There is currently an intensive urban development in the municipality of Solna, north of Stockholm’s inner city. Building is in coordination with the City of Stockholm, resulting in a new district called Hagastaden. Adapteo interviewed Solna’s Planning and Geodata Manager, Alexander Fagerlund. He shared his thoughts on the densification of cities, the sustainability challenges of the construction and real estate industry, and flexible urban planning overall.
The vision: allow people to thrive
The overall focus is to build the city together and make it more vibrant. In addition, we want to meet the demand for housing and workplaces and do so in a sustainable, economically, socially, and environmentally way.
-Alexander Fagerlund, Solna’s Planning and Geodata Manage
As planning and geodata manager in Solna city, Alexander Fagerlund leads the municipality’s planning architects to develop detailed items for urban development.
We asked: What are key factors for people to thrive in future buildings, when cities are densified as Solna does now?
Fagerlund replied: I think people who live in a built-up area do it primarily for accessibility for good service, so it’s essential. But, on the other hand, the car should also not feel over-prioritized and take up too much space from pedestrians and cyclists. If you look at Stockholm’s inner city, it is easy to understand – the streets that are most attractive to move along some pedestrians and stop at and, for example, sit on an outdoor terrace, are rarely the busiest streets.
He also highlights the importance of proximity to green areas and the opportunity to practice physical activity:
There must also be good access to recreation. In Solna, Hagaparken plays a significant role, but it is also important to have smaller local parks. Another important thing is that there should be opportunities for children to practice sports. To densify a city is to put a fermented puzzle.
We asked: Can you give an example of a project that you think represents the vision to build Solna together and make the city more vibrant?
Fagerlund replied: Today, there are a lot of traffic routes in Solna because that’s what the ideal looked like when the city was built in the 50s and 60s. But we don’t want the streets just to be transport routes, they should be nice to walk on. The best example of how we work with it is Solnavägen between Frösundaleden and Karolinska Hospital. It has been a flat motor trail but becomes a nice city street that you want to walk and cycle on. To achieve this, we reduce traffic speed and build areas along the road with housing, operations and services.
Flexibility and sustainability in future urban development
To be flexible, with buildings that can easily change function, scaled up and down, moved and reused, is a way to meet the changing and unpredictable needs of the future. A newly released report by Adapteo and BSK Arkitekter proposes that municipalities should allocate about 10-20 per cent of the complete detailed plan to flexible solutions. Buildings should be able to go from function as, for example, preschool to older people’s homes, and a parking space should be able to become a schoolyard and vice versa.
Flexibility in future urban development... Theoretically, it sounds fantastic with many flexible solutions in a city, there is no intrinsic value in saying “this should be a preschool forever”. Perhaps flexibility should be focused on community properties so that activities can shift between nursing homes and preschools.
The industry's biggest challenges
According to the government’s goal, the construction and real estate sector accounts for one-fifth of Sweden’s emissions and will be climate neutral by 2045.
We asked: What would you say are the industry’s biggest challenges in getting there?
Fagerlund replied: My opinion is that there has been a lot of focus on reducing energy use in the operation of the building. But a large majority of emissions are about the production of the material, the construction of the buildings and transport to and from them. We need to get away from fossil fuels and get a climate-neutral production. When it comes to transportation, I don’t think electric cars are the whole solution, they take up as much space from pedestrians and cyclists as other cars. We need to change the way we move and create solutions to encourage walking, cycling and public transport.
Materials in urban planning
I think you should build in the material that has an as little climate impact as possible.
Fagerlund explained about material choice: I think you should build in the material that has an as little climate impact as possible. From what I know, wood is the best. The fact that concrete is terrible for the environment is about the high carbon dioxide emissions and interference in nature. Once you have removed the lime, it will not come back. Although forest felling must be careful, forests can be replanted and grow back. If you build in concrete, it is also much more difficult to reuse the material if you need to rebuild. We must think circularly – everything we make will not be there forever.
He continued: One of the high-profile projects in Solna’s ongoing urban development is Cederhusen, built-in Hagastaden. It is Sweden’s largest wooden house block and is marketed as a sustainable alternative precisely because of the choice of materials in wood. We also see a resurgence for wooden houses, not infrequently arguing that concrete and steel produce more significant carbon dioxide emissions.
Alexander Fagerlund concluded with a positive view of the climate impact of future urban development:
It’s interesting that more materials are becoming climate neutral now. Soon there will also be demands to show how much climate footprint a building makes. The fact that we’re on our way there is great.
How Adapteo Fits Into the Future Fagerlund Describes
Listening to Alexander Fagerlund’s reflections on densification, sustainable materials, and the urgent need for climate-neutral construction, one message becomes clear: cities must become more adaptable. As populations shift and needs evolve, buildings can no longer be static, single-purpose structures that lock municipalities into inflexible decisions for decades. Urban development must support reuse, reconfiguration, and low-carbon construction—not just at the planning stage, but throughout a building’s lifespan.
This aligns strongly with what Adapteo works toward every day. Flexible buildings that can be scaled, moved, repurposed, and reused directly address several of the challenges Fagerlund outlines:
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Circular material flows help reduce the carbon burden of new construction, especially when emissions from materials now account for such a large share of the sector’s footprint.
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Modular structures that can change function—from preschool to office to senior care—enable municipalities to make long-term, resilient decisions without committing land or resources to one fixed purpose.
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Reduced demolition waste and extended building life cycles support the climate-neutral goals that Swedish cities, including Solna, are already working toward.
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Temporary or movable buildings give planners the breathing room needed to densify smartly—adding space where needed, for as long as needed, without creating permanent barriers in the urban landscape.
In many ways, the future Fagerlund points toward—flexible zoning, low-carbon materials, urban mobility, and circular design—is the same direction in which Adapteo’s solutions are already moving. And as demands on cities become more complex, the ability to adapt space sustainably, quickly, and responsibly will only grow more valuable. Adapteo’s circular and modular building approach gives municipalities the tools to plan for uncertainty, reduce climate impact, and build vibrant, people-centered districts that can evolve with time.