The MUST project team visited Luleå in May/June 2022 in order to investigate how this northern city works to become more sustainable. The city is going through a dramatic period of growth now, expecting to add 20,000 residents to the population of 80,000. It is the site of a Facebook server farm and a new fossil-free steel plant. A new battery factory and an additional steel plant are coming to nearby cities. Luleå is building new neighborhoods to accommodate the expected new residents. Overall, Luleå is an interesting case study of how cities manage change in adapting to the new environment of the Arctic. Robert Orttung, Director of Research, Sustainable GWU
RESEARCH TRIP TO LULEA (I)
May 23
- Meeting with Lumire company (municipal waste, recycling, and wastewater treatment)
- Tour of Risslan, Lumire’s new recycling facility
- Meeting with Helén Wiklund Wårell (Head of the City Planning/Building Administration) and Maria Nordgren (Head of Democracy & Society) at the municipality administrative building
- Welcome Meeting with Pär Weihed, Pro-Vice Chancellor of LTU
- Welcome Meeting with Simon Matti, Professor of Political Science at LTU
- ArtSLInK (Arts, Science, Local, and Indigenous Knowledge) presentation
- ArtSLInk Creative team
- Presentation by photographer Max Sher
May 24
- Tour of ICE Data Center (Infrastructure and Cloud research & test Environment)) with Mattias Vesterlund, RISE Project Manager
- Tour the Data Center Greenhouse (Energy Innovation) in Boden, Sweden
- Meeting with Mattias Vesterlund, Nils Lindh (Boden Business Agency), and Thomas Knutsson (Job Centre at Boden Municipality)
May 25
- Meeting with Johan Sjökvist (Luleå Business Region), AnneLie Granljung (Planning Director, Societal Development for Luleå Municipality), Viktor Kåreborn (Program leader for Kompetenslotsen, a collaboration between Luleå Business Region and the municipality, working on strategic labor market policy)
- Meeting with Carina Samelli (Director of Municipal Government)
- Meeting with Mats Aspemo (Director of Regional Public Transport Authority, Norrbotten County)
May 26
- Presentation by Aleksandra Ianchenko
- Workshop CITY SKETCHING by Aleksandra Ianchenko
- Sketching in the city
- Sketches by participants
May 27
- Discussion about the city of Yellowknife (Canada) with Mayor Rebecca Alty
- Artist Workshop CITY SKETCHING: Discussion by Aleksandra Ianchenko
- Read more at Sketching Atmospheres of the City
RESEARCH TRIP TO KIRUNA
May 30
- Meeting with Elin Håkansson, Destination Development (Tourism) Kiruna Lapland at Folkets Hus
- Meeting with Nina Eliasson (Planning and Development Manager of Kiruna Municipality, managing the transformation and move of the city) at the Municipal Building
- Tour of Kiruna Mine LKAB, the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine
May 31
- Meeting with Joakim Norman (RIT & LTU Business in Kiruna)
- Nutti Sámi Siida (Sámi open-air museum): reindeer, Sámi culture and food in Jukkasjärvi, Kiruna
RESERCH TRIP TO JOKKMOKK
June 1
- Meeting with Jan Erik Läntta, Chair, Jåhkågaska tjiellde
- Guided tour of Ájtte Museum
- Virtual meeting with Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen (Saminuorra, Young Sami Organization)
- Stop at Storforsen
RESEARCH TRIP TO LULEA (II)
June 2
- Discussion about social sustainability and urban transformations with Eugenia Segerstedt (sociologist and historian at Luleå University of Technology)
- Roundtable of ArtSLInK progress: Workshop and discussion by Olga Zaslavskaya
June 3
- Virtual meeting with Dag Avango (Professor of History at LTU) about the history of technological and cultural change in the Arctic
- Meeting with Jenny Ekerljung (organizer for youth at Luleå Municipality) at Navet (Youth center)
- Meeting with Nils Harnesk (Chair of Luleå Lokaltrafik LLT, Public transport system) at LTU
- Meeting with Johan Sandström (Professor of Business/Sociology at LTU and author of Gruvans Makt (The Power of the Mine)
June 4
- Visiting the exhibition СORONASAMLIGEN, Boden
June 5 – 8, 13
- Northvolt Ett opening day event
- Meeting with Janus Brandin, Director of Development for Norrbotten County
- Visit Markbygden Wind Farm in Pitea
- Seminar at Nordregio
Photos by Zoe Garbis, Vera Kuklina, Rebecca Alty, Robert Orttung, Marya Rozanova-Smith
