Photo: Oleh Holodyshyn-1 | Unsplash
Known as koloniträdgårdar, Sweden’s urban gardens were established as part of a social movement around the turn of the 20th century, offering city dwellers access to green space and a reprieve from crowded urban life. The garden programs were specifically designed to improve the mental and physical health of city dwellers. “The idea was that a working-class family would be able to spend the summer there and work together but also have some leisure and fun,” Mr. Björk, a lecturer at Malmö University. The health benefits of gardening are well established, both for the physical activity and for the time spent in nature. Cecilia Stenfors, an associate professor of psychology at Stockholm University, said her research shows that those who frequently visit green spaces, whether a forest or a koloniträdgård, “have better health outcomes, in terms of fewer depressive symptoms, less anxiety, better sleep and fewer feelings of loneliness and social isolation.” The garden plots often include a cottage, where people go to tend their garden and even stay overnight. For many Swedes, a koloniträdgård is more than just a storybook cottage and thriving garden. It’s also an active hobby with wide-ranging health benefits and a restorative escape from the city without ever needing to leave it.
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