IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

The following is an account of how a group of first year students at The Royal Academy, School of Architecture in Copenhagen Denmark, studied liveability perceived by residents in a non-profit housing area in the western periphery of Greater Copenhagen. The housing area is subject to The Parallel Society Act (The Danish Government 2018), which aims at strengthening integration and inclusion of immigrants and their descendants in Denmark, and to transform housing areas on the so-called ‘Ghetto-list’ in order to increase resident diversity and increase interaction between the areas and the surrounding urban fabric. The findings all relate to topics theorized and discussed within urban discourse, such as gentrification, urban diversity, mixed cities, urban infrastructure, democratization, and participation. The jewel in the crown finding, and one of the most important aspects of liveability for most of the interviewed, was the green and spacious outdoor spaces, along with the nearby green areas. Paradoxically, it is precisely the outdoor spaces that the effects of The Parallel Society Act will be most pronounced, as they are going to be built upon, privatized, and transformed into infrastructure. What was found to be the most important aspect of liveability in this area is thus going to be lost.