IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section A
Abstract
The ongoing green transition brings both hope and expectations, alongside pressing socio-cultural heritage challenges in many communities, not least in northern Sweden. The coexistence of new industrial activities and cultural heritage values frequently leads to conflicts, which could potentially be transformed into synergies through dialogue, capacity-building, foresight, and appropriate methodological approaches in planning practices. This presentation discusses findings from the three-year transdisciplinary research collaboration, “Goal conflicts in the green transition: A method toolbox for cultural value creation in planning”. The project investigates three Swedish municipalities experiencing rapid change due to the green industrial transition: Borlänge, Älvsbyn, and Kiruna. It delivers a multidimensional method toolbox designed to support industry, municipalities, consultants, and civil society actors by integrating value-creating perspectives and cultural values into dialogue and planning processes. The paper will focus on the transdisciplinary methodological approach, which combines perspectives from architecture, planning, urban design and conservation to promote aesthetic, social, cultural, and functional value creation in development projects. By addressing the dynamics of cultural heritage, industrial development, and society’s need for attractive living environments, the toolbox aims to prevent goal conflicts by better leverage windows of opportunities in planning for the built environment, its policies, and practices.
Jennie Sjöholm is a built environments conservation specialist and holds the positions of Senior Lecturer in Conservation at University of Gothenburg, and Senior Lecturer in History at Luleå University of Technology. She has a Master of Science in Conservation from the University of Gothenburg, a degree in Architectural Conservation from the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, and a PhD in Architecture from Luleå University of Technology. Currently, Sjöholm serves as an associate editor of the Nordic Journal of Settlement History and Built Heritage.
Charlie Gullström, Architect SAR/MSA, PhD, is Research and Innovation Strategist at Sweco Sweden, within the division Sweco Architects. She also holds the position of Adjunct Professor in Circular Economy for Architecture and Planning at Chalmers University of Technology; Anders Houltz is Associate Professor in the History of Technology and Science, and Head of Research at the Centre for Business History in Stockholm; Tony Svensson is Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at Dalarna University, within the School of Information and Technology, Division of Energy and the Built Environment. He is also a researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Planning and Environment, Division of Urban and Regional Studies; Elin Bäckersten is a Historic Building Conservation Specialist at Sweco Sweden, within the division Sweco Architects; Dag Avango is Professor of History at Luleå University of Technology, specialising in historical studies of technology, science, the environment, and cultural heritage; Benito Peix Geldart holds a PhD in History and is a researcher at the Centre for Business History in Stockholm.
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Thursday 26th June, 2025