SUPERKILEN a Space for a Hyper-Diverse Neighbourhood

SUPERKILEN A Space for a Hyper-diverse Neighbourhood

Nina Høgh Jensen 28.07.2016 Nina Høgh Jensen GSSS Summer Programme UvA ID 11370556 Social Policies & the Urban Fabric

2 Contents

1. Introduction 4 2. Terminology and Area description 5 2.1 Hyper-diversity 5 2.2 Neighbourhood of Outer Nørrebro 5 3. The Superkilen Project 6 3.1 Space of Multiplicity 6 3.2 Local Participation 7 3.3 Responses and Changes in the Neighbourhood 7 4. Conclusions 9 A. Appendices 11 A.1 Three main areas 11 A.2 Taking over the Square 12 A.3 Swing bench 13

3 Introduction

In June 2012 a new urban park in a less central part of Copenhagen was ope- ned. Superkilen on outer Nørrebro should be a new site that exuded diversity. The project was both announced as urban development but also as an art project. The project idea was to create a form of world art exhibition included in the functional setting of the site. Within the outline of Superkilen can thus be found elements like benches, lampposts, trash bins, planting and more unique elements originating from countries worldwide. The site also serves as a multi-functional space constituting of three areas; a red square, the black market and a green park. While the red square designates the urban life with cafés, music and sports (Superflex 2012), the black market is a more classic site with fountain, trees and benches. The green park offers grass fields and more greenery, where you can have a picnic or take a stroll with the dog. The area of outer Nørrebro has a story of youth crime, high unemployment rates and general social problems. Proper implemented urban development is there- fore both of great importance but also a greater challenge. On the bases of a qualified assumption that outer Nørrebro can be regarded as a hyperdiverse area, how does a site like Superkilen respond and resonate with this diversity? What effects can a suitable social site in the area have on the neighbourhood?

Firstly this smaller research will treat the term of hyper-diversity briefly, then the neighbourhood of outer Nørrebro is defined on a general level, whereupon the project of the Superkilen site is presented. Finally the reception of the urban site among users and neighbours is estimated and reflections upon newer changes within the local environment of outer Nørrebro are made.

4 2 Terminology and Area description

2.1 Hyper-diversity 2.2 Neighbourhood of Outer Nørrebro

Terms like multicultural and diverse help us along the way in defining and de- When studying the neighbourhood of outer Nørrebro in the area around scribing populations and neighbourhoods in the urban environment. Aspects Superkilen, the term of hyper-diversity becomes useful. The area has earlier such as emigration and the mere fact that the world becomes more intertwin- been agonized by youth crime and unsuccessful integration. A park called ed and globalized for each day result in local populations with different cultu- Mjølnerpark which is right next to Superkilen is still on the list the ministry of ral backgrounds and ethnicity. These terms are useful and thoroughly descri- housing, urban and rural districts list of ghettos. In order to be designated as a bed however Tusan-Kok et al. points towards the need of a newer expression ghetto, the housing area should meet two of three criteria’s, which deals with that treats the inescapable immense diverse way of life that unfolds in cities. crime, unemployment and a proportion of immigrants. The area of Nørrebro is The fact that differences do not only occur in terms of cultural and demo- the one with the lowest gross income in the capital region of Denmark, which graphic background, but also in regard to individual ways of life is treated. To is the biggest region population wise out of the five that constitutes Denmark. accommodate this aspect the term hyper-diversity is presented, it refers to “an Almost one fourth of the inhabitants on Nørrebro fall within the category of intense diversification of the population in socio-economic, social and ethnic unemployment for a minimum of 6 months or completely out of labour. In line terms, but also with respect to lifestyles, attitudes and activities” (Tasan-Kok with urban renewal of the area within the latest ten years, the area has also and Bolt 2013, p.6). The term applies to more variables but also “the possible become a popular place for young students (Wikipedia 2016), and more and complex interactions between these variables” (Tasan-Kok and Bolt 2013, p.6). more families are now spotted in the street scene. The area of outer Nørrebro The expression tries to alert us against labelling or categorizing a seemingly houses inhabitants from more than 55 cultural backgrounds (DAC 2014). Con- homogeneous group as a uniform entity, since in fact very diverse activities sequently the area is characterized by low middle-class income, social issues, may most likely occur within the group. low employment rates and in general a presence of immense diversity.

