I was born in Stockholm in 1989 but brought up in Greece. I have studied Planning and Regional Development for 5 years in the University of Thessaly, Greece and Sustainable Urban Planning and Design for 2 years in KTH, Sweden. My studies have contributed in my deep critical thinking and appreciation of sustainability, inclusion, accessibility and participation. Throughout the projects I have worked on I developed a great interest in social sustainability, especially regarding feminist questions in planning. This is a booklet of some of my most recent projects, all taking place in the city of Stockholm.

1. URBAN PLANNING & DESIGN
marina ziakouli

2. I was born in Stockholm in 1989 but
brought up in Greece. I have studied
Planning and Regional Development
for 5 years in the University of Thessaly,
Greece and Sustainable Urban Planning
and Design for 2 years in KTH, Sweden.
My studies have contributed in my
deep critical thinking and appreciation
of sustainability, inclusion, accessibil-
ity and participation. Throughout the
projects I have worked on I developed
a great interest in social sustainability,
especially regarding feminist questions
in planning.
Marina Ziakouli

3. master thesis kth
RINKEBY:EXPLORING FEMINIST DESIGN TOOLS
situations studio kth
HAMMARBY SJÖSTAD: MASS, NETWORKS, PROGRAMS
textures studio kth
ÅRSTAFÄLTET: URBAN ECOLOGIES

5. RINKEBY:EXPLORING FEMINIST DESIGN TOOLS
master thesis kth

7. At the centre of Rinkeby, as one exits the metro, lies a square always
filled with people. The square, although lively, is dominated to a large
degree by men. Whether this situation is a consequence of poor
programming, cultural traditions or the physical expression of the
square is not determined. The result, however, is still that women rarely
occupy the public spaces in and around the heart of Rinkeby. In this
project we aimed on exploring ways to redefine the relationship of
gender and space through urban design, recognizing at the same time
which problems urban design can and cannot address.
The questions we tried to answer were: how differently do women
experience public spaces and why, what steps can be taken towards
a more gender equal public experience and how can urban design
contribute to this process. To understand and represent the situation
holistically, we put together a set of different methods. From on-site
observations and secondary research, to mapping functions and
interviewing locals and different actors, we tried to synthesize a broad
toolbox.
What would an architect’s and planner’s part in the creation of a feminist
future be? We translated in Rinkeby some of the different tools we
identified: Programs, Exposed, Unexposed and Participation. This is a
speculative exploration of four different tools, empowering or allowing
women to reclaim urban space and catering for their needs at the same
time. Each tool exploration takes place in a different space in Rinkeby,
chosen because of its location, connections or future development
plans. Although the proposals are examined separately, we argue that,
for a holistic approach, a combination of those different tools is
imperative.
JANUARY 2016 - MAY 2016

8. We proceeded to increase the female presence on
the site by adding female facilities that support, allow
or excuse their presence on and around the square.
One factor to do so is to make sure that there are
surrounding facilities supporting this, such as: nursing
tables and napkin dispensers in public toilets, baby
buggy-parking, breastfeeding rooms, automatic
door opener for elevators. Creating spaces that
can function as “social alibies” such as: playrooms,
playgrounds and market stalls can increase the female
presence on the square. Today the square is surround-
ed with many places that act as separatist spaces
for men. Our project explores the idea of adding a
separatist space to balance this situation.
Women are exposed to the male gaze constantly;
but exposure can work as a declaration of the female
presence too. Taking a feminist stance for us meant
that we needed to enforce and establish the female
presence in Rinkeby, by bringing the meeting places
of women in the public and visible, rather than in
the private and hidden. Choosing a very central and
public space, changing its program from a male-
dominated (parking lot) to a female-oriented one
(women’s centre) and transforming its location and
mass, allowed us to understand and describe the
benefits and downsides of exposure. A new bus line
would only increase the level of publicness of this
space, accomodating women’s needs in addition.
the square: programs
the women’s center:exposed

9. Women often operate and meet in hidden networks,
like the back rooms of Somali clothing stores in this
case. Following that hint led us to explore what simply
taking advantage of the marginal spaces in which fe-
male activity often thrives would mean. Women’s vari-
ous needs and desires can only be satisfied through a
diversity of places with different character.
Providing multiple spaces with different levels of
exposure caters for different levels of comfort that
women experience. Hence, we looked into peripheral
spaces that would preserve a low level of visibility,
a proposal that would complement and best work
in combination with the more central and exposed
function for women. The spaces that formerly were
hosting religious activities, formal or informal, will be
emptied, opening up to reprogramming.
A good way to tackle imposing foreign ideas to the
area is by keeping an open dialogue with the locals,
both while analysing and understanding the area, but
also when deciding and taking action. Participation
is imagined in a future development site, the one of
the planned new mosque and multicultural centre. By
using the space of the future mosque before construc-
tion starts, Rinkeby gets the opportunity to establish a
connection between the people and the place. It can
be used to root the female presence in the area with
temporary programs such as public kitchens, pop-up
businesses, urban gardening etc., that will be chosen
in a collaboration between residents and various ac-
tors. We believe that Järva would benefit by establish-
ing a work group devoted to particular questions of
feminist planning where different actors will cooperate.
peripheral spaces: unexposed
the mosque: participation

