Common Space Improving Living Conditions

URBAN COMMONS THEME VERTICAL WORKSHOP 2015

Erik Perssonerik.j.persson@umu.se

Tobias Westerlund+46 90-786 66 33tobias.westerlund@umu.se

Carl-Johan Vesterlund+46 90-786 67 68 carl-johan.vesterlund@umu.se

Ana Betancourana.betancour@umu.se

Amalia Katopodisamalia.katopodis@umu.se

Umeå School of Architecture, Umeå Universitywww.arch.umu.se/en

In Moment 1 you have been introduced to the idea of commons as resources that are created and managed by its users. The notion of urban commons is part of alternative emerging practices�and contemporary discussion about social and cultural democracy in urban planning. Who is represented in the decision-making - by who and for whom? What are the resources, land use, urban spaces and places, infrastructure, and buildings implemented? What is the role of the architect in these processes?

Since about a year ago, around a hundred inhabitants in Umeå live in conditions far below the average standard of living. The phenomenon we are talking about is relatively new for the modern era of Sweden. These severely poor migrating residents of the European Union, in particular with a Romani background and mainly from Romania and Bulgaria, exist in a kind of legal limbo in a Europe that mutually opened its borders, but at the same time is characterized by great inequality and uneven geographical development.

The people we are referring to have left from an intolerable existence in the hope of better circumstances. Many of them earn their living mainly by begging outside supermarkets and in crowded public places, and settle, in the lack of other options, around the parking lots, vacant spaces and in the forest areas near the town. The

Common SpaceIntroduction

Photo: SR

situation has, especially during the winter months, been anything but predictable. Common settlements have been evicted and the local public authorities’ actions have in Umeå’s case been characterized by ambiguity and ambivalence.

In the absence of actions by the local government, the migrants have been forced to seek, in collaboration with a wide range of NGOs, emergency temporary solutions to create as

bearable lives as possible in the city. And since May this year the situation has become seriously polarized after the municipality made it clear that it disclaims itself from all formal responsibility for these specific inhabitants of the municipality. The coming winter is threatening the living conditions to become more difficult again, just like what happened when the temperature began to drop last year.

Klockarbäcken. Photo: TT

In the autumn of 2015, between 4000 and 6000 European migrants in this socio-economic situation are expected to reside in various Swedish municipalities. They are in reality refugees from poverty, but are legally

defined as tourists; as temporary visitors. Thus, they lack the formal rights that other local inhabitants can enjoy - universal health care, the right to income support and access to programmes for employment.

Högdalen

Carlslid. Photo: Marie Wenge Carlslid. Photo: SVT

Our desire here is to, through a very concrete and humble approach, examine, discuss and identify how we as architects, planners and designers can relate to this contemporary part of the every day life of our city. The starting point will be to listen to the NGO’s experiences of the past year, but even more important, listen to the individuals living with this vulnerability. What are their needs? What dreams are on their horizons? In this situation of

lack of resources, how could real problems be solved in ways that actually empower those affected?

Taking our point of departure in the theme of ”urban commons” and empathy, we hope to find a broad approach from which we together can explore a variety of methods and discuss their opportunities as well as weaknesses.

Nydala. Photo: Emma Lundström, Internationalen.

7

1) Former camp next to OKQ8 gas station in Carlslid

2) Central Station

3) Pingstkyrkan, Öst på Stan

4) First Camp Camping, Nydala

5) Klossen, Ålidhem

6) Former Camp in Nydala

7) Backengården, Church of Sweden, Backen

LEGEND

5 1

2

3

6

4

Task

We want you to make a toolbox, or a manual, with ideas on

how to improve the situation.

Your assignment is all about coming up with ideas and to rethink how these persons can take place in the city. How can the living conditions be improved? Are there ways for us to support the existing networks of voluntary organisations? Can we propose solutions for the municipality and other authorities?

Be careful and take into consideration how to approach the people we meet during this workshop. Please be aware and critical to the position you take as students/architects and the power relations that may arise in the different situations you’ll meet. Think of how you can relate to the people in a respectful way. Avoid to create false expectations and misconceptions. Use a language and ways of communication that makes it as easy as possible for everyone to understand and to feel respected and included in the processes.

We also urge you to avoid prejudices and to project your own wants and wishes upon the migrants. What do they actually want and what do they really need? What are the urgencies on a short term and how can we imagine more sustainable long term approaches in this situation?

Discuss the approach together with the participating staff and guests.

ADVICE

Your material should be useful in the real world, for people involved in the voluntary organisations, the authorities and/or the persons who themselves are involved.

