The
Kongens Enghave-area
The purpose of "kvarterløft" (Urban Regeneration)
in Kgs. Enghave in the municipality of Copenhagen:
- Continued high resident-participation and development
of co-operation models between the administration and
the population.
- To combat the areas’ isolation.
- To enhance a positive attachment to the area and maintain
the population - including families with children.
- To increase employment in the area and to raise the
qualifications of the unemployed.
- To increase the environmental efforts and reduce traffic
problems.
- To obtain a more varied and up-to-date housing stock,
to a high degree though resident-participation.
Contacts:
Det lokale Kvarterløftsekretariat
Project co-ordinator, Lykke Leonardsen
Bydelsadministrationen – Kgs. Enghave
Wagnersvej 19
2450 Copenhagen SV
Tel: +45 36 14 84 56
Fax: +45 36 14 84 01
E-mail: kvarterloft2@kgse.kk.dk
The Municipality of Copenhagen
The Secretariat of Urban Regeneration
Rådhuset
1599 Copenhagen V
Tel: +45 33 66 25 15
Fax: +45 33 66 70 30
Description of the area
The "Kongens Enghave-area" is a unique district
in Copenhagen. It is situated halfway between the suburbs
and central Copenhagen. It has been built as a very well organised
and well-planned district.
The district is very clearly defined because it is surrounded
on all sides - by water, green areas and industry respectively.
However, the area has paid a price for this clear demarcation,
since it has become very isolated, especially since the large
companies on the docks shut down.
Within the district’s boundaries, it is characterised
by numerous clearly bounded areas, which are typically separated
by very busy roads: The "Bavnehoej-area" to the
north, is bounded by the railway system to the north, east
and south and "Vestre Kirkegård" (The Western Cemetary)
to the west. The large industrial areas are situated furthest
to the east, which after a period of shutdowns and subsequently
empty buildings, are turning into an attractive area for high
technology firms.
"Frederiksholm" exists as an ""island"
cut off from the rest of the district by industry and busy
roads. "Musikbyen" (The Music Town) borders on to
the busy roads leading out of Copenhagen and is otherwise
flanked by "Valbyparken" and the goods yard to the
west. The allotment society furthest to the south forms a
belt until the goods yard cuts through it, separating the
area’s residents from the docks and "Tippen"
(The Tip).
The Housing Structure
The district has a housing structure, which is very uncharacteristic
of the districts of Copenhagen. Half of the dwellings are
non-profit dwellings – the vast majority dominated by
the co-operative housing society, AKB. The dwellings in the
area are generally of a high standard but they are marked
by decay and above all, dominated by many small dwellings.
The make up of the residents
The residents very much reflect the housing structure in the
area. There are many single people, many people on transfer
incomes and a very large number of elderly people. The number
of immigrants is also somewhat higher than in the rest of
Copenhagen - but the number is generally not that high, one
of the reasons being the small dwellings. The rate of unemployment
in the area is high, with approx. 30% (1997) of the district’s
residents being either unemployed or on cash benefit, which
is a higher percentage than the average for Copenhagen - which
is already above the country’s average.
A thoroughly organised district
The district is very well organised. The many non-profit co-operative
housing societies have maintained the tradition of the many
associations and clubs. Therefore, the district can be said
to be thoroughly orghanised. The activities are often limited
to a housing co-operative or more typically, to a co-operative
housing society. In this way, residents are easily woven into
the fabric of the social life in the district they inhabit,
and small but strong networks are created.
Because of the district’s isolation from the rest of
Copenhagen, a strong common identity with and pride for the
district has been created.
The striking physical division has, however, made its mark
on the district’s social life, which has become very
divided within the various areas. The allotment societies
have their own special social life, which is markedly different
from, for instance, the life in "Frederiksholm".
Local District Council Experiments
In 1997 Kongens Enghave got its own Local District Council
and "Kvarterløft" is an integrated part of the Local
District Council Experiments. The combination of Local District
Council experiments and "Kvarterløft" is to help
give the district a "lift" and to work on developing
new models for democracy in connection with the district’s
development.
Problems and resources
There are many small dwellings (70 % are one ot two-room flats),
which are predominantly non-profit residences. Because of
these, the area is marked by many single people, many elderly
people and many people who have taken early retirement.
Many mentally ill people and substance abusers have been
allocated a flat here. Through the past 20 to 25 years, Kongens
Enghave has been marked by growing social problems and a disintegration
of traditional networks in families and in the local community.
The number of people in work is much lower than the average
for the municipality of Copenhagen. There is also a large
number of people who have no more than a very basic education.
Since the residents’ general level of education does
not match that required by the area’s new industries,
it is rarely the area’s residents who benefit from the
commercial progress, which Kongens Enghave enjoys at present.
One of the area's main problems is traffic. Several busy
roads cut through the district and separate the areas. The
road network is disharmonious and gives the impression of
a district that, does not hang together. The district’s
geographic demarcation intensifies a tendency to seclusion
and the district has never really become a part of the cultural
and social life of the city.
There are, however, also many resources within the district.
Older traditions have been maintained, making it a very well
organised district with many associations and clubs, which
have activities and bases in the local housing associations.
This creates small and strong networks. The social environment,
and the district in general is marked by a sense of solidarity
and the will to improve conditions.
