Active Knäred - Tourism as a driving force for urban growth

Sammanfattning: This project is investigating how a village can be developed by using tourism as the main driving force. Knäred is a villa- ge with around 1200 inhabitants that has had a decreasing population the past 20 years. It has been decided that the old train stop will be opened for passenger transportation again. But reestablishing a train station does not automa- tically mean that a settlement will grow. To make Knäred attractive, the qualities that the natural landscape offers are used and enhanced. Knäred needs an identity and this can be found in the landscape which can generate visitors. Today the out-door life is a big asset for Knäred as it is located in the woodland of Halland’s midland. Activities such as fishing, hunting, camping, hiking and canoeing are mainly adjusted for the summer half-year, and to be a prosperous community, Knäred also needs attraction during winter. By expanding tourism attractions, more jobs will appear, and this will lead to that more people would like to live in Knäred. This will require more services and housing. And to make Knäred successful, this also needs an unique and smart design, adapted for Knäred.