New Towns, Arrival Cities

Together with international knowledge institutions and municipal authorities, Aarhus School of Architecture has contributed to an EU-funded project that has examined several so-called New Towns.

Towns that have been built collectively and are therefore characterised by many new residents having moved in at the same time. In several cases, these towns have also later received large groups of immigrants. In this way, New Towns are characterised by migration. This is also the reason for the title of the project: “New Towns, Arrival Cities”.

The project participants have visited five New Towns in the UK, Italy, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Towns that have been built at different times – from the 1930s until today – and are characterised by the cultural differences of their respective countries. They thus reflect different urban planning and architectural ideals and contain different social conditions and challenges.

Dialogue with local stakeholders

In connection with the visits, the participating institutions have held a public one-day seminar, organised in cooperation with the local authorities, resident representatives, immigrant groups, and other stakeholders.

“The local representatives have talked about the challenges they face and how they work with them in their daily lives. As outsiders, we have commented on and contributed input based on the knowledge and experience we each have in the area.

At the same time, we have gained an insight into the fact that there are very different conditions and issues that apply in the New Towns we have visited – and we have built a strong professional network with the other researchers who participated in the project”, explains Associate Professor Karen Olesen from Aarhus School of Architecture.

Experience from Aarhus

She is supplemented by one of the school’s other participants in the project, Associate Professor Birgitte Geert Jensen:

“There has been no visit to Aarhus, but together with Aarhus Municipality we have participated in the events that have been held in the other participating countries and passed on our experience from Aarhus. For example, presentations on the ongoing renewal of Gellerupplanen.

Through our participation in the project, we have gained useful knowledge, which we will now include in our further research and teaching at Aarhus School of Architecture.”

In addition to Associate Professors Karen Olesen and Birgitte Geert Jensen, Professor Tom Nielsen has also participated in the research project on behalf of Aarhus School of Architecture.

Read more about the project