The social perspective is missing in the renovation of Sweden’s Million Programme housing

That is one of the central questions in Åse Richard’s doctoral thesis, presented at the end of May. Åse Richard herself lives in the Million Programme neighbourhoodof Gränby in Uppsala. She has closely studied how the renovations affect her neighbours, friends, and her own home. Drawing on extensive source material, including newspaper articles, statistics, and numerous interviews with residents in Gränby, she demonstrates how renovations affect tenants’ living conditions, sense of security, and ability to remain in their homes.
Rent increases following major renovations are well-documented and play a decisive role in people’s ability to stay. However, the thesis also shows that the implementation itself—with noise, temporary evacuations and inadequate dialogue—has a significant effect on people’s everyday lives.

Declining quality

Åse Richard explains that property owners often appear to adopt a highly technical, top-down perspective when planning the renovation of housing areas. She stresses that people have different needs that are not sufficiently taken into account, highlighting particularly vulnerable groups such as single parents and children with disabilities, for whom changes in the living environment can create anxiety and where the renovation process can make an already stressful daily life even more difficult.

“There is a need for greater knowledge about how different groups are affected by renovations and how they can be adequately supported throughout the process,” says Åse Richard, researcher and newly qualified PhD in Human Geography at IBF.

A major source of frustration among residents is that, despite extensive renovations and higher rents, they do not experience that the quality of the housing has improved. Measures classified in rent-setting as “enhanced standard” often, in practice, lead to a lower standard. Residents interviewed by Åse Richard, for example, report fragile flooring and say that their children can no longer play as before for fear of causing damage, for which they would be held financially responsible.

“Many tenants say they are torn between the desire to stay and the need to move due to rising housing costs. People often become ‘trapped’ in their homes, for example, low-income earners who are denied mortgages, despite being able to show that they have managed to pay very high rents for many years. For older people who have lived in the area for a long time, moving can be particularly difficult,” says Åse Richard.

Home is more than just housing

The thesis emphasises the importance of the home for people’s social lives. Housing is not merely a physical place for rest and recovery.

“A house is so much more than walls and a roof. The home is closely tied to identity, relationships and security. Being forced to leave one’s home, neighbourhood, school and local environment might have social consequences,” says Åse Richard.

She has been particularly interested in examining what happens after the renovations.

“The so-called renewal of the area continues, disturbing people’s ability to create a home.”

The relationship between residents and property owners also changes.

“It gets more authoritarian. Residents report an increasing lack of participation, information and influence over issues that matter to them.”

“Place destruction” following renovations

Åse Richard uses the concept of “place destruction” to describe the process surrounding the renovations. In Gränby, the property owner’s “resetting” of the courtyards provoked especially strong reactions. Residents saw their trees, shrubs, shared social spaces and playgrounds levelled to the ground. People’s private patios were also removed. Åse Richard has observed the same development in other Million Programme areas, where green spaces are now disappearing rapidly, based on arguments of security and densification.

“Residents are saddened and frustrated by the loss of green spaces and the lack of a credible explanation for their removal. Property owners refer to ‘resetting’ as a way to create safety. Residents, on the other hand, feel that green outdoor areas with trees, shrubs and places where people gather are an important part of safety in a neighbourhood. People living in these areas often have the greatest need for shared spaces and local outdoor environments, as they do not have the same financial means to travel or go on holiday,” says Åse Richard.

At the same time, new disturbances have emerged, such as prolonged drilling for geothermal heating. Residents who have night-shift work report being unable to sleep during the day because of noise outside their windows for weeks on end.

No overall plan for the Million Programme

During her research, Åse Richard has often reflected on whether things could have been done differently. She is critical that no comprehensive national inquiry was conducted before the Million Programme's renovation, despite the long-recognised need.

“There are several fundamental questions that should have been addressed in advance: What will happen to the people? How should renovations be carried out and financed? And how can quality and long-term sustainability be ensured?”

Resistance takes many forms

Resistance to changes in the neighbourhood has also given rise to many positive initiatives. This includes not only protests and petitions, but also everyday strategies aimed at enabling people to stay. In Gränby, residents have also created art, poetry and music to express feelings of loss and change. Åse Richard’s own research can likewise be seen as something positive that has emerged from a difficult experience.

“Residents’ voices are rarely heard in the media. Through my research, I want to help make their perspectives visible. In doing so, important experiences can be captured and contribute to more sustainable and equitable renovations in the future.”

Need for more research and new approaches

Åse Richard plans to continue researching renovations. She wants to challenge the traditional approach, in which the focus has been on technical aspects while social consequences have received less attention.

“We must start thinking about people and avoid taking a helicopter view of housing. Homes are not just buildings—they are people’s homes. What happens in the home affects society as a whole. Different people depend on their homes in different ways, and this must be taken into account when carrying out renovations,” says Åse Richard.