Approaches

Within the assignment you should choose on of the following approaches as a starting point. You are not obliged to take a standpoint in the matter, but we want you to engage with the issues and what’s at stake.

1. Intervention / Strengthening the Commons

Try to imagine how the work that the existing organisations are doing can be strengthened and to find new solutions to existing problems using the common forces and resources.

• Can we invent new solutions that can be implemented?

• Where can we find resources?

• Rethink practical / technical issues, e.g. housing, energy, food distribution, waste, or other issues you are interested in.

• How to support and maintain voluntary commitments?

2. Planning / Proposals for the Authorities

Look at the situation from the authorities’ point of view. Propose solutions that the municipality could apply in order to improve the situation and the living conditions for the migrants.

• Can we imaging new strategies, i.e. a master plan, infrastructures or other things that the municipality could do? At what costs?

• Look at what have been done in other cities?

• What public policies are in place?

• What resources are needed and where to find them?

Group Seminar

On the Friday the 11th of September there will be a group seminar where we discuss the ideas that have been brought up during the week.

For first year and master students the workshop will continue until the 18th of September. Information about the next step will be handed out on the 14th of September.

Material

This work is part of a larger theme at Umeå School of Architecture on “Urban Commons”. The outcomes will be collected and compiled into a publication that will be given back to the community. It is therefore important that you document and send in all the material that you produce during this workshop.

Your material should be uploaded to your group folder on the server:

130.239.61.251/uma/uma_workshop/Vertical_Workshop_2015/Common_Space/Group_X

UPLOAD YOUR MATERIAL

Klockarbäcken. Photo: Emelie Svejder

Group A André B UMA1Hanna B UMA1Taraneh B UMA1Johan B UMA1Julia A UMA2Johannes A UMA2Josefin A UMA2Elin A UMA3Jens A UMA3Arusree C UMA4/5Felicia D UMA4/5Mirjam D UMA4/5Emelie E UMA4/5Tasneim G UMA4/5

Group B Kelli B UMA1Lina B UMA1Maja B UMA1Simon C UMA1Alice B UMA2Christine B UMA2Carl B UMA2Simon Ba UMA3Simon Be UMA3Malin B UMA3Ulrika G UMA4/5Simeon H UMA4/5Hanna I UMA4/5Eline J UMA4/5

Group C Vide E UMA1August E UMA1Sofia E UMA1Nina E UMA1Carl R UMA1Emma B UMA2Anton B UMA2Nelly C UMA2Tess E UMA2Sara B UMA3Helena C UMA3Karin W UMA4/5Chadi K UMA4/5Sofia M UMA4/5Lisa N UMA4/5

Group D Linnéa Fa UMA1Linnea Fr UMA1Anders G UMA1

Robert G UMA1Ahmed H UMA1Agnes E UMA2Frida F UMA2Lisa F UMA2Simon S UMA3Gustav S UMA3Daniella R UMA4/5Julia S UMA4/5Jessie S UMA4/5

Group E Anna H UMA1Ellinor H UMA1Sandra H UMA1Martin H UMA1Karin F UMA2Irma G UMA2Kim G UMA2Malte D UMA3Alina P UMA3Stella D UMA3Myriam T UMA4/5Cajsa W UMA4/5Victor B UMA4/5Ioulia E UMA4/5

Group F Douglas H UMA1Sofia H UMA1Julia H UMA1Alexander J UMA1Johan G UMA2Cecilia H UMA2Douglas H UMA2Anton E UMA3Carin E UMA3Geza F UMA4/5Måns L UMA4/5Alla O UMA4/5Rogier R UMA4/5Egle R UMA4/5

Group G Anna J UMA1Linnea J UMA1Preeti K UMA1Emma K UMA1Jacob H UMA2Petter H UMA2Sophia J UMA2Aurora E UMA3Lynnita E UMA3

Maria T UMA4/5Paulina J UMA4/5Maja H UMA4/5Vivian N UMA4/5Erik N UMA4/5

Group H Li-Marie K UMA1Rebecca L UMA1Anna L UMA1Alexander J UMA2Ebba J UMA2Alfred J UMA2Marie E UMA3Jimmy E UMA3Karl F UMA3Clara H UMA4/5Kartikeya C UMA4/5Liesa K UMA4/5Martins O UMA4/5Marta P UMA4/5

Group I Paul L UMA1Arvid L UMA1Johanna L UMA1Julia L UMA1Jimmy K UMA2Tore L UMA2Oscar L UMA2Frida F UMA3Julia G UMA3Hugo H UMA3Terezia S UMA4/5Yonghyun A UMA4/5Johanna A UMA4/5Johannes D UMA4/5

