- We see in opinion polls that the majority of Swedes would like to live in houses that look like those built in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
At the same time, very few such houses are being built today.
There is a potential to build more in a style that the Swedish people appreciate, says the Moderates' housing policy spokesman Viktor Wärnick.
With the Moderates' new election promise, the debate about why classical architecture does not take up more space in society today has flared up again.
The issue has previously been pushed by both Sweden Democrats and Social Democrats.
The election promise is to let Sweden's national architect develop proposals that can increase the residents' influence and that can be implemented during the coming term.
It will be possible to vote on the type of house to be built.
According to the Moderates, this would also facilitate future construction processes.
- We believe that increased tolerance and acceptance from citizens could lead to shorter construction times, shorter time from idea to realized project, says Viktor Wärnick.
"Think it will be the other way around"
Julia Svensson, deputy cultural director at Sydsvenskan and former editor-in-chief of the magazine Arkitektur, is critical of the Moderates' election promise.
- They say that a proposal like this would shorten the construction process, I rather think it would be the other way around.
She continues:
- Much of what is built today might benefit from being more aesthetically pleasing.
The problem with building the type of ornamented facades that the Moderates are calling for is that it is expensive and difficult, if it is not to look plastic.
You can definitely do that, but it would cost a lot of money to go elsewhere, and it would not look good enough.
Kulturnyheterna has sought the Minister for Housing, Johan Danielsson (S), who has declined to comment on the Moderates' election promise.