Degrowth for regrowth: speculative scenarios in a fossil-free future
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Examensarbete för masterexamen
Model builders
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Abstract
Degrowth for Regrowth aims to explore
possible scenarios of the future where society
is fundamentally restructured, in its values as
well as in its built environment. It takes its
stance in degrowth theory, which questions the neoliberal market’s regard of growing GDP as synonymous with prosperity, abundance and freedom. Rather, it highlights that an approach of infinite economic growth is dependent on
increased resource use, production and consumption, and is the cause behind our
current social and environmental crises.
Mainstream sustainability efforts rarely question
the idea of continual economic growth, they rather promote it as a measure of realizing a
sustainable society. Instead of aiming for
concepts such as “green growth”, which
continually allows economic gain to be the
main target within sustainable development,
the idea of degrowth is to reformulate the
definition of success towards socio-ecological values.
This theoretical framework creates the
foundation of three future scenario formulations
set in 2050: collaborative economy, local self-
sufficiency, and automation for quality of life (Svenfelt et al, 2019). These scenarios, combined
with architectural reference projects which have overlapping key ideas, become a base for
defining three future design concepts.
These design concepts are followingly
implemented on a chosen site, which is an
extensive landscape currently hosting an oil
refinery. The site becomes relevant to explore as an area in need of transformation in a future which no longer relies on fossil fuels.
The implementations are made with a
speculative design approach as a way to
shift mind-sets, stir creativity, and focus on
desirable outlooks rather than dystopias. Each implementation presents different ideas on
spatial qualities, community organisation, and cultural-natural relationships which enhance
human and ecological well-being.
As a result of this process, the thesis concludes that visualizing the future in different scenarios can be a powerful method to enable discussion
of what we actually aim for in long-term
physical planning. It can be an effective
pedagogical tool to understand multiple target groups and stakeholders in trans-
disciplinary collaborations, as it can transform
abstract desires into tangible visual
representations. Using future scenarios could thus enable architectural and planning
professions to effectively contribute to concrete
strategy formulations which reach beyond
current sustainability efforts.
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Keywords
Degrowth, beyond sustainability, speculative design, future scenarios,, post- industrial transformation, fossil-free, societal transition, planning methodology