THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO Winner of the Nordic Built Cities Challenge 2016 Climate Adaptation SLA’s project The Soul of Nørrebro addresses this issue through a new Water – whether the increase of it, the pollution of it or the lack of it – is going Nordic Model for city development. It is a highly scalable model based to be one of the main urban challenges of the 21th Century. on co-creation, dialogue and humanistic nature-based design solutions. And which simultaneously solves both physical, social and cultural challenges in our cities.

The Nordic Model for our cities Co-creation, social innovation and city nature in a strong nature-based design

The project ‘The Soul of Nørrebro’ uses nature to solve some of today’s hardest urban challenges while increasing the life quality of people. This new Nordic Model is based on co-creation, dialogue and a humanistic and nature-based design approach to the shared public space in our cities.

Urbanity as unstable condition With SLA’s Nordic Model, city development is always Water – whether the increase of it, the pollution of it or the founded in local and site-specific circumstances, using lack of it – is going to be one of the main urban challenges the local social and cultural life as well as the specific physi- of the 21th Century. cal challenges of the area as starting point for solutions. But because of its strong foundation in the principles and In a world where the effects of global climate change are processes of nature, the method is also highly scalable and becoming still more severe it’s become apparent that our can be applied in a wide array of settings and conditions cities are not adapted to the increasing temperatures and rain around the world. fall that is the direct consequence of destabilized weather conditions. Today the metropolises of the world are fighting Water as resource – not a problem devastating floods and damaging cloudbursts – a condition The City of Copenhagen is, just like almost every other big which is paradoxically combined with a catastrophic lack of city, facing critical climate changes and a growing population. clean, nontoxic drinking water. This mix is making more and Copenhagen’s challenges range from heavy cloudbursts, urban more cities in parts uninhabitable. heat islands and an increased carbon footprint, to waste man- agement, water pollution and an increasing social and cultural The situation is further worsened by the global urbanization segregation in the inner city – just to mention a few. mega trend through which – according to the UN – more than 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities SLA’s project THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO aims to address all by 2050. We are de facto approaching a new kind of human of these challenges by seeing water not as a problem, but as being who is born, raised, lives and dies in the city: A Homo a resource. The project is a flagship example of how the Nordic Urbanus who is seeing its living conditions and life quality approach, based on co-creation, dialogue and humanistic sharply deteriorating. Research shows that more and more nature-based design can solve our urban challenges – and people are becoming more and more unhappy with their make life in our cities much better. ‘ lives in the city. The reasons most often attributed to this are pollution, a lack of a good social life, and a lack of close The project is deeply founded in the local circumstances of contact with nature. Nørrebro, Copenhagen. But its methods and solutions are highly scalable, making it easily applicable in other cities THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO – CLIMATE ADAPTATION COPENHAGEN The Nordic Model – in the and indeed the rest of the world. 2 To alleviate this sinister conglomerate of urban challenges, Location: Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Area: 85.000 m SLA has for the last 20 years developed and practiced a new Service: Urban design and climate adaptation Cost: 18 mill. Euro Nordic Model for city development. It is a model based on Client: The Municipality of Copenhagen Team: SLA (lead consultant), Rambøll (technical lead), co-creation, dialogue and humanistic nature-based design Completion: 2022 (estimated) Atelier Dreiseitl, Arki_Lab, Social Action, Gadeidræt, solutions. And which solves both physical, social and cultural challenges in our cities. Aydin Soei, Saunders Architecture

The Biological Circuit Nature’s biological circuits are vitalizing, dynamic and constantly evolving. MATURING The Nørrebro circuit From the most fragile saplings to old wise trees, new cuttings, birdsong, fallen leaves, death and weathering, nature gives us a feeling of being MIXING The hydrological, the biological and the social city system part of something greater. By strengthening The Biological Circuit of Inner THE BIRTHPLACE OF DIVERSITY Nørrebro, Hans Tavsens Park will become the birthplace of a biological diversity and variety that will spread from the area to the rest of Nørrebro GROWTH and Copenhagen.

‘The Soul of Nørrebro’ supports and strengthens the intricate urban systems that define WEATHERING FLOWERING the character of Nørrebro: The hydrological circuit, the biological circuit and the social circuit. By founding all solutions in a strong city nature, the project amplifies the synergy between the different circuits. The result is a project that solves a host of urban challenges while at the same time creating new possibilities for social co-existence.

