18th century An incorrect version of the first inhabitants of Kortedala appears in many historical accounts: the first known building was said to have been a single-storey cottage with greystone walls built in 1791 by the farm worker Lars Larsson from
Kvibergsnäs landeri. He had purchased the land for 300 riksdaler banco on condition that he remained employed at Kvibergsnäs. The cottage, later known as “Kortedala No. 1”, was reportedly built where the tramway today enters the tunnel north of the Kviberg housing area after the Nymånegatan stop.
This version of the first inhabitant must be regarded as correct: the first documented resident in tax registers was the labourer Måns Bengtsson (1767–1842), who moved to Kortedala from Lundby Parish on 31 January 1812. His wife was Elin Andersdotter. They may therefore be regarded as the first known residents of Kortedala in modern times. Local historian Gunnel Mattson demonstrated in an article in
Göteborgs-Posten Nordost on 28 April 1994 (“Was Lars Larsson first in Kortedala?”) that Lars Larsson was born in 1791 and never lived in Kortedala, and that the Kvibergsnäs estate did not extend into the Kortedala area.
Croft settlement Until 1954 around ten small crofts were located among the hills, usually named after numbers or owners. Examples include Kortedala 1, 2 and 3 east of Runstavsgatan; numbers 4, 5 and 6 west of Timgatan; Pettersberg 26 west of Gregorianska gatan; Ramsdalen 1 southeast of the intersection between Almanacksvägen and Tideräkningsgatan; Ramsdalen 5 and 6 on Kvartssekelgatan; and Ramsdalen 7 and 8 west of Dagjämningsgatan. These crofts could normally not support a family on their own, but combined with poultry keeping, livestock, potato plots and fruit trees they provided a modest livelihood.
Development in the 1950s A development plan for a new model district in Kortedala was presented in 1950, and in October that year the firm
Kjessler & Mannerstråle was commissioned to prepare a detailed plan proposal. Seven architectural firms were later contracted to design the district. The land was owned by the City of Gothenburg but parts were leased to private individuals and to the state. This was the first time in Gothenburg's building history that an entire district was constructed without direct connection to existing urban development. Eight neighbourhood units were created in Kortedala, and approximately 6,000 apartments were originally planned. In the final city plan the development density was increased by 14 per cent compared with the initial plan, owner-occupied housing was reduced from 7 to 5 per cent of the total housing stock, and high-rise housing increased from 15 to 25 per cent. Most residential buildings constructed between 1952 and 1957 consisted of three- to four-storey slab blocks and eight- to nine-storey tower blocks. The most common apartment type was two rooms and kitchen, and apartments with four or more rooms were very few. After further expansion in the late 1950s and during the 1960s, Kortedala consisted of just under 8,300 apartments in multi-family buildings and around 300 small houses. Construction of the district took place between 1952 and 1957. The area had previously been mountainous terrain incorporated from
Angered in 1930. Around 8,000 apartments were built during this period. The first residents moved into the new apartment buildings on Månadsgatan and Kalendervägen on 7 November 1953. Kortedala has often been compared with
Vällingby in
Stockholm. At the time of their construction these districts were not referred to as suburbs but as
satellite towns, reflecting contemporary urban planning ideas. Delegations from around the world visited Kortedala during its development, as it demonstrated that good housing with bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens and parquet-floored living rooms could be provided for ordinary people. Even fifty years after its construction, the district has largely retained its architectural character, although the population has changed from predominantly Swedish child-raising families, whose children often attended local schools such as Gärdsåsskolan, Hundraårsskolan, Lövåsskolan, Utmarksskolan and Kortedalatorgsskolan, to a period with many elderly residents and later again to a district with many families of immigrant background. Due to the relatively small apartment sizes, typically 50–60 square metres, the population declined from a peak of around 28,000 residents in the mid-1960s to under 15,000 in the early 2000s. The original city plan had envisaged approximately 21,000 residents. == Buildings and areas ==