The NATURO Mirco Urban Living Lab (MULL) in Tyresö worked with nature and the outdoor environment as a tool for health and rehabilitation. It is situated at Källan which is an assisted residence, operated by Tyresö municipality, for individuals recovering from substance addiction. Källan’s task is to support its residents through addiction recovery programmes, such as the Twelve-step programme, and create favourable conditions for relapse prevention. The purpose of the MULL was to use the Källan outdoor area and design it with the intent to create a more attractive and functional space, improving the quality of life for its clients.
Källan is situated close to a large natural area, with an outdoor space of green character including several large and full grown trees, both deciduous and coniferous. Prior to the project, the space was not designed for recreational purposes, except for the placement of a few seatings in sunny locations. The MULL process made use of the potential for improvement. A beautiful and enjoyable outdoor area was created to complement the housing. The ambition was to encourage the residents to spend more time outside and thereby be exposed to a green and restorative environment, taking benefit from nature’s inherent ability to enable activity as well as rest. To better be able to use the green space as a tool for health and rehabilitation, the Källan outdoor environment was shaped to serve different purposes - such as rest and relaxation, sportive and playful activities, as well as the involvement of the residents in the outdoor maintenance work.
The Team and the Process
The design and implementation of the MULL has been a co-creation and co-development process between several parties. The clients and the staff of the residence have been engaged in collaboration with other units at the municipality. While Källan is a part of the social administration of the municipality, the project group engaged with different roles and functions in the local administration. For instance, a strategic landscape architect, a another landscape architect focused on maintenance, as well as the head of the park- and nature maintenance unit participated from the department of urban planning. Furthermore, an educator from the department of eldercare and welfare has been contributing with their special knowledge on creating inclusive meeting places. The method has ranged from co-creative brainstorming sessions and design workshops to hands-on re-development of the space. The learnings and outcomes of working together are deemed so positive, that the initiative will live on beyond the timeframe of the project.
The Tyresö MULL at Källan has used the possibility to work with nature and the outdoor environment as a tool for health and rehabilitation, creating space and opportunity for both relaxation and activity.
The municipality
Tyresö is a municipality located close to Sweden’s capital Stockholm, with a population of 50,000 inhabitants. Tyresö is combining urban proximity with vast green areas, as well as lakes and proximity to the archipelago coastline. Part of the municipality is encompassed by Tyresta National Park, one of Sweden’s largest untouched natural forests and Europe’s most centrally located national park.These major natural resources contain many recreational and ecological values of both regional and national importance. However, there is a lack of local parks, playgrounds and other meeting places close to residential areas. This needs to be developed to meet the needs of a growing population in denser urban areas.
This project has been funded by The Swedish Research Council (Formas), The Dutch Research Council (NOW), and The Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), under the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, which has been co-funded by the European Commission. Project number: F-DUT-2022-0249