Swedish Grace: How Housing Cooperatives Kickstarted in 1920s Stockholm
by Jan Rydén Bonmot
LECTURE
Friday 19th April, 2024
18:30
Location:
luca - Luxembourg Center for Architecture
1 rue de la Tour Jacob, 1831 Luxembourg
This event was organised with the support of
luca – Luxembourg Center for Architecture.
Historical insights as an inspiration to address today’s crisis: a Swedish case study
April Initiative was pleased to host its first-ever lecture in April 2024. Swedish author and artist Jan Rydén Bonmot offered fresh insights into the housing affordability crisis by examining how comparable challenges were tackled in Sweden more than a century ago.
A glimpse into the past: the Swedish model of success
In early 20th-century Stockholm, a remarkable fusion of citizen initiative and political resolve sparked innovative housing solutions. During a period of crisis, when market-driven real estate development had come to a halt and commercial construction ceased, the cooperative building movement emerged. In a surprisingly short time, this movement led to the creation of affordable housing that adhered to high aesthetic standards, transforming the city’s approach to urban living.
Between 1923 and 1927 only, the city witnessed the rise of over 2,500 workers' flats, that featured advanced living standards, including amenities like in-house bathrooms that were revolutionary at the time.
As we navigate today's housing dilemmas, what could we learn from this pioneering movement?
About the Speaker
Jan Rydén Bonmot is a designer, artist and writer based in Stockholm. He has served as a curator at Färgfabriken, a Swedish foundation for art and architecture, where he organised major exhibitions on both disciplines. His experience includes serving as Head of Design and Research at Alsike Fastighetsbolag, a municipal development company, and conducting research at KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture. He is also the author of several books, including En humanistisk klassicism (A Humanist Classicism) and Allborgarrätten: The Right to the City as a Swedish Tradition. Jan holds degrees in economics and history from Uppsala University and trained as an artist at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm.
Watch our interview with Jan Rydén Bonmot on the day following the lecture: