1972 concluded the expansion of Tensta, a building project that was started 6 years previously. The result was a well-planned city environment housing 16 000 people which was strongly influenced by the “million program”. Tensta was planned to meet the 1960´s housing shortage and with conception of a small closely knit community. The newcomers did not represent the group the planners had envisaged. Tensta´s inhabitants today represent all cultures with different values and will be appreciated of many and criticized by others.

During the past 40 years of debate concerning Tensta there has been very little change in its construction however now there are plans for several projects in the framework “ Stockholm’s outer city program ”.

In 1970 there was a strong conviction that you could create good housing development for the growing population by careful planning and functional flats. The result was the suburb. Now, For the first time in Sweden, a housing exhibition concerning the suburb is arranged, which will focus on the challenges when the suburb meets the future.

The exhibition will include Tensta as a housing development and Tensta as a culture arena. The original idea for this exhibition comes from local commitment of people who live in Tensta and has developed into the framework of "Stockholm´s City suburban program". The exhibition will portray an ongoing process and show housing projects that have been completed, in progress and planned. The focus will be on highlighting the potential and possibilities of the suburbs.

The housing exhibition will take place just weeks before the general election in Sweden which means that there will be a good opportunity to discuss housing politics, cultural differences, the million program and different issues in the suburb.

The housing development
The million program was a platform for politics, housing research and industrial methods of production. The result was large-scale housing development with good basic qualities but all the houses were built with some uniformity. The future housing market has a need for flexibility, individual design and different forms of ownership; for example renting, buying and cooperative ownership. The housing development in Tensta is not only in need of renovation, it requires other efforts as well. A “replica flat” will be shown in Tensta during the exhibition. This flat will be restored and designed in 60´s and 70´s style to give an example of the million program’s initial qualities. During the exhibition you will also be able to see new flats and flats that have been rebuilt in different ways. The exhibition will show how an individual housing can be made where several cultures meet. There will be at least 20 flats to visit, both existing flats and newly produced flats.

The culture arena
The theme Tensta as a culture arena uses culture and creativity as a factor for development. There is a wealth of culture in Tensta and the cultural life has increased over the years.

During the exhibition the culture arena will arrange events. There will be several scenes where artists will perform. There will be both professional artists and non-profit cultural organizations. There will also be stand up comedy, a poetry festival and the last three days a big market called Tensta Market will take place. In one part of Tensta there will be an outdoor cinema showing movies in the evenings.

The seminar arena
This exhibition will differ a lot from former housing exhibitions. There won’t be that many newly produced flats, instead the ambition is to give a broad picture of Tensta. Different questions regarding housing projects and the suburb will be in focus.

During the exhibition several seminars will take place and discuss different issues.

For instance:
The million programs renewal
The suburb meets the future
Multi cultural life and integration
A housing market for everybody

A book about Tensta has just been released. This book will be for sale during the exhibition. The book will also serve as a starting point for a discussion during several seminars.

As far as we know the seminars will be held in Swedish.

Visitor information:

Duration: The exhibition will be open the 17 th of August until the 27 th of August.

Opening hours: 10.00-20.00. The cultural arena will be open longer.

Opening ceremony: 12.00 on the 17 th of August.

Restaurants: There will be several restaurants serving food with tastes and flavours from all around the world.

Guided tours: There will be guided tours available for visitors. The guided tours need to be pre booked. One guide costs 1000 SEK (100 Euros) and there can be up to 25-30 persons per guided tour. One tour takes approximately 1 ½ hours and includes 4 or 5 stops at different flats. The guide will give information about the different housing projects and information about the special design in every flat that the group will go inside and visit. The guide will also be happy to answer any questions. The tours will mainly be held in Swedish or English, but on request it is possible to get a guided tour in other languages such as Spanish, German, French and Greek.

Admission: Admission to the exhibition is 40 SEK per person (4 Euros). Admission is free for children under the age of 16 in companion with their parents. School classes with a teacher pay a total amount of 100 SEK (10 Euros).

For more information contact Stockholms Byggmästareförening:

Tina Olofsson: +46-8-587 147 14 tina@stockholmsbf.se

Hasse Johansson : +46-8-587 147 44 hj@stockholmsbf.se