Street Moves: Södertälje

Through Street Moves, Södertälje Municipality aimed to explore how innovative design solutions could create safer streets with better spaces for walking, cycling, and socializing while reducing car traffic. The project also sought to develop new tools for involving citizens in urban transformation. The selected site was Badhusgatan, a central street in Södertälje. At the time, the explored section was one-way with parking on one side, bordered by one of the city’s busiest streets, an underutilized park, and free parking.

Two design teams collaborated in Södertälje: Växtvärket and Liljewall. Växtvärket, a nonprofit collective of educators, landscape architects, and designers, uses playful learning to improve urban conditions for children. Liljewall, an architecture firm with over 270 professionals, contributed expertise in architecture, furniture, interior, and landscape design. Växtvärket focused on testing new ways to involve citizens in the street transformation process, while Liljewall developed proposals and technical drawings based on community input. Together, they designed a colorful modular installation with tiered seating that replaced the parking spaces.

On June 30, 2023, Street Moves was inaugurated on Badhusgatan with a community workshop where residents helped plant greenery and shape the installation.