In Arcadia, labs with various Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation will be set up around Europe. In Sweden, the labs will be located in the municipalities of Malmö, Helsingborg, and Lund, and the lab in Malmö is the first to be set up. The city of Malmö is creating an urban forest at an old ferry terminal in the Nyhamnen district, which will be transformed from an industrial area into a new central district with housing, businesses, and public spaces. The urban forest will promote biodiversity, reduce heat in the urban environment, and become a place for activities and recreation for Malmö’s residents.
Nyhamnen, where the urban forest will be located, is currently a grey place. But with greenery and its location, 300 meters from the central station, it will become an attractive and central district in Malmö.
Creating a forest in Nyhamnen is challenging. The soil is contaminated from historical industries and there are many pipes underground. This means that the results from the lab will be useful when the city of Malmö develops more greenery around the city, as these challenges are the same in basically all construction locations in Malmö.
Ludwig Sonesson, an investigator for blue-green environments at the city of Malmö, explains that the contaminated soil and pipes in Nyhamnen make it impossible to plant trees in the ground. The solution is large corten steel urns several meters wide and long, where trees are planted in a hilly landscape. Due to the tough conditions at the site which is sometimes hot and dry, sometimes cold and wet and often very windy, types of trees that have not been used in Malmö will be planted to see which ones thrive best. There will be a lot of pine varieties.
If it is beneficial we will keep using them in other locations, Ludwig Sonesson says.
Measures on land will eventually be supplemented by measures in the water. In Malmö there are thoughts about floating wetlands; rafts with plants that can purify the water. On the wishlist is also raising the seafloor in the port basin, so eelgrass meadows can establish themselves there. Currently, everything surrounding marine measures is at the idea stage. Since it is legally more complicated to take action in the sea, these measures will be implemented later.
Ludwig Sonesson and Åsa Hellström, project managers for the co-innovation lab at the Malmö Environmental Office, envision a place where cultural actors will create many types of events. The 250-year-old harbor area will be brought back to life both ecologically and culturally, something they are both looking forward to.
As soon as an area becomes green, there is interest in doing something there, explains Åsa Hellström.
Facts about the Urban Forest:
- The site is located 300 meters from Malmö Central Station.
- Plant beds for meadows are built in early 2025.
- 150 trees will be planted from September-October 2025.
- The forest will stay on the site at least until 2034, when local politicians will make a new decision on if it will be kept on location.
- The urban forest benefits biodiversity and reduces heat in the area.
- Development of the site is a collaboration between the Streets and Property Office and the Environmental Office in Malmö.
- In June 2024, the municipality arranged a Day of the Sea on the site.
Alice Petersson, Projektledare & Eventsamordnare, Sustainable Business Hub