An important thoroughfare with potential

For many, the street Trädgårdsgatan is one of those places you walk along without really noticing it. A street you mostly just pass through. On your way somewhere else. 
But that’s exactly why it’s actually quite interesting. Because this is one of central Skellefteå’s most important thoroughfares, while also being a place with so much untapped potential.

This particular block between Nygatan and Storgatan has long been characterized by closed off and not very inviting facades. At times, several spaces have stood empty, and there haven’t been many reasons to stop and linger. Architecturally speaking, there are qualities here, but the experience has been that something is missing. That nothing much is really happening. So you just walk right by. But that is exactly what is about to change.

From being merely a thoroughfare, there is now a clear ambition to transform this section of Trädgårdsgatan into a place with a more vibrant ground level, where there is room for shops, cafés, and restaurants. More seating, perhaps terraces, where people can sit down. A street that opens up instead of closing in, quite simply.

With a new design, more greenery, and a clearer sense of unity, a cohesive space is also created—both visually and in terms of the experience. It will be easier to move around here, at your own pace, on foot, or by bike. But above all: there should be a reason to stop and just be.

At the same time, Trädgårdsgatan is an important part of the continuous corridor that runs through downtown—from the Travel Center in the north all the way down to Campus in the south. Here, different parts of the city are connected, and the ambition is to create a more vibrant and cohesive downtown where more people choose to move around, stop, and take their place.

Here, on Trädgårdsgatan, we have a temporary pop-up space this summer featuring a prototype developed with a focus on social sustainability. The illustration was created by Tengbom architects and others. The project is being carried out in collaboration with various stakeholders in the public and private sectors and in partnership with the European Union.