Bjorkhagen: Village in the Forest

A 15 minute train/subway ride south of the center of Stockholm, a little known ecological community thrives in the birch forest that bears its name. Built 15 years ago, as a housing cooperative, Bjorkhagen is a model of ecological living with a small footprint. It is hard to find; a 10 minute walk from the train station, and carefully tucked within the forest. 75-100 units of modest sized wooden houses, all made of local materials and designed by the residents who would occupy the neighborhood. No cars, virtually no pavement, and gardens, forests, and pathways make this a highly livable and low impact neighborhood. This place was too quiet for our class of 28 to descend upon, so a handful of students went to visit and to take the photos you see.