ABSTRACT
As early as the late nineteenth century, a deep-seated ‘need’ to have continuous access to green space served as a major tenet of public life in Sweden, as novelist Gustaf af Geijerstam’s statement from 1898 indicates. Over time, as apartment living eclipsed private homes in Swedish cities during the early and mid-twentieth century, new models to provide this contact with nature emerged. In particular, the allotment garden – a key focus of social reform – appeared as a beacon of light in a time otherwise darkened with overcrowding, poor sanitation and a rapid urbanisation with which politicians and town planners could not easily contend. Green space became, increasingly, a right rather than a privilege for Swedes from all socio-economic classes.
