The Council for Urban Aesthetics in Stockholm (), officially The Council for the Protection Ecological and Aesthetic Matters (''Rådet till skydd för Stockholms skönhet'') is an advisory council of the

Stockholm Municipality Stockholm Municipality () or the City of Stockholm () is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It has the largest population of the 290 municipalities of the country, but one of the smallest areas, making it the second most ...

which inspects city plans and requests for construction permits remitted by various municipal departments. The council is however permitted to initiate cases within its field, which makes it a relatively independent municipal organ.

Organisation

The council has thirteen members of which twelve, representing the authorities, organisations, and groups which nominated them, are appointed by the municipal council. The thirteenth member, by tradition a Stockholm connoisseur, is appointed by the other twelve members. Two of the members are architects representing the

Swedish Association of Architects Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

(''Sveriges arkitekter'') and the National Property Board (''Statens fastighetsverk''); two are experts on nature conservation representing the Academy of Sciences (''Vetenskapsakademien'') and the Society for Nature Conservation (''Naturskyddsföreningen''); two are artists appointed by the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

(''Konstakademien''); and, finally, two are cultural historians appointed by the Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (''Vitterhetsakademien'') and Samfundet S:t Erik (a society devoted to the history of Stockholm). Four members are representing the major political parties. The council elects its own chairman, vice chairman, and secretary. It holds sessions once per month. The council chairman is

Inga Varg Inga Varg (born 1952, Bergslagen, Sweden) is a Swedish architect. Amongst the awards Varg has won are the Swedish Concrete Federation’s annual architecture award (Svensk Betongs arkitekturpris) and the Swedish Association of Architects’ Kasp ...

, while the office is headed by architecture historian

Henrik Nerlund Magnus "Henrik" Erkki Nerlund (August 14, 1978, in Stockholm) is a Swedish architectural historian, journalist, and author. Nerlund specializes in cultural heritage issues and urban renewal in 20th-century built environments. Since 2014, he ha ...

Criticism

The council has been frequently criticized for being an extremely conservative institution composed of thirteen taste policies and the name of the council was even laughed at upon its creation. Much debated was its objection to a renewal of the

Skärholmen Skärholmen is a suburban area in the district of Söderort in south-western Stockholm, Sweden. Together with Bredäng, Sätra and Vårberg, it forms the borough of Skärholmen. The community primarily consisting of ''Million Programme'' st ...

suburb where the grey concrete was proposed to be repainted in gaudy colours and, equally debated, was a proposal to discontinue the council in 2005. It is, nevertheless, not a decision-taking institution and historically its objections to controversial proposals, such as the much criticized

Redevelopment of Norrmalm The redevelopment of Norrmalm (; ) was a major revision of the city plan for lower Norrmalm district in Stockholm, Sweden, which was principally decided by the Stockholm town council in 1945, and realised during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. ...

, have been ignored. Additionally, a recent alternation of its members is adding new hope the council will be less conservative in the future.''Stockholms skönaste råd har ordet''

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{cite web , url = https://arkivet.dn.se/tidning/2005-02-18/11184-47/84?q=%22Sanna%20bj%C3%B6rling%22 , title = Stockholms skönaste råd har ordet , publisher =

Dagens Nyheter (, ), abbreviated ''DN'', is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major nationa ...

, first = Sanna , last = Björling , date = 2005-02-15 , accessdate = 2024-02-14 , language = Swedish ("A word from Stockholm's most beautiful council") Government of Stockholm Culture in Stockholm

Organisation

Criticism

See also

Notes

References