In Transit 4

The In Transit 4 Studio focused on the topic 'Urban Inclusion' in Holmlia (Norway) and Thessaloniki (Greece). The studio developed projects that aim to contribute in changing the narrative of fear into one of opportunity, and to point out the potential for sustainable growth for communities hosting migrants and refugees.

The Holmlia district is located in Søndre Nordstrand, the southernmost borough of Oslo. The area was planned and developed by the Oslo Bolig- og Sparelag (OBOS; Oslo Housing and Saving Association) and Husbanken (The Norwegian State Housing Bank) in the late 1970s and early 1980s as part of a social housing scheme with a series of hybrid typologies combining blocks of flats, terraces, and rowhouses. Holmlia is considered the last of the many post-war drabantbyer (satellite towns) of Oslo developed primarily in the Grorud valley.[1]Despite well-planned housing schemes and an attractive location surrounded by forests, close to the ocean, and a short train ride to the city center (the Central Station is 4 stops and approximately 11 minutes away), the area has gradually become a place associated with crime, poverty, and social inequality. In recent years Holmlia’s many residents have mobilized to change this situation. Community-led initiatives have advocated for building safer neighborhoods through spatial upgrades and access to additional and improved meeting places, which are scarce, in part due to the layout of the area which consists of a small, introverted center structure with a mall, library, and a few shops, scattered clusters of housing cooperatives, and the Follo Line railway tracks dividing the area into two: Holmlia north and Holmlia south (Strømnes et al., 2018).[2] The Holmlia south area is included in the Oslo South Project 2018–2026 (Oslo sør-satsingen 2018–2026), a collaboration between the Oslo municipality and the Norwegian state to strengthen local communities in urban districts with socio-economic challenges.[3]

While analyzing the objectives of the Oslo South Project 2018–2026 as a backdrop for conducting an urban profiling analysis of Holmlia,the studio initiated a collaboration with local grassroots initiatives, such as “We Love Holmlia” and “Folkeaksjon for Områdeløft Holmlia,” which facilitated direct engagement with local stakeholders. Through meetings and conversations with the residents of Holmlia, the students were able to uncover some of the causes and dynamics of social exclusion and inequality in the access to and uses of common spaces. These surveys, which were carried out to complement quantitative and demographic data found through desktop studies, laid the foundation for developing project proposals.

In northern Greece, close to Thessaloniki, more than 13,000 people continue to live in temporary facilities under undignified conditions (2018). This has led several humanitarian agencies to advocate for accommodation alternatives to ensure that refugees are provided with safe and dignified housing options. Thessaloniki is a mixed city without great social fragmentation that, throughout history, has managed to accommodate several major waves of migration, some even greater than the one taking place today.

The city, as with the rest of the country, was deeply marked by the 2009 economic crisis and by the austerity measures imposed by the EU that followed. At the urban level, the housing and construction market has in certain areas of the city ground to a halt. The In Transit projects developed during the Fall-18 semester, all looked at the potential for housing refugees and new arrivals in the urban fabric of Thessaloniki, while introducing social meeting places benefitting the different neighborhoods of the city.