Johan Pries
@johanpries.bsky.social
Teaching and writing university worker. Interested in urban planning, radical democracy, popular movements and what world might be built in neoliberal ruins. Based in Norra Fäladen, Lund, Sweden.
Quite like this courtyard I saw yesterday at Uppsala Human Geography (Economics and Social Science Faculty, former Social Science and Humanist Centre). Originally designed by Peter Celsing and completed in 1975, but a lot of the building has been modified, for the worse, in the 1990s...
November 7, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Quite like this courtyard I saw yesterday at Uppsala Human Geography (Economics and Social Science Faculty, former Social Science and Humanist Centre). Originally designed by Peter Celsing and completed in 1975, but a lot of the building has been modified, for the worse, in the 1990s...
Highgate: visited.
Ghost: haunting.
Halloween: done.
Ghost: haunting.
Halloween: done.
October 31, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Highgate: visited.
Ghost: haunting.
Halloween: done.
Ghost: haunting.
Halloween: done.
Lund University looking very University-like this morning.
October 9, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Lund University looking very University-like this morning.
Finally back to writing on what should be the last major piece on our People's Park research, after six weeks of teaching and grant applications. Going through recent photos, and found a few ones with appropriate autumn vibes of Bengt Edman's brick brutalist People's Park cultural center in Lund...
October 6, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Finally back to writing on what should be the last major piece on our People's Park research, after six weeks of teaching and grant applications. Going through recent photos, and found a few ones with appropriate autumn vibes of Bengt Edman's brick brutalist People's Park cultural center in Lund...
Inte för att citera Carlyle före frukost, men det är väl ändå en ganska etablerad idé att pressen är en makthavaren och det är en dygd såväl som i dess intresse att även när det blir kass stämning i den verkliga världens gyttjebrottning alltid upprätthålla skiljelinjen kritisk debatt kontra censur?
September 29, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Inte för att citera Carlyle före frukost, men det är väl ändå en ganska etablerad idé att pressen är en makthavaren och det är en dygd såväl som i dess intresse att även när det blir kass stämning i den verkliga världens gyttjebrottning alltid upprätthålla skiljelinjen kritisk debatt kontra censur?
The first high-rises of Lund. Helge Zimdahl, 1958-60. There are three of these cooperatively owned buildings hovering above the villas of the most push area of the city in what used to be the gardens of the Bishop's faux tudor castle-like estate (parts of the gardens are preserved as a public park).
September 19, 2025 at 11:51 AM
The first high-rises of Lund. Helge Zimdahl, 1958-60. There are three of these cooperatively owned buildings hovering above the villas of the most push area of the city in what used to be the gardens of the Bishop's faux tudor castle-like estate (parts of the gardens are preserved as a public park).
Höganäs former People's Park (Sweden). Founded circa 1906 by local unions, mostly from the port, nearby mines and ceramics works I would assume. Sold to the municipality more than a decade ago, and redeveloped as a public park and housing area. Many traces in the landscape, however, remain.
August 14, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Höganäs former People's Park (Sweden). Founded circa 1906 by local unions, mostly from the port, nearby mines and ceramics works I would assume. Sold to the municipality more than a decade ago, and redeveloped as a public park and housing area. Many traces in the landscape, however, remain.
Halmstad People's Park (Sweden): built by trade union 1905 and used by them for many decades. What remains is a public park slated for housing development, loudly opposed by a group of locals. Halmstad, particularly its port and railroad, was in the early 20th century a key node of labor militancy.
August 12, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Halmstad People's Park (Sweden): built by trade union 1905 and used by them for many decades. What remains is a public park slated for housing development, loudly opposed by a group of locals. Halmstad, particularly its port and railroad, was in the early 20th century a key node of labor militancy.
Used one of the lunch breaks to do the trek to the Olympic stadium to have a look at Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation, and in fact had to hang out under the building as a sudden rainstorm struck. Must say I prefer the other sites of the InterBau, but it was of course very interesting to see.
July 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Used one of the lunch breaks to do the trek to the Olympic stadium to have a look at Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation, and in fact had to hang out under the building as a sudden rainstorm struck. Must say I prefer the other sites of the InterBau, but it was of course very interesting to see.
Just back from a great conference organised by @globalurbanhistory.bsky.social at CMS/TU Berlin. Presented our work on concrete, brutalism, heritage and sustainability with KEG postdoc Alva Zalar. Interesting debates and interventions, and nice opportunity for me to practice photography!
July 21, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Just back from a great conference organised by @globalurbanhistory.bsky.social at CMS/TU Berlin. Presented our work on concrete, brutalism, heritage and sustainability with KEG postdoc Alva Zalar. Interesting debates and interventions, and nice opportunity for me to practice photography!
Also, The Fröjdenborg municipal housing estate/Health care facility by Aina Berggren (one of Sweden's pioneering women architects).
July 1, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Also, The Fröjdenborg municipal housing estate/Health care facility by Aina Berggren (one of Sweden's pioneering women architects).
