byggnationen

Byggnationen is a Swedish term for the large-scale postwar building boom aimed at expanding and modernizing the housing stock. It spans roughly from the late 1940s through the 1970s and was driven by public policy, municipal housing companies, and national subsidies.

After World War II Sweden faced a severe housing shortage, rapid urbanization, and a need to replace aging stock. Government policies encouraged construction, mortgage credit, and public investment in housing, laying the groundwork for a coordinated national effort.

A defining feature was the Miljonprogrammet, the Million Programme (1965–1974), which sought to construct about one million dwellings to eliminate housing shortage. The era also emphasized modernist design, standardized plans, prefabrication, and large, car-accessible suburban neighborhoods.

The rapid growth disrupted cityscapes and created lasting social and fiscal challenges. Some neighborhoods became associated with segregation, high maintenance costs, and later renovation needs, prompting reforms in housing policy and urban planning in the 1970s and beyond.

Today, byggnationen remains a central episode in Swedish urban history. Its concrete estates, housing stock expansion, and infrastructure shaped city life, even as policies evolved toward more mixed housing, energy efficiency, and renewal programs.