A Village Within : An investigation of a new housing typology on rural land

Abstract: Abstract   This thesis will present the background and thoughts behind the architectural project “Village within” which aims to be a rural, holistic, earth-centered settlement, as an alternative to increasing urbanization. I have been working together with two villages in Västerbotten - Sikeå and Rökå - and this project is the result from meetings and discussions with them, as well as experiences from a citizen-perspective. The thesis will elaborate on the subjects of food, the countryside’s position in a globalized, industrial and city - centered civilization, on the ongoing environmental collapse and the concept of resilience. Utopian ideas and their most classical impasses have been important to understand how this project is just one in a long history of human urge to think of, or create a better world. Examples of historical and contemporary initiatives of local self-sufficiency, attempts to “escape the system”, movements for ruralization, together with discussions on how a future village could look like have all created a rich baseline of inspiration to this project.