Diasporic Welfare Landscapes: Transformative Histories of the Million Program

What is the topic of your doctoral thesis?

This doctoral thesis explores the outdoor environments of late modernist residential housing areas in Sweden, commonly known as the “Million Program.” It takes a historical perspective to examine how these environments have been transformed over time, giving rise to new cultures, spaces, and what I term “diasporic welfare landscapes.” Focusing on developments since their construction in the late 1960s and 1970s, the thesis reveals how these areas have evolved through the everyday practices of their residents.

Why did you choose this topic?

I began this PhD in 2021 as part of the Formas-funded project “Parks around the Towers: Landscape as Resource in the Urban Periphery from the Record Years to the Future,” led by Jennifer Mack. The project provided a defined framework focused on the mass-housing landscapes built during Sweden’s Record Years (1961–1975) and how local residents have reshaped them since their construction. Drawing from both personal (having grown up in a Million Program neighborhood) and professional (trained landscape architect) experiences before my doctoral research, I chose to examine themes such as diaspora, gardening, cultural celebrations, and play, focusing on how these practices have transformed Million Program landscapes while remaining aligned with the overarching goals of the larger research project.

What are the most important results?

The thesis uncovers previously untold histories of the Million Program landscapes by introducing the concept of “diasporic welfare landscapes.” This concept highlights how migrant communities and individuals have actively shaped these environments through practices tied to materiality, ecology, health, and belonging. By offering new ways to interpret late modernist landscapes, the thesis challenges and expands existing definitions of Swedish cultural heritage.

Did you come across something unexpected during your thesis research?

Yes! Through ethnographic fieldwork, which has been a key component of the thesis, I discovered how significant the green open spaces from the 1960s and 1970s are to local residents. These areas have undergone ecological, social, and spatial transformations that are not always immediately visible to those examining them. The research findings therefore challenges the negative perception of these spaces and critique towards them as lacking infrastructure and history, or being underutilized, and instead presents them as multifunctional and living environments shaped by residents’ everyday use of them.

Who will benefit from your results? What kind the impact may it have on surrounding society?

The thesis contributes to a more in-depth understanding of Million Program landscapes as thoroughly planned and historically rich environments that continue to stand as an architectural legacy in Sweden. In light of ongoing renovations and demolitions, recognizing these areas as part of Swedish cultural heritage becomes increasingly urgent. The research can, for example, benefit municipalities, architecture firms, construction companies or the Swedish National Heritage Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet) with more context-sensitive information. Stakeholders have a responsibility to acknowledge and preserve the existing cultural and ecological values of these landscapes before undertaking new interventions that may threaten their existing qualities.

What will you do next and where can one reach you?

I am currently based in Stockholm, where I will teach a history and theory course to bachelor students at the KTH department of architecture. I plan to continue researching postwar landscapes and their untold histories, building on the perspectives developed during my PhD. I can be reached through my academic affiliation at KTH.