Stockholm is growing and the city's underground network is being developed in line with this. One of the new stations will be at Barkarby in Järfälla, where the new suburb of Barkarbystaden is being planned, consisting of 18,000 homes as well as offices, schools, sports facilities, retail, service and culture. The district is adjacent to Barkarby Shopping Centre and large areas of countryside and, together with destinations such as squares and parks or arts and sports centres, offers a structure in the area for all elements of everyday life.

The structural plan for the area has been produced in close dialogue with Järfälla municipality and takes into account both planned and existing structures, landscapes and topography. The challenge and the goal was to produce a plan which could lay the foundation for a long-term process in a highly complex project. A strong and distinct structure was needed to give the area an identity and to clearly show the way forward for the ongoing work and to address constant new challenges.

The result was a robust structure with unique elements of urban development designed to build identity according to their specific functions, the site's conditions and role in the city plan. Main streets, squares and parks build the city's character, at the same time as they form well-proportioned and flexible sub-areas for communities that can be developed as the conditions become clearer and change. The airfield's hangar buildings and control tower are highlighted and surrounding areas are linked together. As the area is planned in different stages, each sub-area is designed so that it can be developed as a functional unit.

The project's sustainability aspects have been established at an overall level. Creating a structure which could address all of them in a mixed urban environment with good proximity and conditions to live and move around, sustainably has been the starting point in the process. Multifunctional urban spaces and thorough studies of pedestrian flows, drainage and location of open areas are some of the elements that were required in order to establish a robust base for a vibrant and dense urban environment which simultaneously meets high requirements for access to greenery and local stormwater management.

The project took shape together with the clients in a project group where different areas of municipal responsibility were represented. This established a good understanding of the project and a trust in which individual initiatives and proposals which were outside the original parameters of the commission or the individual's area of expertise were utilised and moved the project forward.