Million Programme

In the period 1965–74 the infamous Million Programme was implemented in Sweden, with the aim of building 100,000 dwellings each year for 10 years. At the same time, a large proportion of the older unmodernised housing stock was demolished. The net result was an increase in Sweden’s housing stock of about 650,000 new apartments, combined with a general rise in quality[1].

The new Million Programme residential areas were greatly inspired by early suburban neighbourhoods such as Vällingby and Årsta. One of the main aims behind the planning of these residential areas was to create good democratic citizens. The means of achieving this were to build at high quality with a good range of services including schools, nurseries, churches, public space, a library, and meeting places for different groups of households. A principal aim, although ultimately unsuccessful, was to mix and integrate different groups of households through the spatial mixing of tenures.