I used to live in Nørrebro. In fact, I lived down the road from Superkilen (before it was Superkilen and was just a stretch of rather bland bike path between Tagensvej and Nørrebrogade). To be honest I’d generally cycle quickly through there. It always felt a bit dodgy and it was dimly lit.
If you’re not familiar with the suburbs in Copenhagen, Nørrebro is largely made up of immigrants and students. It has influences from the Middle East, lots of great kebab shops and most importantly cheap rent (compared with a lot of other areas in Copenhagen). It’s eclectic and buzzy and I fell in love with it.
Now it’s irresistible with Superkilen.
Superkilen is an amazing urban revitilization done in an honest and cheeky way. It is a space that you want to interact with. You want to ride your bike up the asphalt covered hill with its wavey road lines. You want to sit in the giant swings with your mates and get a closer look at the tiles that make up the star shaped fountain.
It’s of course instagrammable as hell and there is an interesting use of modern day totems. A totem by definition is a reminder or emblem of a family unit and ancestry. The quirkiest of the totems in Superkilen is the giant molar within a crescent moon – which to me looks like remake of the Turkish flag (below).
The revitilization is for the people. It’s influences are drawn from the people that live in the area and if I still lived there I’d go out of my way to ride through Superkilen every day. It’s that fun.
Pave & Pave Creative 