Romerike, the vast clay plain north of Oslo, is under major pressure. This is where collapsing ground meets Real Estate. Digging and excavation are the primary causes of quick clay landslides and has caused dozens of deaths in recent decades. Yet, Romerike is undergoing a constructin boom, dictated by money-driven developers and housing speculators.
This is also the story of the ravines: forgotten fragments of what was once a dense network of rivers and streams, carving steep corridors teeming with mushrooms, mycelium, and insects. About 80% of the ravines were leveled for agricultural purposes between the 1960s and 1980s. Today, many of those that remain are treated as invisible spaces—used as dumping sites for polluted surplus materials from construction projects around the capital - reflecting our failure to recognize their ecological and cultural value.
Climate change and increasingly frequent episodes of torrential rain are now causing ravines to re-emerge in areas where they were previously leveled or filled in. These unstable and often polluted landscapes pose growing risks, as people now live close to—or directly on—former ravine systems, exposing local communities to extreme danger.
This is also the story of the ravines: forgotten fragments of what was once a dense network of rivers and streams, carving steep corridors teeming with mushrooms, mycelium, and insects. About 80% of the ravines were leveled for agricultural purposes between the 1960s and 1980s. Today, many of those that remain are treated as invisible spaces—used as dumping sites for polluted surplus materials from construction projects around the capital - reflecting our failure to recognize their ecological and cultural value.
Climate change and increasingly frequent episodes of torrential rain are now causing ravines to re-emerge in areas where they were previously leveled or filled in. These unstable and often polluted landscapes pose growing risks, as people now live close to—or directly on—former ravine systems, exposing local communities to extreme danger.
Anne Marte
RAVINEVANDRINGER,
Click here to read about it in Arkitektur
Throughout the fall of 2024 and summer 2026 we are hosting a series of critical walks in the ravine landscapes of Lillestrøm municipality in Norway. Through these walks, we aim to spotlight the meaning of ravines in the face of urban development, biodiversity loss, and challenges related to flooding, pollution, and quick clay landslides. Each walk addresses different themes and is directed at landowners, residents, developers, and to the municipality.
The project’s goal is to highlight the web of different worlds that form the network of actors who unconsciously gather around the endangered nature type in Romerike. These walks create opportunities for discussion and reflection on the future of ravines in a time marked by climate change and increased development pressure. By collaborating with experts, the local community, and decision-makers, we hope to foster a deeper understanding of the significance of ravines.
A BIG THANK YOU TO THE VARIOUS CONTRIBUTORS!
Elin Løken (huseby gårds venner), Lasse Bergmann (trumpet), Cecilie Kure (bar bakke landskap), Asbjørn Langeland (historielaget), Sverre Solberg (naturvernforbundet), Siv Moen (rsnf), Brit Aase (rsnf), Gaute Mohn Jenssen(rsnf), Tonje Håkensen (oosn), Kåre Homble (rsnf)
Walking down into the ravine.