Bringing together Nordic cities
The Triennale's urban lab
The Nordic Neighbourhood Lab is a cross-national platform and interdisciplinary network for Nordic cities, knowledge institutions, urban developers, and community actors. The ambition is to share knowledge and build new competency in strategic and practical urban planning, with a focus on the neighbourhood scale – and on nature.
Photo: Einar Sneve Martinussen.
Counting 10 different Nordic cities, through the Nordic Neighbourhood Lab we share knowledge and experience, learning from the best examples in our neighbouring countries.
The Nordic Neighbourhood Lab builds on a first network initiative made in 2021, where the Oslo Architecture Triennale gathered actors across from the whole Nordic context to discuss how to make more sustainable, diverse and vibrant neighbourhood. From 2023 onwards, the network – funded by the The Nordic Council of Ministers' initiative Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture – have assembled City Architects, knowledge institutions, culture and community actors and urban developers from 10 Nordic cities: Aarhus, Bergen, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Malmö, Oslo, Reykjavik, Stockholm, and Trondheim.
The Nordic Neighbourhood Lab is an independent and cross-disciplinary platform, anchored in Oslo and connected to the Nordic countries, with an international perspective. The Lab is supported by The Nordic Council of Ministers – through Nordic Culture Point – as a long-term network.
Although the partner cities have their differences, there are common ambitions:
- Creating better cultural and social infrastructure, meeting places and sense of place in old and new urban areas.
- Engaging citizens, communities, and culture actors to a larger degree and to pursue more culture-savvy approaches to urban development.
- Finding community-oriented and architectural alternatives to a single-minded commercial urban development.
The ambition of the Lab is to strengthen the professional, practical and systemic premises of developing more sustainable, diverse and socially coherent neighbourhoods, places and buildings. Professionally anchored in strategic urban development, the network has a particular emphasis on environmental and social sustainability. Photo: Einar Sneve Martinussen.
Throughout the world, cities face a remarkable challenge: to ensure a transition to a more socially and environmentally sustainable urban development. The Nordic cities have a good outset for leading by example in this crucial change, with strong democratic institutions and an engaged civil society. There is still, however, a long way from the good intentions of sustainable and socially diverse urban development to implementation, also in the Nordic countries.
The Lab works to increase the quality of Nordic urban development on both a city and a neighbourhood scale, by inspiring across professions and sectors through a number of explorative activities, collaboration projects and dissemination initiatives. Throughout the project period the network is gathered in several Nordic cities, exchanging knowledges and getting hands-on experience. Here from the camp in Copenhagen in the spring of 2024. Photo: Einar Sneve Martinussen.
Why a Nordic Neighbourhood Lab?
- Our society and profession face a challenging green and social transition of our cities. The way we live, build and move around is, despite some progress, far from realising the targets for sustainable urban development.
- There is an increased understanding of the significance of social sustainability and social infrastructure, but not enough practical and systemic experience.
- Many actors point to the lack of cross-sectoral interaction and collaboration, the premises being formed by minimum demands and rules rather than visions and ambitions.
- There is an expressed need for arenas in which to experiment with alternative projects and processes that can accelerate new ideas and increase quality.
A two-day "Neighbourhood Camp" at Design and Architecture Norway in March 2022 sparked off what eventually became the Nordic Neighbourhood Lab. The two-day intensive event combined lectures by distinguished speakers with focused workshops, and reflections and suggestions from the camp were delivered to representatives from Oslo’s urban development politicians. Photo: Kristoffer Limi Pahle.
The Nordic Neighbourhood Lab, concluding its first phase in the end of 2025, has explored the neighbourhood scale and horizon, its point of departure being the 2022 Triennale themed "Mission Neighbourhood – (Re)forming Communities". Throughout the project periode, the focus has shifted towards nature, biodiversity and urban transformations, as a part of the research for the 9th edition of the Oslo Architecture Triennale, that is guided by the question "What if Nature Comes First?".
The lab work is an important platform through which to try to answer this significant question.
Hear lab-initiator Christian Pagh, director of the Oslo Architecture Triennale from 2021–24, talk about the Nordic Neighbourhood Lab.
Upon its establishment in 2023, the Nordic Neighbourhood Lad consisted of the following members:
Partner Cities
- Aarhus: Anne Mette Boye (City Architect, City of Aarhus)
- Bergen: Maria Molden (City Architect, City of Bergen)
- Gothenburg: Björn Siesjö (City Architect, City of Gothenburg)
- Helsinki: Hanna Harris (Chief Design Officer. City of Helsinki)
- København: Camilla van Deurs’ successor (City Architect, City of Copenhagen)
- Malmö: Finn Williams (City Architect, City of Malmö)
- Oslo: Andreas Fadum Haugstad (Project Leader, Center for urban ecology (Bykuben), City of Oslo)
- Reykjavik: Ævar Hardarson (Project Manager Neighbourhood Planning, City of Reykjavik)
- Stockholm: Torleif Falk (City Architect, City of Stockholm)
- Trondheim: Are Risto Øyasæter (City Architect, City of Trondheim)
Knowledge Institutions
- Aarhus School of Architecture: Tom Nielsen (Professor, Urban and Landscape Planning)
- Bergen School of Architecture: Emma Nilsson (Rector)
- Design and Architecture Norway (DOGA): Ingerid Helsing Almaas (Senior Advisor)
- Form/Design Center Malmö: Angelica Åkerman (Strategic Developer, Architecture)
- Konstfack – University College of Arts, Crafts and Design: Tor Lindstrand (Senior Lecturer)
- Oslo School of Architecture and Design: Einar Sneve Martinussen (Associate Professor, Institute of Design)
- University of Gothenburg: Ulf Dalnås (Vice Dean of Cooperation, Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts)
Nordic Culture and Community Actors
- Copenhagen Architecture Festival (CAFx): Josephine Michau (Director and Founding Partner)
- Danish Architecture Center: Kika Krista Kjærside (Head of Program)
- Färgfabriken: Daniel Urey (Head of International Program)
- Jenny Grettve Studio: Jenny Grettve (Designer, Director When! When! and founder of ANON)
- Kulturdistriktet: Jesper Kofoed-Melson (Founder and Director Kulturdistriktet and Partner Giv Rum)
- Nordic City Making Week: Katja Lindroos (Producer, CEO of Urban Practice)
- Sydhavnen Association, Aarhus: Sarah Jarsbo (Chairwoman)
- The House of Literature in Trondheim Trondheim: Trond Åm (Director)
- USF Verftet: Ivar Chelsom Vogt (Culture House Leader)
Nordic Urban Development Projects/Partners
- Grønlikaia/Filipstad – Hav Eiendom (NO)
- Axelborg – Landsbyggefonden (DK)
- Nyhavna, Trondheim – Nyhavna Utvikling
- Veterinærhøgskolen – Linstow Eiendom & Oslobygg
The Nordic Neighbourhood Lab network together at Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen. Photo: Einar Sneve Martinussen.
