DET FÖRÄNDERLIGA MÖLNDAL CENTRUM

Abstract

In this master thesis, Det föränderliga Mölndal Centrum, we have followed developments in the centre of Mölndal, from the square trades beginning in Kvarnbyn to the center on the other side of Mölndalsbro. With a review in history we approach to the changing center presented by the past and the present. The study is a journey into the local identity which mainly consists of the industrial heritage that has transformed into an working identity as well as the identity as a small-town. A small town that has altered into a suburban center in Gothenburg. A suburban center that is now going to be renewed and profiled as a city, instead of the small town. Therefore the study is about visions, dreams and citybranding, changed within the structures of globalization. This thesis is about cityplanning and how the perception of the inner city has changed through the years. How the image of the centre of Mölndal relates to the transformation that is now awaiting in the near future to be realized. The voices of this thesis are from shopkeepers and concerned residents. They share with us their memories, feelings and stories about the centre and foremost about the upcoming changes. This is an ethnological study that has it’s foreground in the discussion of cultural heritage introduced in the present.