Event Details

Join Professor Tom Nielsen from Aarhus School of Architecture as he examines current urban public space design trends and social cohesion practices in Denmark.

Description:

This lecture examines current urban public space design trends and social cohesion practices in Denmark. It departs from a hypothesis that a special kind of ‘model’ of public space has been developing since the turn of the century, building on ideals that can be related both to the universalist welfare state ideology and the idea of democratic urban public space. In Denmark, the political ideology of the welfare state has established a long tradition of understanding social cohesion as dependent on social and economic equity. However, Denmark is witnessing unprecedented cultural diversity, challenging its established idea of social cohesion and raising important questions for urban design practice.

The lecture provides a framework through which to understand Danish public space design illustrated through five urban public spaces realized after 2000.

Bio:

Tom Nielsen is an architect and professor of urban and landscape planning at the Aarhus School of Architecture, where he has been teaching landscape architecture, urban design, and urban planning since 2004. His research focuses on the transformation of the Danish cities. It has included research into urban landscapes and public space, suburban transformation, urbanizing territories, and the values and ethics of contemporary models of urban transformation. He is the author of 6 books and several articles. His latest book, The City Denmark, is published in English later this year. Tom Nielsen also contributes to practice as an urban design consultant in projects both in Denmark and internationally.

This is a free event and all are welcome.