Research project Across the Swedish countryside, thousands of houses have been abandoned. Some are falling into disrepair, while others await revival. Despite growing media attention, there is neither a coordinated national strategy to manage these properties nor reliable figures on how many homes have been abandoned. In short, while the true numbers of abandoned dwellings are unknown, these ‘zombie houses’ haunt rural landscapes all over the country.
This project examines the reasons why rural homes are abandoned, the number of abandoned homes, and potential repurposing strategies. By analysing statistics, municipal records, and conducting interviews with local actors, the project aims to map the issue and identify possible solutions. It also studies municipalities and local associations already working to revitalise vacant rural homes to understand what works and why.
This project analyses local initiatives by municipalities and associations in relation to vacant rural housing, and aims to synthesise their experiences into a form of best practice for these dwellings, as opportunities for and obstacles to local development. Based on the experiences of these initiatives and data at the local, regional and national level, the project aims to reach a credible estimation for the scale and geography of abandoned rural housing in Sweden. Furthermore, the project will investigate structural drivers of rural housing abandonment and propose policy changes to address such drivers. The project is done in cooperation with the Centre for Local Government Studies (CKS) at Linköping University.
Across rural Sweden, thousands of houses stand empty – some slowly decaying, others waiting for someone to bring them back to life. These living dead of the rural housing market have captured the public imagination, fuelling countless media stories and social media groups about ‘saving’ forgotten houses.
Surprisingly, there are no official statistics on abandoned rural housing, and official statistics do not distinguish between vacation properties and abandoned homes. Previous estimates of vacant houses range wildly, which only serves to highlight the lack of reliable data. So far, however, Sweden lacks a clear strategy for dealing with vacant rural housing, as there have not been any serious initiatives at the national level to address the issue and its root causes.
In short, while the true numbers of abandoned dwellings are unknown, the living dead of rural housing markets continue to haunt rural landscapes.
Despite the absence of national initiatives, local communities and municipalities have taken matters into their own hands, experimenting with solutions to revive these houses. But how effective are these efforts? Can abandoned houses be transformed into an opportunity for rural development, or are they merely symptoms of deeper structural problems? This project seeks to uncover the extent of the phenomenon, explore its causes, and evaluate the impact of grassroots solutions.
