As it was meant to

There was an inauguration in Umeå this week! When I left Sweden for Seattle late August the first profound evidence for that the new building for cultural arts, Kulturväven, is really happening, was there. Eight huge concrete pillars aiming for the sky at the waterfront. Coming back here a month ago, the space right at the Umeå River that’s been a big embarrassing parking lot for decades is now filled with the four-floor foundation of a building! It’s kind of hard to grasp that it’s finally a reality. That the new Umeå front porch, which has been processed forever, is actually for real. That the city will be facing the river again. Like it was meant to.

So, in the cold and rainy Monday evening there was refreshments, snacks and for the occasion specially written music, as representatives from the City and Balticgruppen were speaking about the project and cutting the ribbon that celebrated the foundation of this new landmark. A joint company between Umeå City and the developer Balticgruppen builds Kulturväven.

One of the big discussions about this new development is how to make it work with the older buildings at the sight. It’s funny, but sometimes the articles in Seattle Times about the developments there could very well fit in to Västerbottens Kuriren, the local newspaper in Umeå, and the other way around. There are debates about the height of the buildings as well as concerns about harmonizing with the neighborhoods and their culture.

A big issue in Umeå has been the little old stable that’s connected to Stora Hotellet (The Grand Hotel) from 1894, which is located right behind Kulturväven. The preservers have been clinging to it in the same way the developers couldn’t wait to tare it down. As a remission to the preservers, the final decision was to keep the stable, renovate it and make it a part of Kulturväven. Now it turns out that the stable is in such bad condition that the costs for the whole project will be 20-40 million Swedish kronor more than estimated.

We have a deadline here in my more eastern hometown. Umeå is going to be the European Capital of Culture in 2014, and that’s a pretty serious deadline. Because of course we want the city to be all spruced up for that. That’s why rising costs is really bad news. So are delays.

Two beloved city parks are undergoing redesign, and it actually seems like most people are looking forward to the new looks and purposes for the parks. However, one of them, Rådhusparken (The City Hall Park) might not be done before Umeå is crowned Capital of Culture. The start of the groundwork was planned for this October, but that didn’t happen. Which means that the plantings might not be finished 2013. And as most of the year here on the 63^rd latitude is winterish, there is not a lot of time to play with, when it comes to gardening and growth.

Anyway, it’s exciting times here. Kulturväven and the new waterfront is the biggest thing that’s happened since the universities were established. And it will definitely turn the city’s face towards the river again. As it once was. As it was meant to.