The countryside has long been labelled as stagnant. Yet many development projects are underway there, with businesses, homes and localities emerging and growing. In these initiatives, groups are joining forces to create a sustainable, creative and social life in their district. Today’s countryside is not easily defined; instead, it is stepping forth as a multi-faceted environment where each place is unique and has specific circumstances. By highlighting various current initiatives in southern Sweden, the exhibition aims to create an understanding of how, and with which means and results, we can work with local planning and development today. The exhibition also asks whether cities are really the answer to sustainable development, and can local solutions provide answers to global problems. The exhibition is complemented by a public programme which builds on the discussion that began while the exhibition was being shown at the Rian Design Museum in Falkenberg. The aim of the public programme is to act as an open forum to spread, share and add depth to the issue of the shaped environment in the countryside. Participants Egnahemsfabriken on Tjörn R:ekobyn in Röstånga Hogslätts Vänboende in Bottna Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology Byns-DNA in Kvarnvik Väveriet in Uddebo Småhusbyn in Uddebo.
The exhibition is produced by Rian Design Museum, where it was shown in spring 2020, in collaboration with the architect Angelica Åkerman and with funding from ARQ – The Foundation for Architectural Research.