| dc.description.abstract | This thesis is about Åsane’s development from an agricultural land to a city suburb. Åsane is a district with approximately 40 000 inhabitants located north in Bergen municipality. Åsane was an independent municipality until 1972 when it became a part of Bergen.
Farmers in Åsane has had an important role since the Middle ages, even after the industrial breakthrough. Åsane municipality contributed to agricultural development by rewarding farmers for productive farming, as well as channelling Dalaelven river for farming purposes. Due to poor soil quality, the new farmland was never cultivated and the area which is located in the middle of Åsane, was instead used as a city centre for Åsane. In the 1950s Åsane experienced a population growth, which forced the city council to fund development of housing and infrastructure. Bergen was in desperate need for residential area, and wanted to merge with Åsane so the city could keep growing, but Åsane wanted to remain as an independent municipality, nevertheless the political pressure to carry out a merger from Bergen continued throughout the 1960s. In the end the Norwegian parliament voted for the merger in 1968, and it was completed in 1972.
Åsane grew fast and it may be one of the reasons why the district appears as the way it does today. An area in Åsane which chose to try something different is Selegrend. Selegrend is a housing co-operative which emphasized social interaction and diversity, and the houses were built with an unorthodox architecture. | nb_NO |