A simple but really good example of this i stated in the research on divercities Considering Nørrebro as a hyper-diverse place without mobilizing groups in a 1 : “A group of young poor Indian-born men living in a London neighbourhood generalizing way, could be as useful tool when implementing urban solutions. may on first sight be considered as a very homogeneous group. But at a closer In the later it will be considered whether the project group behind Superkilen sight they may in fact be very heterogeneous, for example because some men seems to have envisioned the area of outer Nørrebro with the means that the of this group like watching sports on television at home, another part of the hyper-diversity expression offers. group’s main activity may be a constant contact with the family in India, while a third section of the group likes to hang around on the neighbourhood square and mainly talks with native Londoners” (Tasan-Kok and Bolt 2013, p.6). The example may seem very obvious, but it nevertheless creates a vivid concepti- on of the simple but important outline of hyper-diversity.

1 Diversities refers to the concept of diverse cities (Tasan-Kok and Bolt 2013)

5 3 The Superkilen Project

3.1 A Space of Multiplicity bold. Stating this insinuates a problematic view coupled to the term of multi- culturalism sometimes linked to malpractice within urban planning (Fincher Superkilen houses elements from more than 55 different cultures and coun- and Preston 2014). It applies to a more primitive belief that if some cultural tries implemented on the site. Parents can sit on the side of a Moroccan foun- recognizable element is implemented in the urban environment, it creates tain while they watch their children play on a slide from Thailand formed as an accommodating effect, which is defiantly not necessarily the case. This a an octopus. In line with this there are 17 different kinds of benches at the site, complicated aspect and a less bold statement would be; the mere fact that all representing almost as many countries. In total there are more than 100 ob- these elements are so diversified in layout and design and subsequently invi- jects presenting the different countries, however it is not only cultural diversity tes to so many different forms of activities and usages almost inevitable apply the site addresses. The site is organized in three different areas, two squares to the hyper-diversity of the neighbourhood. Everyone will most likely be able and a park each with different expressions and fundamental elements, for a to find one thing they can relate to, an item that becomes their favourite one layout of the three areas see Appendices A.1. The areas in themselves invites when using the area. Maybe it speaks to their preferred form of activity or to different use activities, which in a total constitutes a very wide range of perhaps the layout fits their personal taste. If you love to skateboard, practise applications of the site. boxing, exercise, play a game of ping-pong or perhaps a game of chess, lay in the grass or just take a stroll you can find the space to do so at Superkilen.

Children playing on the very popular playground octopus late in the day (Photo taken: July 2016). It is an exact copy of the original one, which is placed within a park in a suburb of Tokyo, Japan.

It may all sound a bit messy and surely the site has been called the strangest park in the world announced by CNN (Eriksen 2014), but this extreme variety in design and origin has a purpose. May these foreign elements help inhabitants with different nationalities living in Denmark feel more at home? A group of young guys seen practising each other in boxing techniques at This is definitely a desirable effect; nonetheless this statement might be a bit the Red square of Superkilen in the evening (Photo taken: July 2016).

