Bedre Byrum

Type of project: Urban development project, publication
Client: Realdania Foundation
Year: 2002

SLA was consultant on the research and development project Better Urban Spaces, in cooperation with Architect Jan Gehl. The project was realised with funding from the Realdania Foundation. The aim of the project was to strengthen Danish Municipalities’ knowledge and awareness of the importance of urban spaces on daily life. The urban space project therefore involved a series of municipalities as participating players in the concept, development and realisation phase.

The brief for the project is fully described in the Danish publication Bedre Byrum. The brief presents eight elements, that should be included in the planning of better urban spaces: the feeling of belonging, of being welcome, changeability, sensory experience, visible differences, reading of nature, immediate understanding and ‘something on the mind’. The publication also includes eight personal contributions from prominent architects, artists and journalists with views on what a good urban space should offer.

Better Urban Spaces was launched at a conference in 2002, to which all municipalities were invited. Here the municipalities were encouraged to contribute creative ideas for tackling an urban space project. SLA took part in the selection committee that choose 23 proposals to be pilot projects. The projects are documented in the Danish publication Fremtidens Bedre Byrum: visioner og drømme. With funding from Realdania, seven of these proposals were realised.

Publications:

Bedre Byrum, Mette Lis Andersen, Stig L. Andersson, Jan Gehl, Marianne Kofoed og Eric Messerschmidt (ed.), Copenhagen 2002.

With contributions from Stig Stasig, Bjarne Boye Nielsen, Malene Hauxner, Jette Friis O’Bróin, Morten Stræde, Benjamin Koppel, Tom Nielsen og Henrik Reeh.

Fremtidens Bedre Byrum: visioner og drømme, Jan Gehl, Eric Messerschmidt og Bjarne Schläger (ed.), Copenhagen 2003.

Download:

Download the brief, authors’ contributions, evaluations and the selected project proposals at www.bedrebyrum.dk (Danish)