Group J Frida L UMA1Hedda M UMA1Lisa M UMA1Linnéa M UMA1Sonja L UMA2Anna L UMA2Johanna L UMA2Johannes H UMA3Desirée H UMA3Johanna J UMA3Lalin K UMA4/5Lynda M UMA4/5Sharon P UMA4/5Mariya S UMA4/5

Groups

Group K Maja M UMA1Marianne M UMA1Gabriella M UMA1Oskar M UMA1Ida L UMA2Tobias L UMA2Erik L UMA2Gene K UMA3Love L UMA3Ida L UMA3Gustav H UMA4/5Lukas B UMA4/5Isa H UMA4/5Stina J UMA4/5

Group L Jonatan N UMA1Victor M UMA1Vilja N UMA1Olov L UMA2Moa L UMA2Sanna M UMA2Lidia N UMA2Ebba L UMA3Nora L UMA3Rebecka L UMA3Jessica N UMA4/5Stina A UMA4/5Caroline UMA4/5Anna K UMA4/5

Group M David O UMA1Matilda O UMA1Minna P UMA1Lotta N UMA2Sofia N UMA2Stina N UMA2Jessica L UMA3Otto M UMA3Ida M UMA3Goda V UMA4/5Benjamin W UMA4/5Ida W UMA4/5Daniella L UMA4/5

Group N Emilia P UMA1Aapo R UMA1Anna R UMA1Fredrik O UMA2Charlie O UMA2

Elina P UMA2Jonathan M UMA3Angelica N UMA3Diana B UMA4/5Johanna B UMA4/5Anna C UMA4/5Annika E UMA4/5Jessica E UMA4/5

Group O Rebacka R UMA1Daniel R UMA1Thea S UMA1Lisa S UMA1Sara P UMA2Petter P UMA2Jonathan R UMA2Dita O UMA3Magnus O UMA3Olga P UMA3Ann-Cristine F UMA4/5Jacob E UMA4/5Love B UMA4/5Gabriel R UMA4/5

Group P Meyav S UMA1Emma S UMA1Elliot S UMA1Magnus R UMA2Rebecka R UMA2Magnus S UMA2Anton P UMA3Adam R UMA3Andressa S UMA4/5Jessie S UMA4/5Anna V UMA4/5Marianna S UMA4/5Mantas G UMA4/5

Group Q Dennis S UMA1Matilda S UMA1Harald S UMA1Therese S UMA2Jeanette S UMA2Jesefine S UMA2Helen S UMA3Elias S UMA3Kim S UMA3Therese H UMA4/5Amanda H UMA4/5Katarina J UMA4/5

Hanna J UMA4/5

Group R Martin T UMA1Jonatan U UMA1Clara V UMA1Emil S UMA2Tove S UMA2Gudmar S UMA2Mohammed S UMA3Fabian S UMA3Gustaf S UMA3Andreas J UMA4/5Hanna K UMA4/5Klara N UMA4/5Karin O UMA4/5

Group S Tommy V UMA1Therése W UMA1Jennifer W UMA1Fanny S UMA2Cecilia T UMA2Frida T UMA2Anton V UMA2Gabriela S UMA3Rebecka S UMA3Fanny T UMA3Alexander L UMA4/5Sofie S UMA4/5Kristina T UMA4/5Nathalie J UMA4/5

Group T Emelie W UMA1Lisa W UMA1Emma W UMA1Max W UMA2Linnéa Å UMA2Johanna Å UMA2Eva T UMA3Ellen U UMA3Kristina Ö UMA3Carin T UMA4/5Carl E UMA4/5Marianna S UMA4/5Antoni M UMA4/5John G UMA4/5

Associations and Authorities

Bengt Bergius, Svenska Kyrkan (Church of Sweden) Phone 070-607 33 56

Svenska Kyrkan provides a piece of land on which many EU-migrants at the moment are living in caravans. They have as well been involved in various ways providing help to the migrants.

Pingstkyrkan (Pentecostal Church) Phone 090-14 10 10 Email info@umea.pingst.se

In 2014, Pingstkyrkan, got a contract from the municipality to coordinate the voluntary organisations who where providing aid to improve living standards for European migrants in Umeå. Every Tuesday, Pingstkyrkan provides a free meal for the group at the church.

Ahmet Gümüscü, Municipal Coordinator for EU migrants Phone 072-518 46 87 Email ahmet.gumuscu@umea.se

The municipality has a civil servant coordinator working with issues concerning the situation for European migrants living in Umeå.