6 3.2 Local Participation ting people and giving them respon sibility gives them an automatic sense of meaning as to being a part of the community. De Graaf et al. states that The project group behind Superkilen has also made sure of an even stronger “participation contributes to the development of civic virtues, citizens’ feeling incitement to foster connections between the diverse neighbourhood around of being public citizens and part of their community” (Graaf et al 2014, p.48). the site. At the beginning of the project several representatives from the area With this in mind the participatory aspect of the Superkilen project did not were actively involved in doing research for the project. The project group only pose as a factor creating more attention and popularity to the project, went travelling with five different groups of residents to some of their home it also created opportunities for possible change on a social level within the countries, together following memories that lead to choosing of objects that neighbourhood. were later included in Superkilen (Barnes 2015). Furthermore local residents were asked to nominate specific city objects such as benches, bins, trees, 3.3 Responses and Changes in the Neighbourhood playgrounds, manhole covers and signage from other countries. The elected objects were either produced as replicas or bought and transported to the When visiting Superkilen you truly get an impression of a hyper-diverse space, site. A plan that one of the project groups behind Superkilen themselves where children from different backgrounds play lively together and diverse characterized as an extreme version of public participation (Superflex 2016). young groups are being active with a large range of activities. Families with Bringing a group of people abroad in order to import some objects from one several different cultures seem to be taking in the space as if it was a natural part of the world to another is of course quite exclusive and sounds costly, but extension of their home. You see older generations having a rest on the ben- this will not be an aspect treated here. However as far as participation of the ches and people engaging in conversations with their neighbours. It is not an locals goes, the effect of an initiative like this should not be underestimated. easy task to try and accommodate so many different sub cultures and groups Studies show that involving local users in an initiative, it being a policy or a in one place, but it seems Superkilen has succeeded in responding to this local project, can have immensely positive outcome. diversity. The result seems to be a space where the different sub-cultures can thrive side by side and not on the expense of each other. This harmonious and Laurens de Graaf et al. describes the invaluable aspect of inviting people to pleasant feel to the site, may actually be something that in time could have participate in their own environment, and in doing so learning from their “lived an effect on an even larger scale. Tasan-Kok et al. states in regard to social experience”. The locals themselves are experts on their environment, and cohesion in hyper-divers cities that “if non-conflicting relations between these through time they have acquired “an intimate understanding of local conditi- diverse groups could be structured at lower spatial levels (neighbourhood ons” (Graaf and Michels 2015, p.46). In the scenario with this project, the local or district), a high social cohesion is possible in the urban system as a whole” participants contribute with their unique set of experience from the neighbour- (Tasan-Kok and Bolt 2013, p.48). hood of outer Nørrebro as well as with their ethnographic background. This primarily describes the knowledge that can be withdrawn from the locals, enhancing the conditions for a successful project in the long term, but a more important aspect is the broader social effects of such participation. Activa-

7 outer Nørrebro have a part in this positive progression. Superkilen is continuously location for a lot of happenings and initiatives that actively includes the inhabitants of the neighbourhood and other users and just by visiting the area, taking in all the impressions and social expressions it seems the project is on to something right.

Several kids and a dog have jumped into the Moroccan fountain on this warm summer day for an avid water play. (Photo taken: July 2016).

People are responding to Superkilen, saying that it has become much better and safer to move around in the surrounding area. (Palle 2014) “It has become a better place to live. There is not as much trouble and crime as there were some years ago” two young girls express to a national newspaper talking about the area around Mjølnerparken and the outer part of Nørrebro, where the two girls have lived their entire lifes. They say that among other things Superkilen has helped make the area a better place to be in residence (Nielsen 2014).

In a local newspaper from 2015 it was stated that serious kinds of youth crime on Nørrebro has fallen drastically, almost down to one third from 2013 to 2014 (Marthin 2015). This of course can not be coupled directly to Superkilen, but it is most likely that this project as well as other new urban initiatives at

8 4 Conclusion

Studying the project of Superkilen it seems that the implementation really res- ponds to the surrounding hyper-diverse neighbourhood. The easy conclusion would be; that bringing in elements from all over the world creates this diverse expression that resonates with the multi-cultural residents - this however rings quite hollow. It is of personal believe that the public participation in the project has had a great effect, and the fact that the site is so utmost diverse in terms of sport facilities, planting and layout creates a way to addresses the individual. A project that at first glance seems messy and almost humorously diverse after all manages to create a common ground were people obviously perform super various activities, play, talk and interact. A hypotheses that the site, with its open space and invitation to socialize and interact, has helped the area on the way to a safer and better environment now linger. However the social aspect of bringing people together with spaces like these inescapable has positive effects for a neighbourhood. It may be that the execution of the site could have been performed in many other ways, but it seems that aspects to take away from this research becomes; the importance of understanding the natural hyper-diversity of most populations and responding to this. Along with the significant importance of activating and inviting the citizens of the urban environment to continuously participate on engage on a significant level.

