SLU Urban Futures

SLU Urban Futures is a strategic platform that develops and strengthens transdisciplinary research, education and collaboration in sustainable urban development.

Photo of a woman with lush greenery in the back ground.
Nyhet

Movium and SLU Urban Futures appoint a joint director of operations.

SLU Think Tank Movium and the future platform SLU Urban Futures will be organizationally merged as of the turn of the year and will appoint a joint head of operations. The aim is to strengthen SLU’s position in society within the field of landscape.

Synthesis

Urban heat and climate resilience – strategies for healthier, cooler cities

As cities grow denser and warmer, urban heat islands pose serious risks to health, infrastructure, and ecosystems. This synthesis from SLU Urban Futures draws on interviews, research, and international reports to explore how urban planning can reduce heat stress.

News item

Artistic approaches offer new ways to understand Stockholm’s waterscapes

A forthcoming scientific article – developed with seed funding from SLU Urban Futures to strengthen interdisciplinary writing, communication, and capacity-building across SLU – examines how artistic perspectives are reshaping Stockholm’s waterscapes.

Urbanscapes

To increase the understanding of the urban, SLU Urban Futures introduces a number of thematic focus areas for research; Urban Foodscapes, Urban Healthscapes, Urban Forestscapes, Urban Waterscapes and Urban Energyscapes.
Photo of a woman in front of forest in fall colors
Research profiles

Read more about our researchers linked to the Forum for Children and Landscape

At SLU, we work to strengthen research, education, and collaboration on outdoor environments for children and young people, brought together under the Forum for Children and Landscapes. Here you can read interviews with some of our teachers and researchers. Interviews in Swedish.

Thematic focus area

Living labs

A living lab is a creative meeting space where diverse stakeholders come together to test and develop solutions for complex challenges. Here, new methods and processes have the opportunity to grow in real-world environments, while we observe their social and practical impacts.

News from SLU Urban Futures

  • 2026-01-20

    A Practical Guide to Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Research

    Despite widespread calls for interdisciplinarity, biodiversity research still struggles to integrate social and natural sciences. A new article offers practical advice for moving from ambition to action.
  • 2026-01-20

    Movium and SLU Urban Futures appoint a joint head of operations

    SLU Think Tank Movium and the future platform SLU Urban Futures will be organizationally merged as of the turn of the year and will appoint a joint head of operations. The aim is to strengthen SLU’s position in society within the field of landscape.
  • 2026-01-19

    Call for applications to SLU's Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) 2026-2027

    The Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) is a programme where SLU researchers are offered the opportunity to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries on complex issues in the broad field of sustainable transition.
  • 2025-12-11

    Local Voices Uncover Hidden Needs in Ukraine’s Post-War Recovery

    When Ukrainians rebuild their lives after liberation from Russian occupation, some restoration efforts matter more than others. By visiting villages, SLU researchers found that actions such as restoring gardens and demining forest are crucial for people’s well-being – yet they are often overlooked.
  • 2025-12-08

    Today’s energy choices redraw the landscape of the future

    Sweden’s energy demand could double by 2035, according to forecasts from the Swedish Energy Agency. As fossil sources are replaced by renewables, energy previously extracted underground must now be produced above ground – a transition to leave visible marks on the landscape.

Upcoming events

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on LinkedIn and discuss current issues regarding the sustainable cities of the future.

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Stay updated about upcoming webinars, calls and projects in sustainable urban development at SLU.

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On Instagram, we share current events within the platform.

Urbanscapes

Learn more about our thematic work with urbanscapes on our external website.