I am a landcape architect working with design-oriented urban landscape management. Specialized in urban outdoor environments for children and young people, environments that promote contact with nature, play and active living. My PhD is focused on "learning by gardening". My interest for landscape management started during my time as National coordinator for outdoor urban space for young people at Movium Think tank, SLU 2006-2017.
Teacher at the landscape architect and landscape ingenieur training in courses as Design Through Practice and Management, Urban Design for Children and Young People and Advanced sustainable construction and maintenance of outdoor environment. Supervisor and examiner for Independent Project/Degree Projects in Landscape Architecture.
Test beds for biochar based soil substrates. A pilot study focussed on infiltration capacity and root growth in different biochar based substrates in cooperation with the Department of Soil and Environment.
Moving big trees (2017-2019): Knowledge review and education material financed by Trafikverket (Swedish Transport Administration).
Sustainable outdoor management for school and preschool grounds in Nacka municipality (2017-2020): Development of a suitable planning tool and a multi-administative model for organizing suitable maintenance and physical improvments in the grounds connected to the school's educational use and demands. Financed by the Movium Think Tank and Nacka city.
My PhD is focussed upon educational, historical and communicative conditions for school gardens in Sweden.
Chair of the programme committee of Uppsala Health Summit "Healthy Urban Childhoods", Uppsala 8-9 October 2019.
Member of the Leadership Council of the International School Grounds Alliance.
National coordinator for Outdoor Urban Space for Young People at Movium Think tank, SLU, during the years 2006-2017. Project leader 2014-2015 for the Movium Think tank's part in research and production of a national guideline for planning, design and management of the outdoor environments at schools and preschools. The project was financed by the Swedish Government and led by Boverket (The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning).
Co-supervisor for PhD-students and supervisor/examiner in Master Thesis work in Landscape Architecture
Faskunger, J., Szczepanski, A. & Åkerblom, P. (2018): Teaching with the Sky as a Ceiling. A Review of the Significance of Outdoor Teaching for children's learning in Compulsory School. Linköping University
Åkerlund, U., Åkerblom, P., Norrman Bjarsell, E (2016): Building Cities for Children and Young People. National Guidance, Inspiration and General Advice in Sweden. Movim Fakta 1:2016. SLU: Movium Think tank.
Åkerblom, P. (2005a): Lära av trädgård. Pedagogiska, historiska och kommunikativa förutsättningar för skolträdgårdsverksamhet (Learning by gardening. Educational, Historical and Communicative Conditions for School Gardens). SLU Doctoral thesis 2005:77. Uppsala: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Åkerblom, P. (2005b): "Capacity Building for School Gardening: A Swedish Case Study." Canadian Journal of Environmental Education 10, pp. 273-285 (included in Åkerblom 2005a).
Åkerblom, P. (2004): "Footprints of School Gardens in Sweden." Journal of Garden History Society 32(2), pp. 229-247 (included in Åkerblom 2005a).
Åkerblom, P. (2003): ”The impact and importance of school gardening in primary schools.” In P. Wickenberg, H. Axelsson, L. Fritzén, G. Helldén and J. Öhman (eds): Learning to change our world? Swedish research on education and sustainable development, pp. 75-88. Lund: Studentlitteratur.