Tenstadalen – A rich everyday life!

Tenstadalen is a park covering a large area in the long valley between Tensta and Spånga, west of Stockholm. The park is one of Stockholm city’s Greener Stockholm projects with the aim of creating renewed green spaces for all ages. The brief involved early-stage community dialogue with residents and local groups to capture opinions and wishes around the design of the park.

Idea and concept: Using insights from the dialogue as a starting point, a proposal was designed with inspiration found in the concept of the English-style landscape park. The park has points of interest dotted throughout, linked together via sightlines to attract movement and activate the whole park. Existing circular walkways are interesting features in the park with their sculptural forms, and become part of the design concept, just like the viaducts that function as entrances to the park. These walkways and viaducts are remains from “the Million Program” a large public housing program implemented in Sweden between 1965 and 1974.

Activity center: The main event is a multifunctional gathering place and activity center placed in the steep hillside by Tenstavägen. The area forms a link between the valley and Tensta-Hjulsta and offers a generous terraced seating with small “balconies” and a viewpoint overlooking the large open park space. Next to it, there are challenging activities such as a downhill running track with pulling ropes, an adventure climbing feature in the shape of a prism and an exhilarating slide.

The pergola: In the western corner of the park there is a gathering place beneath a pergola roof. The area offers seating possibilities, toddler play and barbeques. The shape of the pergola is inspired by the existing circular walkways in the area.

The sinus-shaped wall: The low-lying waterlogged area in the south has been transformed into a wetland. The wetland together with existing ponds and two new purification ponds, form a wetland park that ends with a long sinus-shaped concrete wall against the park’s mowed grass The wall defines and divides the park’s functions into two rooms.

Ecological and social qualities: Several actions were proposed to increase the biological diversity and create a richer animal and plant life; extensive flower meadows on landscaped hills, complementary tree plantings throughout the park and free-growing hedges with various species along the street. An important focus of the project was to design places for people to meet. The dialogue work was the basis for the proposal, to ensure social and thus also economic sustainability over time. Initially, a dialogue work with the public was carried out during Järva week, a political festival. To get a more targeted and in-depth dialogue “Livstycket” was brought in. Livstycket consists of a group of unemployed women with a foreign background, including those with language difficulties, who generally take little place in public space and conversation.

Everything to benefit a rich everyday life with room for gatherings and parties!

Location: Tenstadalen, 163 66 Stockholm

Design year: 2018-2022

Year Completed: 2022

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