The De Aderton-project focusses on the correlation between the implementation of placemaking in urban public spaces and the level of social sustainability in cities. 

De Aderton is the name of an architectural light art installation that was designed and built by the diploma graduate of this project. From the 7th to the 15th of december 2024 the artwork was exhibited at Klara Mälarstrand during the light art festival Nobel Week Lights in Stockholm. In this diploma project, De Aderton was used as a casestudy to explore the behaviours of people in public space on the site where the installation was put on display during Nobel Week Lights. An anthropological working approach inspired by William H. Whyte’s documentation of New York City was implemented.

The working process sought to explore how placemaking and, specifically, public art can be used as tools in urban development when designing socially sustainable cities with a focus on the phenomenological experience of public space. This master project aims to highlight the importance of living urban spaces that promote civic engagement, social interaction, identification, varied experiences, artistic values, playfulness and a general sense of well-being among people in the city.