BY2030 – Future Living in the Countryside
A regional model for thriving, sustainable and inclusive rural communities.
What if small villages and communities could lead the way in creating aesthetic, resilient and sustainable places to live? In Kronoberg, Sweden, we not only believe they can – we know it. Through BY2030, we work to unlock the potential of our villages – turning them into places where people want to live, work and thrive.
BY2030 – our vision
Kronoberg’s villages will lead the way in creating attractive, sustainable places with a strong sense of community, cultural life and local engagement. Everyday life in these villages should be well-functioning, enjoyable and meaningful — for everyone.
BY2030 aims to:
- Enhance the appeal of Sweden’s sparsely populated regions through locally driven, innovative transitions.
- Bolster competence and sustainable growth to foster a more diverse range of well-functioning and attractive rural areas.
- Facilitate the release of property chains and increase mobility within both housing and labour markets.
- Optimise the use of existing built environments and promote a transition that reduces the need for new exploitative construction.
The three core values that guide our work:
- The village at the centre – starting from the people and specific places, building on what already exists.
- Focus on everyday life – ensuring a sustainable, well-designed, inclusive and enjoyable everyday life that lasts over time.
- Enabling change – raising ambitions, making space for new ideas and diverse perspectives, and fostering collaboration for sustainable transitions.
A regional initiative for sustainable rural development
Since 2019, Region Kronoberg has brought together municipalities, businesses, academia, residents and local communities to run projects improving everyday life in villages.
By focusing on small-scale settings, BY2030 bridges the innovation and development gap between densely and sparsely populated regions. Recognising the different circumstances between urban and rural locales, it has the potential to find new ways for societal transformation relevant for the entire society.
The work is guided by Sweden’s policy for designed living environments, the New European Bauhaus and the UN’s Agenda 2030.
Project examples include:
- Sleeping Beauty (EU Horizon) – unlocking New European Bauhaus and Nature based solutions values for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient society.
- PARSMO (Interreg Europe) – safe, accessible and beautiful village environments through smart transport planning.
- Byresan (Vinnova) – fair mobility for rural areas
- Future Village – reuse of empty properties to boost housing appeal
BY2030 is also the name of a planned fair – a new type of rural housing fair shifting focus from cities to villages, from new builds to enhancing what already exists, and from houses to life between them. The fair will be a meeting place for sharing, collaboration and scaling up – where experiences from Kronoberg can be shared with other regions in Sweden and across Europe.
Join us!
We’re looking for EU partners who, like us, believe villages hold the key to a sustainable future. Visit by2030.se and explore how we’re shaping future countryside living.
BY2030, a part of Woodland Living – Local NEB Office
