My project "SubCity: Future imaginaries of the city subsurface” has been awarded a starting grant from the Swedish Research Council Formas. The application was submitted to the Formas call on Planning for transformation - Stage 1 that contributes to knowledge and solutions for developing Swedish spatial planning for creating the necessary conditions to transform towards a fossil free and sustainable society. The project team was built from the constellation of researchers within UUSI - Sustainable Urban Development and includes researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences, IRES and RISE.
The share of the world population living in urban settlements is expected to reach 68% in 2050. There is little doubt that further urbanisation will continue worldwide, including in Sweden’s largest urban agglomerations. Climate change and the necessity of rapid low-carbon transition will put additional pressure on the increasingly stretched metropolitan areas. To meet these challenges, society will need to significantly enhance its use of the subsurface volume below the city landscape. Spatial development of urban zones has been predominantly viewed through the horizontal lens emphasising the surface. City planning is entering a new era that requires close attention to the long-term and sustainable development of urban subsurface. In the project, we want to turn our attention to how future cities can be imagined through the vertical lens, with an emphasis on underground spatial planning. It is vital to assess if the dominant visions of the future technical function of urban areas are the only real possibility or if different development paths may be chosen.
In Stage 2, which opens in autumn 2020, it is possible to apply for funding for up to 4-year projects with a total maximum budget of SEK 8 million per project.
Read more about the project [ HERE ].