A new nature-based urban system Strenghtening the Nørrebro circuits The Social Circuit The main objectives for the climate adaptation and renewal Central to THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO’s nature-based climate Nørrebro is the most diverse neighbourhood in Copenhagen. The density, community feeling and tolerance is unique for the neighbourhood. of Hans Tavsens Park and Korsgade are the redirecting of adaptation solutions is the strengthening of Nørrebro’s PLAYFUL CHILDREN By strengthening The Social Circuit the project will increase everyday hydrological, biological and social circuits with the creation rainwater from cloudbursts while creating new, attractive and happiness in Nørrebro by promoting large and small communities more liveable urban spaces in Inner Nørrebro in Copenhagen. of a new city nature. The project aims to amplify the synergy transcending social resources, generations, gender and cultural PIONEERING SPIRIT The competition program asked the participating architects between the different urban circuits in a cultivated background. The purpose of The Social Circuit is to strengthen FOCUS ON CO-CREATION to create ‘social innovation’ by rethinking the relationship microcosm, enriched by Inner Nørrebro’s unique qualities commitment to – as well as the co-creation of – the residents’ between urban park, city nature, public playgrounds, local and spirit. The implementation of the project is done in shared well-being. The Social Ciruit is anchored in the neighbour- LOCAL COMMITMENT organizations and the area’s schools. close collaboration with the residents, the local school hoods’ institutions – including Copenhagen’s first Fablab for CIty Nature. children and local organizations which secures local SLA’s project THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO answered this ownership and an empowered local identity. challenge by invoking a new Nordic type of nature-based COMMUNICATORS climate adaptation based on the principles and processes The result is a project that both solves the challenges of ACTIVITY of nature. Thus the climate solution is not based on wider torrential rains and cloudbursts; that cleans and purify the sewages, coated surfaces or technological gadgets but water of Copenhagen; and that creates new public spaces instead on city nature: The intricate design of topography, and opportunities for cultural and social interaction and soil, trees, flowers, vegetation and natural seepage. co-existence.

The value of using city nature in climate adaptation is that Thus, THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO is both an extremely site it can create complementary solutions that both solves the specific solution to Nørrebro’s challenges; and a universal specific problem of handling torrential rain to avoid flooding, method of how cities can use city nature to deal with while at the same time provide a significant increase of life cloudbursts in dense inner city neighborhoods while adding The Hydrological Circuit RAIN quality and stronger social cohesion in Nørrebro. unique social, cultural and natural values to increase the life Copenhagen’s city nature needs the utility and amenity values of its rain water – as well as its poetic value. That is why we are working with holistic quality of its residents. DELAY & STORAGE rain water solutions that are part of a larger circuit. In The Hydrological 100% Circuit both small and large scale rain is seen as a resource where the UTILITY & AMENITY VALUE rain water is collected, cleansed and reused to irrigate the city nature, to naturally cool the city on hot summer days, to create new urban spaces for CLEANSING people to meet and socialize – and to enrich the everyday life in the city with new poetic and sensuous experiences of life-giving rain.

RECYCLING SEEPAGE When the project is complete, Hans Tavsens Park will contributing to irrigation and improving the local microcli- act as a natural rainwater catchment basin during cloud- mate on the hot, sunny side of the Korsgade street, creating Rainwater bursts for Inner Nørrebro capable of handling up to 18.000 a series of new, blue-green public spaces for all to enjoy. Everyday rain and cloudburst rain m3 of water at one time. The excess rainwater will be led via Even in dry periods there is water in the streets, because Korsgade out into the Copenhagen Lakes. On the way, the we also pump the phosphorus filled lake water into the water will be purified biologically by the specifically designed site and cleanse the lake water with the same biotopes. city nature biotopes that are established along Korsgade. The result is a continuously self-cleansing circuit: A win-win The water thus will be a visible feature in the cityscape while for the entire city!

Roof Rain Water 9,0m 8,0m 7,5m 7,0m 8,0m 7,0m 7,0m 8,0m 8,0m Roof Rain Water 7,5m

Reused Rain Surface Channel 7,0m Roof Rain Cloudburst Roof Rain Water Lakefront Water Water Paths Pipe Rain Basin 6,5m 7,0m Reused Rain Rain Basin 5,0m 6,5m 5,8m Rain Basin Water Reused Rain Rain Basin Rain Basin Water Surface Channel Rain Basin Rain Basin Filtering Biotopes

Rain Basin Cloudburst and Low Point Drainage Pipe Filtered Lake Lake and Recycled Water Pipe to be Pump Room Water Pipe ltered over surface

Hans Tavsens Park Kirke Hinge Korsgade Kilde 17.500m3 Hans Tavsens Park Korsgade From run down, hard coated park to a modern city park for the future From unsafe infrastructure to a blue-green social street space Co-creation – the Nordic way Capturing the soul of Nørrebro

‘The Soul of Nørrebro’ is based on continuous dialogue and co-creation together with the local citizens and development authorities of Nørrebro. By founding the urban development in city nature, the project re-thinks the evolution of our cities. Together, the people of Nørrebro will design, plant and grow their city and transform the area’s future identity, urban life and social and cultural cohesion.

