Umeå

Umeå was founded around the year 1600 and is the capital of Västerbotten county. Umeå is located near the outlet of the Ume River where it connects with the Gulf of Bothnia and is often called ‘The city of Birches’ [1]. Umeå (64⁰N) is the largest city in northern Sweden with about 130 000 inhabitants and an area of 34.15m². In 2014 the city was selected as the European capital of culture. Ålidhem which is the case district for this project is in south-eastern Umeå close to the University and the University hospital and consists mainly of multi-residential buildings and student apartments. The buildings in Ålidhem were built in 1970/71 as part of the Swedish Million Programme and the case study consists of 21 multi-residential buildings from Ålidhem. The buildings were refurbished approximately a decade ago (2010-2014), and a package of energy efficiency measures was implemented in the buildings.

The population of Umeå has been increasing during the past years, and the municipality aims to manage the city’s growth with the vision of 200 000 inhabitants by the year 2050 with social, ecological, cultural, and economic sustainability in accordance with Agenda 2030 [2]. The city has a well-established bicycle infrastructure and has been voted the best bike town in Sweden. The city of Umeå and the municipality aim to become climate-neutral by 2030 and 2040, respectively. Umeå also supports other international commitments for sustainable city development, such as the Aalborg Charter, and CEMR-declaration [2]. Umeå is also part of a Swedish project that collaborates with various actors such as the municipalities in Sweden and regions, with the aim to strengthen knowledge and commitment to Agenda 2030 in the country [2]. Additionally, by being a Fairtrade City, Umeå indirectly contributes to changes in other countries, such as improving equality and sustainable consumption and mitigating poverty and climate changes.

[1] Umeå Municipality, “The City of Birches”, 2024

[2] Sustainable Umeå, “Agenda 2030 in Umeå”, 2023

Photographer: Sara Stenberg                                                                                  Photo courtesy: Bostaden, Umeå (https://www.bostaden.umea.se/artikel/hallbara-alidhem)