Towards a new adaptability in slite; envisioning post extraction futures for a company town

Abstract

By utilizing a theoretical framework focused on political, ecological and social processes of change this thesis seeks to offer new insights into post-extraction futures of company towns. Through the case study of Slite, a company town on Gotland facing an uncertain future in the light of a pending permit decision, this thesis explores how the reading of specific conditions in company towns, through a lens centered on processes of change, can help inform architectural & planning practices. By doing so it seeks to explore how a new adaptability in the local context can be achieved by re-incorporating industrial sites into the rurban fabric. The theoretical framework, based in urban political ecology, offers a viewpoint that rejects a human-nature dichotomy, fostering an understanding of (r) urban processes as second nature, where underlying pre-conditions of the natural landscape are metabolized by the dominant species of our age, Humans, into (r)urban, social, economic, and spatial expressions. Additionally, this thesis addresses the need for architectural & planning strategies that are transformative by nature, aligning with ecofeminist ideas of valuing what is left behind from extraction heavy industry as essential parts of future use through transformation. By doing this, it articulates alternative strategies to challenges faced in places transitioning from extraction-based economies, while at the same time emphasizing a need for more complex views of existing cause and effect relationships, as current strategies, for example through utilizing simplified spatial imaginaries, often end up treating symptoms rather than causes. A key finding is an understanding that adaptability present in industrial sites is a valuable factor, to be re-designed and developed in company towns, to allow for sustainable redevelopment and increased resilience in the local community. The main methodology used is the presentation and analysis of speculative post-extraction scenarios based on the reading of Slite. These scenarios are centered on the re-incorporation of extraction and refinement sites of today into the rurban fabric, valuing them as the foundation for post-extraction life and articulating practical strategies that can increase resilience, through a new adaptability in the built environment and rurban fabric, in extension helping guide development in similar contexts.