Reimagine a safe and inviting public realm : exploring possibilities around Tensta centrum

Abstract: Today cities across the world in different scales are struggling to achieve a sustainable living space where children are full of pride to call home. My thesis project inspired by my own journey of searching for a safe and inviting public space where I can spend my leisure time. I grew up in K.S.A, where for a long time I have experienced that women are not safe in a public space. Then I came to my home country, a densely built-up city Dhaka, where scarcity of public space including safety issues was a major concern. Few green areas we have that are overcrowded and unmaintained as a result people prefer to spend their free time in an indoor space rather than an outdoor Luckily after coming to Sweden, I was amazed to experience so many beautiful well design public realms. Then again Sweden also faces some the challenge of globalization and economic restructuring which creates social gaps These gaps tend to become more extreme between neighborhood than between cities. In Stockholm's suburbs, many districts are considered by area discrimination where the socio-economic conditions, the attraction of public space, usage of the public realm, and safety issues fluctuate a lot from area to area. Tensta, a Stockholm suburb built between 1962 1971 was one of the first so-called million program areas, however, the result was not successful, and the area had to bear a lot of criticism. Now it is one of the most stigmatized and vulnerable neighborhoods of Stockholm where residents are mostly of foreign background with a high unemployment rate. This area has a large issue in the social sustainability sector which partly comes from an overall lack of housing, a feeling of being alienated from the Swedish society’, common language issues, and a negative branding of Tensta as a suburb in the media.