TINGBJERG COMMUNITY GARDEN

Echoing the ‘80s British council housing reforms, the Danish Government’s so called “Ghetto Plan 2018” increases housing insecurity in the social housing sector with demolition of sound building stock and gardens, and the evictiion of 11,000 tenants by 2030. Tingbjerg is used as a blueprint case for the policy-related demolitions where 70-80% of gardens and playgrounds will be demolished and turned into real estate. Tingbjerg Community Garden articulates a vision for a more sustainable development in Tingbjerg, driven by resident-democratic decision-making, material recycling from restoration projects, and vernacular building techniques such as S. E. Rasmussen’s masonry bond.

With local kids and residents, we are building a Stage, a Community Kitchen, and a Wild Garden to intensify and celebrate the diverse uses and qualities of the Tingbjerg courtyards, and its engaged community. The project emphasises the close relationship between in- and outdoor spaces: The Stage and Community Kitchen copy the typical living room and kitchen plans, and the Wild Garden is 149m2 which corresponds to the proportion of the shared courtyard that each household pays for the maintenance of.
The Tingbjerg Community Garden is funded by the Danish Arts Council, and the local section board of fsb. The project draws on fieldwork, scientific literature, comparative drawings, and interviews with a wide range of stakeholders. It was turned into the CAFx 2021 exhibition “Tingbjerg Findes” and  a debate series with key stakeholders, projecting a more sustainable future for the the Danish social housing sector.

Location: Copenhagen, Year: 2020–, Program: Mixed, Status: Built, Collaborator: Anders Hilbert