Brutalism is for the children. (Building: Landskrona Konsthall, Sten Samuelson and Fritz Jaenecke, 1963; Garden design: Ulla Molin 1989)
July 1, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Brutalism is for the children. (Building: Landskrona Konsthall, Sten Samuelson and Fritz Jaenecke, 1963; Garden design: Ulla Molin 1989)
After the drinks before the canceled Zohran Mamdani all-night election watch party in Malmö.
June 26, 2025 at 8:50 AM
After the drinks before the canceled Zohran Mamdani all-night election watch party in Malmö.
Cirkel K bensinstation 2025 i Lund eller... 1938 i Nuremberg?
June 18, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Cirkel K bensinstation 2025 i Lund eller... 1938 i Nuremberg?
Det är fantastiskt att vandra runt i. Här en vy från ett av mina favorithus från en torr försommardag i Siemsstadt 2024:
June 18, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Det är fantastiskt att vandra runt i. Här en vy från ett av mina favorithus från en torr försommardag i Siemsstadt 2024:
This little gem on neoliberal urbanism arrived today. Huge congrats to Burcu, Melissa och Cristina, and happy to see my work on how the everyday uses of Bo01/Västra hamnen in Malmö during their first few years came to shape urban design in the area. Will figure out a way to share the chapter...
June 16, 2025 at 12:48 PM
This little gem on neoliberal urbanism arrived today. Huge congrats to Burcu, Melissa och Cristina, and happy to see my work on how the everyday uses of Bo01/Västra hamnen in Malmö during their first few years came to shape urban design in the area. Will figure out a way to share the chapter...
Some more pics from same walk, this time from Rosengård (also mostly Thorsten Roos, but with Bror Thornberg, for MKB ca 1962-1963, ie before "Miljonprogrammet").
June 9, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Some more pics from same walk, this time from Rosengård (also mostly Thorsten Roos, but with Bror Thornberg, for MKB ca 1962-1963, ie before "Miljonprogrammet").
Almgården, Malmö. Built 1969-72 (Thorsten Roos). The most Le Corbusier part of Malmö, to my mind. Almgården is where Malmö's far right in the early 00s broke into the mainstream, and located just next to Herrrgården. First experiment with manual exposure settings on my brand new second hand Ricoh.
June 9, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Almgården, Malmö. Built 1969-72 (Thorsten Roos). The most Le Corbusier part of Malmö, to my mind. Almgården is where Malmö's far right in the early 00s broke into the mainstream, and located just next to Herrrgården. First experiment with manual exposure settings on my brand new second hand Ricoh.
Inte för att vara den som är den nu när debatten blivit mer generativ, men 1973 är ganska länge sedan, Mathias. Läste nyss av en slump dessa rader, och är inte helt säker på att allt vi kan veta att är att det inte längre är 1950-tal på Kockums varv.
May 27, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Inte för att vara den som är den nu när debatten blivit mer generativ, men 1973 är ganska länge sedan, Mathias. Läste nyss av en slump dessa rader, och är inte helt säker på att allt vi kan veta att är att det inte längre är 1950-tal på Kockums varv.
More Berlin, this time the almost complete retrofit of the GDR era Haus der Statistik on Alex, being completed as a public-common partnership of sorts between various civil society and municipal authorities after being reclaimed from speculators by squatters(!) provoking new municipal plans:
May 21, 2025 at 7:40 AM
More Berlin, this time the almost complete retrofit of the GDR era Haus der Statistik on Alex, being completed as a public-common partnership of sorts between various civil society and municipal authorities after being reclaimed from speculators by squatters(!) provoking new municipal plans:
More Berlin. The Bode museum has Klee's Angelus Novus on loan for a small exhibition on Benjamin, Klee and the angel of history celebrating the 80 year anniversary of the NS regime's fall. Literally cited that Benjamin text just days before finding out about the exhibition, so pretty cool to see it!
May 16, 2025 at 11:57 AM
More Berlin. The Bode museum has Klee's Angelus Novus on loan for a small exhibition on Benjamin, Klee and the angel of history celebrating the 80 year anniversary of the NS regime's fall. Literally cited that Benjamin text just days before finding out about the exhibition, so pretty cool to see it!
Back from Berlin field trip with 35 great LU planning students. One of the highlights was stumbling into the "Future Imperfect: Armenian Art from Aftermaths" at the Gorki. Particularly loved this textile by Khoren Matevosyan. Highly recommend going if you are passing through the city this summer:
May 13, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Back from Berlin field trip with 35 great LU planning students. One of the highlights was stumbling into the "Future Imperfect: Armenian Art from Aftermaths" at the Gorki. Particularly loved this textile by Khoren Matevosyan. Highly recommend going if you are passing through the city this summer:
Filing this under Hauntological Crimes against Architecture.
May 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Filing this under Hauntological Crimes against Architecture.
Yvonne Rydin, UCL Bartlett, is introducing her work on knowledge, planning and post-growth scenarios at Keg in Lund on May 15th. Open to students and the general public. Feel free to spread the word to people in the region who might be interested!
May 6, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Yvonne Rydin, UCL Bartlett, is introducing her work on knowledge, planning and post-growth scenarios at Keg in Lund on May 15th. Open to students and the general public. Feel free to spread the word to people in the region who might be interested!