covered with canvas to prevent weeds from taking over, a sign that the area is not finished.
The fact is that not a single plot has been sold yet, but Örebro has chosen to clear the surroundings first in the future residential area.
“Built nature”
On the other side of a small road, the wetland area spreads out. An electric fence protects the water so that the birds can be left alone. But otherwise, neat gravel paths wind through the area. Here, a barbecue area has been created by the water surface and raspberry bushes spread out on a small embankment.
"From a handful of bird species in the area, there are now over 100, some of which are red-listed. And there is some wildlife in general, there are beavers and lots of butterflies," says city architect Peder Hallkvist.
It is hard to imagine that a few years ago the natural area consisted of an abandoned golf course and equally abandoned farmland.
What's a bit special is that we built nature before building the houses.
The wetland serves several purposes. The Älvtomtabäcken stream flows through the area, which finds its way down to the Svartån river, which in turn flows through central Örebro. The wetland area forms reservoirs that can flood naturally and hold water. The levee dam that collects water from the streets in the new area is also a natural part of the environment, and not a buried, more technical solution, as in many other places.
This entire landscape reduces the risk of flooding downstream, including in other city districts, says the city architect.
The idea is also that nature itself should function as a carbon sink, capturing and binding carbon dioxide.
So there is climate adaptation, biodiversity and we manage flood risks. Bonus are the very great qualities for those who move into the new houses.
A total of four new areas with around 1,400 homes will be built in a four-leaf clover around the wetland area, with Heden being the first to come out. For those interested in building on the plots, dialogue with the municipality is required.
We have expectations that those who will build will actually be inspired by this natural and water landscape, that they will be happy to use wood in the construction and materials that interact with what is around them.
"Seems completely insane"
Mikael Granberg is a political science professor and works at the Center for Research on Societal Risks at Karlstad University, and says that in recent years municipalities have built housing in areas that are at risk of flooding.
If you look at it from a climate risk perspective, it seems completely insane. But there are other considerations that municipalities should take into account.
Housing close to the water is often attractive and municipalities want to attract new residents and investments. Densification is also popular, which can mean that the water has nowhere to go.
Climate risks are often subordinated to growth goals. And this can lead to the construction of cities that actually produce risks.
In addition to managing flood risks, municipalities also need to be able to manage heat waves and water shortages.
This places new demands on our cities.
Gustav Sjöholm/TT
Facts: Cities like mushrooms
TT
In 2013, Chinese researcher Kongjian Yu launched the concept of sponge cities as a way to manage floods.
1.8 billion people are estimated to be at risk of flooding.
The idea is that a city should be able to take care of excess water on its own, for example from torrential rain or flooding, instead of just diverting it away.
This can be done through green areas, parks or trees, but also by building in places that can be transformed into water reservoirs.
