The Fargemarka Boligprosjekt Association

Fargemarka Boligprosjekt was founded in the autumn of 2019, when a member squatted in one of the abandoned properties in Østmarka for a week. A few weeks later through a few enthusiasts with different personal motivations yet with shared desires and ideas, formed the core of this housing project. Early in 2020, the Association (“Forening” in Norwegian) was established with the aim of becoming a living example of a sustainable, affordable and inclusive housing project in Norway, that supports the transformative commitments made by the United Nations in the New Urban Agenda (2017). The members of this relatively young initiative have been operating both politically and through direct action to try and create a new area for sustainable alternative living at Østmarka, Trondheim (Fargemarka Boligprosjekt, 2020). The Fargemarka Boligprosjekt describes itself in the following way:

“Fargemarka is a project bringing together all kinds of people with a shared vision of a new sustainable community in the Trondheim area. We see Østmarka as a potential urban ecological area, where we can find collective solutions to the global challenges our society faces. Fargemarka can find solutions in a world with an increased need for housing and selfsufficiency. To approach the challenges of tomorrow we need to stand together today to find sustainable solutions”. (Fargemarka Boligprosjekt, 2020)

The ‘slogan’ of the Fargemarka Association, as adopted in printed and online media, is “Tillit til folket for en levbar framtid” (Fargemarka Boligprosjekt, 2020), which can be translated as “Trust the people for a livable future”.

The project has an expansive Vision, arranged into three main categories: housing, community and sustainable future. The visions were created with a purpose of binding the group with fundamental goals and priorities, regardless of personal intentions and motivations for taking part in the project. In case of conflict, it was intended that the visions would act as guidelines for solving these.

A fundamental shared goal of the Fargemarka Association is the availability of adequate, affordable, sustainable and accessible housing that promotes high-quality livelihoods for everyone regardless of income and background. The Vision about housing revolves around experimentation for affordable and price adjusted dwellings in urban areas, based on existing physical structures and with focus on maintenance and climate-responsible reuse. The Association believes that, regardless of means and status, adequate existing and new alternative housing solutions are important in a world with increased precarity.

The aim of the vision about the community is to create a diverse and inclusive ‘community of care’, based on active involvement and participation. Trust and equality shapes the process of democratic self-governance, which is meant to be resilient towards environmental and social change. Reducing consumption and production and sharing systems and strategies are part of this vision. The community wants to contribute to creating room for practical and theoretical knowledge exchange for all citizens in Trondheim.

The vision also aims to help make Trondheim a sustainable forward-looking model for green living that can influence communities around the world by creating a necessary and adaptable ‘blueprint’.