Tag: Design

The Swedish solution – sustainable transport and new apartments

Sweden has a shortage of new homes but on our visits we saw a very different way of addressing the problem. Two development areas on the outskirts of Uppsala, some 60 km north of Stockholm, were good examples of this completely different Swedish approach.

The photo opposite is a view is of new homes at Kungsängen, where a combination of rented and privately owned accommodation is being built. The homes are generally six-story apartments, built as a quadrangle around a communal green area. Shops and services are at street level below the living accommodation. Sustainable transport is at the heart of the development.

The new area of Kungsängen carries forward the traditional grid of streets, characteristic of older Uppsala, with apartments overlooking a street on one side and a green area on the other. You can see here how each green quadrangle is different and may include sports facilities, sitting out areas, playgrounds, trees and more. There are large balconies and views over newly planted trees. Since there is little traffic, the place seems pleasant and walkable. The area includes the new Anna Petrus park built by the Municipality of Uppsala, and created in collaboration with local associations for skateboarding and other outdoor activities. 

By building apartments, albeit medium-rise, the density of population in the area is high. This means that local businesses are viable and many are located in the basement floor of the apartment blocks, such as this independent cafe and bookshop.


Municipal planners had early on decided that the fabric of the city and utility systems, must become more dense in order to meet climate and environmental requirements and demands for a high quality of life within the city. They have planned Kungsängen in detail with this in mind.

With sustainable transport integrated into every aspect of the development, much was to hand on foot or bike. For longer journeys across town, buses were frequent and affordable, and we were told by residents we spoke to that a car was not really necessary. However there was an underground car park for the residents in the block, and (in the winter) underground cycle parking too. Residents also had a basement area for personal storage and was an area for recycling too – no bins lining the streets!

The photo opposite is another new area of Uppsala called Rosendal. We travelled everywhere on modern buses although cycling would have been another easy option as cycleways were everywhere and part of a comprehensive network. Trams are also on the way to support the expansion of the whole area.

There were also frequent buses to favourite places to enjoy nearby forests and lakes, the idea being that enjoyment of nature is something that should be available to all citizens – you don’t have to drive.

The google view shows not only the arrangement of the apartments around streets, but also shows just some of the shops, restaurants and services that have opened in the new area. By building ‘in proximity’ not only are small businesses viable, but also public transport benefits from the high local demand for buses. Sustainable transport in Uppsala was it seemed, was increasingly becoming the usual way of travelling about and the planners were working hard with the town to keep it that way as thousands of new residents moved in. As explained in the vision ‘a well-developed public transport system will also promote equality, by allowing those residents who do not have a car to travel in comfort and safety’.

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New homes, wildflowers and a railway station: a visit to Kidbrooke Village

Kidbrooke Village offers a new lifestyle

Kidbrooke Village is a large new development of some 4,700 homes in the borough of Greenwich, South East London. The development replaced the 1960s/ 1970s Ferrier Estate which was knocked down to build something completely different. The development is a partnership between local government, housing developers, and community stakeholders and consists of an interesting and unusual mix of high density development alongside new parkland and wildlife areas.

Approaching Kidbrooke

We walked to the development from the adjacent suburbs. The street-scape suddenly changed and there we were in Kidbrooke Village. It was a completely different place from the suburbs of the 1930s. Some of new homes were still in construction.


As we walked in, we noticed that there was a bus stop already in place in the area still being built. In Kidbrooke, public transport is an essential component. Parking is very limited for flats with many with no parking (although parking spaces can be paid for if needed). Town houses do have usually one space. It’s anticipated that people will use public transport, walking, cycling, scooters and car-clubs. And from what we could see, they do.

The number of affordable homes at Kidbrooke Village is planned at 35% (including 15% social rented). This is London and property has price tags to match. Town houses with allocated off-street parking and private gardens, offer luxury accommodation.

The accommodation in apartment blocks has the benefit of proximity and views of an extensive green area for walking, picnicking, playing, and enjoying wildlife right despite being in London. The idea is explained in the blog London Wildlife Trust: Bringing Kidbrooke alive with wildlife.

This area was popular with walkers and people sitting out. As explained in the London Wildlife Trust blog about Kidbrooke: ‘Developments don’t have to squeeze out wildlife. The benefits are clear: trees in urban areas improve the view, aid privacy, provide shade and help reduce pollution and flash flooding; community green spaces bring people together; and local parks and woods are valuable placeTs for people to walk, play and unwind in’.

The childrens’ playground has a reputation beyond Kidbrooke Village as a place to come to, with imaginative play equipment for different ages. You can walk to it easily from the new homes. But there are are other outdoor and indoor recreational facilities all within a short distance of the apartments. We found courts for tennis, football, basket ball and netball. There is also Artfix – a cafe, school, workspace and venue.

We saw parts of the development that looked almost European with parking hidden away beneath and streets that are freed more those on foot. There are modern bus stops right next to where people live, a big contrast to the fringe-of-town greenfield developments that we have visited where bus stops do not have a central position like this. There are number of bus routes serving Kidbrooke, including the 132, the 178, 286, 335 and B16.

When we visit new greenfield development we often get lost and there are no maps. But in Kidbrooke Village we found maps showing how far it was to walk to different places, and the location of bus stops and the railway station. The transport side of Kidbrooke village reflects its location in London and the importance that people living there place on sustainable travel.

Kidbrooke station is actually in the development with a square built next to its new entrance. Here we found a supermarket, street food sellers, cafe and a pub. Destinations by train include Blackheath, Lewisham (for the DLR), London Victoria, London Cannons Street and Charring Cross and going out of London, stations to Dartford and Gravesend

We also discovered a large wholefoods store by the station. With such a density development and with so many people living nearby a more specialist shop still thrives. It was interesting to contrast this situation with the very low density greenfield developments we have seen where the establishment of a local centre is difficult.

We caught the train back towards London, reflecting that all in all we found Kidbrooke Village to be an interesting and exciting development and were impressed at the combination of new town houses and apartments, greenery and trees, public transport and many local amenities that you could walk or cycle to. It was such a contrast to the enormous greenfield estates being built around our market towns which are car-based. Kidbrooke Village appeared to offer a different life style of local living and use of sustainable transport.