The project aims to examine urban motifs in Swedish youth literature from the turn of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Although several of the aspects that have been identified as crucial to the development of youth literature in the 20th century are directly related to the urban, no previous study of the genre's urban motifs exists. By analyzing motifs such as the department store, the hustler and the Million Dollar Program, I will be able to say something new about Swedish youth literature and contribute to the knowledge of the connections between youth, urban life and modernity. Changes in society and the city have had a significant impact on the portrayal of maturity in youth literature. The city and its varied environments have been used both to educate and train and to entertain and inspire. New youth culture phenomena have been used both to set a warning example and to show the young reader new possibilities. The representation of urban youth culture has moved around the urban landscape during the century: from the backyards of Emil Norlander's Anderssonskan's Kalle (1901) and Kar de Mumma's Två år i varje klass (1923) to Harry Kullman's and Peter Pohl's Södermalm, in novels such as Den svarta fläcken (1949) and Janne min vän (1983). From Martha Sandwall-Bergström's 1950s Tempo department store to Kerstin Thorvall's 1970s Million Project suburbs. From Astrid Lindgren's Kati on Kaptensgatan (1952) to Mats Wahl's Vinterviken (1993). From the stairwell to the pedestrian tunnel.