11. ÅRSTAFÄLTET: URBAN ECOLOGIES
situations studio kth

12. Årstafältet is one of the last pieces of open field in the inner city of
Stockholm. Being a marshland on its origins and later an agricultural land it
has an ecological, social, historical and cultural value where Göta landsväg
is the main reminder of the medieval route to Stockgolm. It is a place where
plants, insects, mammals, birds and humans thrive; why should we exclude
some of these actors to try enhancing the urban expansion when tehy can
be combined? To just evict a species is maybe not an active choice, but it is
what happens if the holistic view is not looked upon with carefulness. Nature
has a large impact on people and their social life and the trend has been to
remove piece by piece ‘unwanted’ actors from the city in the name of urban-
ism.
After several interviews on the field and 40 answers on an online question-
naire posted on Facebook’s groups ‘Årsta för alla’, ‘V som bot i Östberga’
and ‘Stockholm är inte Bullerbyn’ it could be emphasized that to a large
degree the residents recognize and appreciate the value of the field. Its
biodiversity would be strengthened if it was turned into a park for all, a park
for people and local species.
Although many citizens envision the area as a lively city quartier claiming
better and efficient public transport, diversity, more services and
recreational activities, affordable housing, they also claimed the importance
of Årstafältet as an opportunity to be in contact with nature, reinforce the
local biodiversity in the urban environment and as a meeting point for
recreational activities.
Our team emphasized the importance of Årstafältetto enhance and sustain
natural ecosystems in the urban environment as well as to promote a
sustainable way of living respectfully with nature.
APRIL 2015 - MAY 2016

13. In a city with a major housing issue, the
open fields are very much discussed to
be developed. What about the users of
the field and the residents around it?
All residents of the field must feel free
to walk, fly, jump and crawl. Permeabil-
ity is necessary. Humans, as the species
with the largest effect on the environ-
ment, must take into consideration the
needs of others.
How can we build according to nature,
working with it and not against or
around it? Building on poles has a
minor footprint. It allows for movement
under the structure. Using material that
fits into the environment creates
minimum disturbance. In an area close
to water, in a much more rainy future,
the poles protect the residents and
their belongings. Multiplicity of levels
of life is created in this new
development.
living in nature

15. HAMMARBY SJÖSTAD: MASS, NETWORKS, PROGRAMS
textures studio kth

16. In the Textures studio we worked in short periods of time (10 days per project)
with different concepts in Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm. Task by task we
explored the concepts of mass-void-interface, network-structure-system and
program-intergration-intervention. In each case we presented proposals
In the first investigation, urban form was investigated as mass and void in several
different scales. This was both from a ‘typological’ sense, and from a ‘sculptural’
sense: on one hand, how is urbanity composed of pieces, and what do these
pieces become when combined together, and on the other hand, how is urban
form sculpted on a larger scale by landscape and built mass. Our interventions
carried important social and formal content and we analyze consequences and
potentials in all of these scales.
Next were structures, networks and systems in different scales investigated.
Urban structures/networks/systems that exist in many forms, from technical to
biological to social, and their different degrees of impact on urban form.The
investigation was thus both from a ‘social’ sense – how people can move in and
make use of urban structures – and a ‘biological’ sense – the conditions and pro-
cesses of biotopes (plants, water, animals, etc). It must be emphasized that this
difference is one of degree, streets are not just for moving through, green struc-
tures not only for ecology, and parks not only for recreation. More and more,
the interplay and integration between these systems have become important to
understand and work with.
In the third investigation, urban form was investigated as program, where ‘pro-
gram’ meant the integration between life, activity, function, social conditions,
and culture. The key problem was to develop program descriptions that assisted
in the design process. This includes an understanding of demands, conditions,
context-dependencies, clustering, and flexibility of different parts of life.
NOVEMBER 2014 - DESEMBER 2014

17. There is no such thing as unprogrammed
space. Either it is by topography, size,
configuration, location, context, design,
tradition, technology, law, social condi-
tions, cultural inscription, habits, or
any other reason, space and use are
intimately connected. Specific programs
can also have greater and smaller impact
on its surroundings and more or less me-
ander and adapt to just about any built
form. Furthermore, some can co-exist in
the same time and place, some can alter
(sharing space but at different times) and
some are directly opposed – where those
who are opposed may be flexible and
nomadic, or site-specific. Urban design
has to plan for a range for activities, while
allowing for change and flexibility.
In the case of Hammarby Sjöstad, one
of the most well known for their urban
design areas in Stockholm, we chose to
break down structures and build new
ones to connect and intergrate. All the
newly created and already existing spces
are program in such a way to maximize
the time span the are being used for,
contributing in this way in space saving
and in the livelihood of the area.
life lived in
Hammarby Sjöstad