Allt åt Alla Umeå Email umea@alltatalla.com Web http://www.alltatalla.se

Allt åt Alla Umeå (”Everything for Everyone”) has been part of the practical solidarity/aid for European migrants in Umeå. They have as well addressed particularly the housing issue in various articles, texts and actions.

Hälsa på Lika Villkor (Health on Equal Terms) Email halsapalikavillkor@gmail.com

Hälsa på Lika Villkor (”Health on Equal Terms”) is a voluntary association, mainly organized by health care workers and medical students. Their primary intention is to strengthen the right to health care for European migrants in Umeå. During the last year they have provided a free clinic for the target group at Ålidhem.

Contact information for associations and authorities whom are

working with the situation for European migrants in Umeå:

References, Articles & LiteratureAll referenced articles are available either through the Retriever Business database, which can be accessed through the Umeå University Library webpage (www.ub.umu.se), or a Google web search. Please ask if you need help to access them.

ENGLISH

”The Situation for Roma in 11 EU Member States”, by The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2012.

”The Creation of the Urban Commons”, by David Harvey, 2011.

SWEDISH ”Malmöbor, att vi bor i Sorgenfrilägret är bäst för både oss och er”, av Alexandro, Ana, Constantin, Lonela, Larisa, Nelu, Nucoleta, Nicusor, Maria och Paul. Publicerad på Sydsvenskans debattsida 2015-09-02.

”Ska man behöva dö?”, av Anne-li Lehnberg. Publicerad i Tidningen Flamman 2015-08-13

”54 attacker mot EU-migranter i år”, av Elin Schwartz. Publicerad i Fria Tidningen 2015-08-20

”Kampen om Kåkstaden: Vi har ingen annanstans att ta vägen”, av Anders Paulsen. Publicerad i Sydsvenskan 2015-08-22

”Ingen uppställningsplats på kommunens mark”, av Umeå kommun. Publicerad 2015-05-26

”Umeå pastorat ger plats åt EU-migranter”, av Kristoffer Morén.

Publicerad i Kyrkans Tidning 2015-07-21

”Tältläger vid Klockarbäcken”, av Hanna Degerström. Publicerad av SVT Västerbottensnytt 2015-06-28

”Några juridiska frågor gällande utsatta EU-medborgare”, av Sveriges kommuner och landsting, 2014-12-09

”Frågor och svar om situationen för EU-migranter i Helsingborg”, av helsingborg.se. Publicerad 2015-04-02

”Nytt beslut om EU-migranter i Örnsköldsvik”, av Pernilla Näslund. Publicerad av Örnsköldsviks Allehanda 2015-08-03

”EU-migranter återigen ofredade”, av Josefin Isaksson. Publicerad i Västerbottens-Kuriren 2015-08-05

”Tiggare ockuperade ödehus”, av Elin Falk. Publicerad i Västerbottens Folkblad 2014-06-08

1. Introduction and City Walks • All Students

week week 36

date 31. Aug 01. Sep 02. Sep 03. Sep 04. Sep

MORNING [9.00-12.00]

Common Welcome, registration + info 9 - 11 Sliperiet

Mapping of the Urban Commons City Walk, Umeå Kulturhus Riddaregatan 6

Mapping of the Urban Commons Group Work

Welcome Day for New Students at Campus

Common Space Lecture and introduction. Umeå Kulturhus Riddaregatan 6

AFTERNOON [13.00-17.00]

Mapping of the Urban Commons Group Work

Mapping of the Urban Commons Group Work

Common Space Seminar Umeå Kulturhus Riddaregatan 6

2. Ideas, Manual & Toolkit • All students

week week 37

date 07.Sep 08. Sep 09. Sep 10. Sep 11. Sep

MORNING [9.00-12.00]

Group Work Group Work Student Sports Day

Group Work Group Seminar

AFTERNOON [13.00-17.00]

Group Work Group Work Group Work Group Seminar

3. Processing & Communication • UMA 1 + UMA 4 + UMA 5

week week 38

date 14.Sep 15.Sep 16.Sep 17.Sep 18. Sep

MORNING [9.00-12.00]

Group Work Group Work Group Work Assembly Final Event

AFTERNOON [13.00-17.00]

Group Work Group Work Group Work Assembly Final Event

Sch

ed

ule

Urb

an C

omm

ons

Them

e

URBAN COMMONS THEME VERTICAL WORKSHOP 2015

The Urban Commons workshop is part of an overarching project and theme at UMA for the academic year 2015 – 2016, and will consist of workshops, lectures and exhibition.The two to three week workshop will consider urban space as a space of the commons – a space of social interaction where resources are collectively owned or shared between or among communities’ populations.

All information can be found at:www.arch.umu.se