Göteborg Tillsammans

schematic urban design for a brownfield | gothenburg, sweden

carrie bobo gibbs + charlie firestone | summer 2023

the river göta älv divides the center of gothenburg, centrum, from the large island of hisingen. frihamnen sits at the river’s edge, adjacent to the old city center and across from lindholmen, gothenburg’s technology hub. the former industrial port of the city, frihamnen is now a brownfield site in the process of redevelopment to address sweden’s pressing housing crisis.

göteborg tillsammans creates a vibrant, dense neighborhood that unifies the surrounding neighborhoods on hisingen with centrum across the river. the site connects to the neighboring areas of lindholmen, backa and ringön, through green pedestrian ways. the transit lines are extended through the site and a pedestrian bridge is placed from centrum, across the three peninsulas, and into lindholmen. the highway and freight train line that currently separate lindholmen, ringön, and frihamnen from each other are moved underground, replaced by more housing and an urban forest and sculpture park for gothenburg’s residents. a street food park and public forum occupy the southern tip of bananapier, becoming a place for residents to gather and for the city to hold events.