Article by Fleur Groeneveld
On the early morning of July 16th, slowly but surely a group of excited but tired students gathered at the central train station of Arnhem. The long-awaited BUITEX 2024 was finally happening, as destination: Stockholm, Sweden. The BUITEX is a commission within the student organization Genius Loci that organizes a study trip abroad once a year. With a group of 18 people, we set off on this journey, not knowing just how much we would be able to learn and see.
The first day was marked as a travel day. To everyone’s surprise, the trains left and arrived on time, letting us arrive quite a bit earlier at the airport of Düsseldorf than originally planned. After waiting for quite some time, we were finally able to board the plane. After a smooth flight, another train was taken to bring the whole group to the hostel. After settling in most of the students went to grab a bite of food at a nearby fast-food chain, while others went on a late-night walk to enjoy the city nightlife or went directly to bed, excited for what was to come.
The next day it was finally time to start with the activities. Two commission members started the day by organizing a brunch near Rosendals Trädgård, a place in the green Djurgården, while also explaining the function and history of the place. Nowadays, Rosendals Trädgård is open to the public, allowing visitors to experience nature and demonstrate various cultural effects of gardening throughout history. With its many different types of stores, the place aims to encourage people to understand and experience the nature around them, through touch, sight, and smell. It became quickly apparent why this place was a favorite amongst the inhabitants of Stockholm.
Moving from the beautiful Rosendals Trädgård, the same commission members began a tour through the city center. First showing all the highlights in the newer part of the city center, called Normalm, such as the concert building and the central train station. Normalm compost out of very modern and light-colored buildings, long and busy streets, a lot of traffic and public transport, and a lot of stores. Walking further forward we arrived at the old city center, better known as Gamla Stan. The differences between the two parts of Stockholm were immense, even though they were only a ten-minute walk from each other. After grabbing a bite to eat, a pubquiz was held in an open amphitheater, to test the group’s knowledge of Stockholm/Sweden, with questions like: ‘What are the names of the ABBA members?’ and ‘What is a fika?’. While enjoying some snacks and drinks, the second day of the trip came to an end.
Moving forward to the next day, the group had to be up and about pretty early, as another tour was organized, but this time by Inger Johansson, a guide from the government of Stockholm. She took us on a tour through Hammerby Sjöstad, a renewed neighborhood within Stockholm. During the 90’s the neighborhood was known for being polluted and didn’t have a great reputation among the inhabitants of Stockholm. However, this part of town was redeveloped, after it was mentioned that the 2004 Olympics might be held in the Swedish capital. Allowing the neighborhood to get new infrastructure and housing. The redevelopment of the place was steered by eco-government, making the neighborhood one of the greenest and most sustainable in Sweden. When Stockholm failed to bid to host the 2004 Olympics, the neighborhood continued to develop and strive, making what was once meant to be a potential temporary Olympic village, into a now permanent and attractive neighborhood.
After this interesting tour, a new tour guide showed up; old Genius Loci member Niels Wauters. Niels took the group on a tour through Årstafältet, a large park currently being developed as a neighborhood in Stockholm. He explained a lot about the participation processes and certain points occurring during the planning phase of this project. Afterward, he also gave an optional tour through Slussen, a big infrastructural project in Sweden. The project involves the replacement of a (water)lock, in Dutch ‘sluis’, and developing the infrastructure around it. An interesting place to visit, the next time you’re in Stockholm!
On the fourth day of the trip, another tour was organized by two commission members of the Buitex. This time to a neighborhood within Stockholm which was one of the last ones to go through green and sustainable redevelopment: Royal Seaport. As the area was quite large, it was very visible where the redevelopment was finished, ongoing, and not even started. Where some areas felt dull and in need of a make-over, other areas felt very lively, consisting of small, but green courtyards. After visiting Royal Seaport the tour continued to the adjacent National Park Norra Djurgården and the University of Stockholm. Seeing all the green from the neighborhood and the park, surely made some of the landscape architecture students very happy, giving them new inspiration for future projects.
The fifth day consisted of visiting Grinda, an island in the archipelago of Stockholm. After a boat ride of two hours with incredible views, the group arrived on the island. Here kayaks and canoes were rented to see the island from a different point of view and do something different than walking. After kayaking, swimming, and having a snack, it was time to travel back. After such an active day many of the group saw the boat ride as the ideal time to take a quick nap, even when surrounded by twenty screaming children.
The next day was the so-called ‘Ikea-day’. Because what is a trip to Sweden, without visiting an Ikea? The day started with a brunch at the Ikea, where the group enjoyed a nice plate of the (vegan) meatballs, cinnamon buns, and more. Afterward, two commission members created a scavenger hunt for the group to enjoy, which was also the last official activity of the whole trip. In the evening of this day was an optional ‘mini metro tour’ organized to visit multiple metro stations of Stockholm, as Stockholm’s tunnelbana is often described as a museum on its own, due to the beautiful art and painted walls almost every station contains.
Day seven was a free day, where everyone got to decide for themselves what they wanted to do and see on their last day in Stockholm. Everyone went on their way doing a variety of activities. For example, a group went on the hunt for souvenirs, while others went to different museums or a theme park in the neighborhood. The perfect end to an incredible time in Stockholm!
On Tuesday the 23rd of July the group traveled back to Arnhem, once again surprisingly smoothly. With minimum delays, the exhausted group of students once again gathered at Arnhem’s central station. This time with new experiences, knowledge, and memories. The trip had come to an end leaving all exhausted and in longing for their own bed, but also with curiosity for what was to come next year on the BUITEX 2025.
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