Vippan Playground : Can a Local Meeting Place Survive in Neoliberal Stockholm?

Abstract

Fruangen is a functional Stockholm suburb, centrally planned in the 1950s and 1960s at the height of the social democratic building projects, and is positioned at the end of the red line of the metro system, approximately 20 minutes from the city center. Nestled in the south end of Stockholm, Fruangen bridges wealthy neighborhoods like Langbro Park, an upwardly mobile middle-class suburb, and poorer parts of the city, such as Skarholmen, which is a traditionally immigrant neigh-borhood with dense housing. There is nothing particularly special about this historically working class neighborhood on paper, except for its name, which means “the wife’s meadow.” All street names and areas are named after famous Swedish women: political activists, authors, scientists and more. Examples include Elin Wagner, Elsa Beskow and Hanna Rydh. Using women’s names for streets and new areas has made Fruangen a distinct location for its recognition of Swedish women’s history There are approximately 6,000 residents in the district, with a range of Swedish and non-Swedish backgrounds, ages and incomes. 1 Most of the