Making our cities livable calls for synergy between many Together with the City of Copenhagen, Nørrebro Urban Re- different kinds of knowledge, skills, insights and know- newal Authorities, the local schools and the local organiza- hows. SLA’s project THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO has been tions and groups, SLA starts up a process which will ensure created in a great collaboration between Nordic architects, that the project will grow from the bottom up and be a place biologists, ethnologist and engineers. for experimenting and pioneering the design and maintenance of a greener and more sustainable and resilient Copenhagen. Co-creation as design method The most important collaboration, however, has been the Social cohesion starts with the local schools close and continuous dialogue with the local Nørrebro Urban Thus, SLA works closely together with the people of Nørrebro Renewal Authorities and the citizens and stakeholders in to design, plant and grow their city with a sensuous, varied, Nørrebro. This close participation process has ensured the blue-green and site-specific Nørrebro city nature that will project’s applicability and the best local foundation for the become the backbone of the area’s future identity and urban future development of the neighborhood. life. By including the local school children in the maintenance and development of the city nature they will learn new But contrary to ordinary participatory processes, which things about their world, their city and themselves. New usually are confined to the initial ideas phase, THE SOUL social bonds will form and strengthen when the citizens meet OF NØRREBRO aims to make the participatory process across cultural and economic backgrounds to collectively make permanent. For SLA, urban development is not a closed their city a better place to live. process that starts and stops with the architects. For us, urban development is an ongoing and highly social process The result is a greener, happier, more socially and culturally grounded in the local community – a process that must inclusive – as well as a more resilient and healthy – city. continue and evolve long after the architects, city-planners All based on the unique soul of Nørrebro. and municipality workers have gone home.

Co-creation as a continuous process With THE SOUL OF NØRREBRO, Hans Tavsens Park and Korsgade will become a leading example of how co-creation can be the framework for a unique, social and active, urban everyday life. About SLA

SLA is a Danish based group of urban quality experts SLA Copenhagen operating within the fields of urban space, city planning Njalsgade 17B and landscape architecture. Started in 1994, the firm is Pakhus 2, 3rd Floor today lead by three partners: Founder Stig L. Andersson, 2300 Copenhagen CEO Mette Skjold and Project Director Rasmus Astrup. Denmark +45 3391 1316 At SLA we use nature-based design to create modern, sustainable cities that inspire community and diversity SLA Aarhus through nature’s amenity and utility values. Our projects Mejlgade 51A, 3rd Floor solve some of today’s hardest urban problems while creating 8000 Aarhus C genuine urban quality that in an unorthodox way add new Denmark meaning to the city. +45 3391 1316

Together our 55 employees form a multidisciplinary team SLA consisting of designers, biologists, city planners, planting Torggata 38 experts and urban forests engineers. SLA has offices in N-0182 Oslo Copenhagen, Aarhus and Oslo, Norway. Norway +45 3176 5841 Contact Kristoffer Holm Pedersen Head of Communications and Business Development [email protected] +45 6080 9394 www.sla.dk [email protected]

SLA’s three partners: Founder and Design Director Stig L. Andersson, CEO Mette Skjold and Project Director Rasmus Astrup About Ramboll

Ramboll is a leading engineering, design and consultancy Ramboll Head Office company founded in Denmark in 1945. We employ 13,000 Hannemanns Allé 53 experts and have a strong presence in Europe, North America, 2300 Copenhagen S Middle East and India, supplemented by a significant repre- Denmark sentation in Asia, Australia, South America and Africa. +45 5161 1000

We have a holistic approach to urban development that Ramboll Liveable Cities encompasses strategy, planning, and combines world class 20 Custom House St, Suite 800 technical design services with architecture and planning. Boston, MA 02109 We work with a number of the world’s largest and most USA innovative cities to create liveable, sustainable and long +1 617-330-5094 term urban development solutions that are fully adapted to the local context.

Our experts – mobility planners, water and civil engineers, hydraulic specialists, biologist and landscape architects, but also economists, legal advisors and management consultants – work with integrated urban development and climate adaptation projects on a global scale with more than 50 years of proven experience.

Contact Christian Nyerup Nielsen Director [email protected] +45 5161 6277 www.ramboll.com [email protected] This publication has been printed on 100% recycled paper