Best of Bodø

The Northern Norwegian city of Bodø is the European Capital of Culture 2024. The European Commission initiative dates back to 1985 and has, to date, been awarded to more than 60 cities across the European Union (EU) and beyond. Bodø is the first Capital of Culture above the Arctic Circle. The purpose is to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe, and bring people together through culture, history and nature.

Bodø is all set to welcome everyone. Not only through an extensive program, but also through years of actively developing a city for everyone.

The celebrated, universally-designed Stormen Library and Stormen Cultural Centre have become the heart and soul of the new and improved Bodø city centre. In this booklet (pdf), you can read more about Stormen, as well as a number of other good examples of universally-designed municipal projects in Bodø.

Bodø Municipality is a member of KS’ Network for Universal Design, established in 2013.
The goal of the network is to contribute to an inclusive society, by sharing best practices and removing barriers. All projects encounter challenges. The examples presented in this booklet are not intended to serve as perfect examples, but rather as an inspiration and for learning. That is why we often challenge the people we interview to indicate what they could have done differently, in hindsight.

We congratulate Bodø on being the European Capital of Europe 2024, and look forward to what’s next for one of the fastest growing cities in Norway.