Rural Futures for Children and Young People in Northern Sweden: Design-Build Projects 7.5 credits

About the course

Like many European countries, Sweden has experienced a trend of urbanisation in recent years, tied to changes in the rural economy, industries, and society. Small rural communities have experienced an outflow of inhabitants and face a consequent risk of diminishing societal resilience. New technologies and working methods open possibilities for rural depopulated communities. However, the experiences and opinions of children and young people living in these communities are vital for the continued sustainable development of these places. This course aims to address this urgent need.

In this summer course, students will collaborate to design and construct attractive, sustainable, and inclusive meeting places for children and young people in the rural inland of northern Sweden. The course will give students the opportunity to develop and practice their design skills in a rural setting. The course will include a two-week residential phase in one of two rural Swedish villages in Västerbotten county. During this phase, students will learn about designing for sustainable and durable small-scale building and apply this knowledge with hands-on construction.

The summer course consists of two phases - the design phase (June) and the construction phase (August). The design phase takes place at Umeå School of Architecture. The construction phase will take place in rural Vännäs, about 40 km from Umeå.

The course is given full-time in weeks 24-25 and 32-34.