9 References

ArchDaily (2012). Superkilen/Topotek1, big architects, Superflex. Marthin, J. (2015). Nørrebros unge begår mindre kriminalitet. Noerrebro Nord- www.archdaily.com/286223/superkilen-topotek-1-big-architects-superflex [28 vest bladet. July 2016]. minby.dk/noerrebronordvest-bladet/noerrebros-unge-begaar-mindre-kriminalitet/ [24 July 2016]. Barnes, N. (2015). Superkilen – the Copenhagen park made up of 108 objects from 60 different nations. Backpacks and Bunkbeds. Nielsen, J. B. (2014). Trygheden vokser på noerrebro og falder i valby. Berlings- www.backpacksandbunkbeds.co.uk/denmark/superkilen-park-copenhagen/ ke. [26 July 2016]. www.b.dk/nationalt/trygheden-vokser-paa-noerrebro-og-falder-i-valby [23 juli 2016]. Chan, K. (2013). Big ambition: Bjarke ingels’ crowdsourced park aims to unite diverse community. Architizer. architizer.com/blog/superkilen-park/me- Palle, H. (2014). Ny film blotlægger superkilens integrationskraft. Politkken. dia/461298/ [28 July 2016]. politiken.dk/kultur/filmogtv/filmanmeldelser/premium/ECE2314446/ny-film- blotlaegger-superkilens-integrationskraft/ [26 July 2016]. DAC, D. (2014). Superkilen. www.dac.dk/da/dac-life/copenhagen-x-galleri/cases/superkilen/ [23 July Superflex (2012). Superkilen opening. Superflex Activities. 2016]. www.superflex.net/activities/2012/06/22/superkilen_opening [27 July 2016].

Eriksen, L. H. (2014). Superkilen: Welcome to Europe’s strangest public park. Superflex (2016). Superkilen. Vimeo. vimeo.com/155427158 [26 July 2016]. CNN. edition.cnn.com/2014/10/06/travel/copenhagen-surreal-park/ [23 July 2016]. Superflex (n.d.). List of elements. superflex.net/superkilen/list [20 July 2016].

Fincher, R., I. K. L. H. and Preston, V. (2014). Planning in the multicultural city: Superkilen.dk (2009). Projektbeskrivelse for Superkilen. Celebrating diversity or reinforcing difference? Progress in Planning, 92, pp. superkilen.dk/projektbeskrivelse/ 1-55. [20 July 2016].

Graaf, L. De, H. M. V. and Michels, A. (2015). Enhancing Participation in Tasan-Kok, T., v. K. R. R. M. and Bolt, G. (2013). Towards Hyber-Diversified Disadvantaged Urban Neighbourhoods. Local Government Studies, 41, 1, pp. European Cities: A Critical Literature Review. Utrecht: Utrecht University, Facul- 44-62. ty of Geosciences.

Wikipedia (2016). Nørrebro. da.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%B8rrebro [25 July 2016].

10 Appendices

A.1 Three main areas A vision of the placement of the site within the city.

Superkilen is divides into three main areas. The different surfaces and colors are integrated so that they form a setting for the different objects. On this map greenery planted in the park is outlined along with the indications of the area division. A lot of thought has been put into the green setting of the whole site. Flowering periods, colors and originating regions of the world, are taken into account and which all interacts with the history of the other objects on site (Superkilen.dk 2009).

(ArchDaily 2012) (Chan 2013)

11 A.2 Taking over the Square

Here two photos taken from the black square of the area are presented. On a summer day you will see allot of children paying here, and at night many people grill and have drinks while listening to music.

This young boy is ’on top of the world’ about take a pretty steep ride down the hill A young group has gathered on the top of the hill site and they stayed here for hours. implemented on the middle of the black area. (Photo taken: July 2016) The formations at the black market square are definitely in use.(Photo taken: July 2016)

12 A.3 Swing bench

The swing bench on the red square part of the site is one of the most popular items on Superkilen. It is always in use when you stop by the park, even in the wintertime people have a sit, a talk and perhaps a coffee on the swinging benches. The original location of the swing bench is a park in the Qahira neighbor- hood in the Iraqi capital Baghdad (Superflex nd)

(Photo taken: July 2016).