Welcoming Children Into The City
Denmark population: 5.8 million people
Growth: .7%
Copenhagen population: 770,000 people.
Growth: 1.22%
Fun Facts:
- 40% of people cycle daily in Denmark. Streets and bike paths are separated by either a lane of parked cars or a change in elevation. Some bike paths are up to 3 lanes for maximum efficiency due to high traffic.
- Denmark has 7,314 miles of coastline, that is longer than the great wall of china.
- Denmark is often ranked as the happiest place in the world for the standards of health, warfare, and education.
“The Rope Forest” Interactive Art Display
Close your eyes. Now image a space where all you can see is white hanging ropes hanging from a tall ceiling. In fact, 3,500 worth of ropes hanging from what seems to be the sky. Feel the breeze move through space and visualize the sway of the ropes, your environment, as if you are in a whole nother virtual reality. An art installation like this that is so simple can become so powerful and interesting to people of all ages, kids especially. Here kids can swing rope to rope or try to climb up as high as they can. Essentially, this art installation is also a playground for the adventurous.
A competition by the city was started for temporary art installations with the purpose of bringing people to abandoned and forgotten places within the city. Through art, we can recreate a feeling of a place, redefining the original purpose of a place, find a connection or meaning. This interactive art display was designed on an abandoned free-standing, square metal porch which, once used to shelter trucks in an unloading area for a factory. A really tall metal ceiling and support pillars are what consists of the site originally. Lights from the ceiling light up the shelter at night. With the right eye, a location like this became a hot spot in the community for people of all ages to enjoy the odd nature of art in an abandoned location.
Havneparken Public Park
Looking for a nice cooling dipper for a fun family activity during the hot summer months while you are in good ol’ Copenhagen? Well, do I have the place for you! Havenparken park is designed for kids of all ages as well as adults looking to soak up some sun. This park is directly on the waterfront of Copenhagen and consists of 5 pools, 2 of which are designed for young children. The shallowest pool is 30cm deep so even the little ones can feel included at this park. The diving area is also very popular. diving areas very at 1 meter, 3 meters, or 5 meters high for the teenagers or adults that are feeling a little on the wild side. Do not fear, there is always at least one lifeguard on duty and daily water quality checks for the safety of the guests. Feeling like you may just want to soak up some sun and lay in the grass? You betcha pal. Right across the water park, there is a large open green space made for doing just that. Bring some friends and family and simply enjoy a beautiful day in the great outdoors.
Havneparken is a very creative way to utilize and access the water’s edge. Humans are naturally drawn to the water. Creating this park where we can touch, play and interact with the water’s edge in the city is innovative in our natural resources with a little touch of playful design. Money moves right there ladies and gentlemen.
Kids’ City
Have you ever head the phrase “live, work, play?” Live, work, play is a perfect way to describe Kids’ City. Kids’ city is…well… a city for kids, easy as that. Every aspect is designed around children. From the unique playful architecture, landscape design, and simple scaled-down design details, the city was made to make children feel comfortable within the space.
Kids’ City is primarily a childcare facility. It is made up of several existing daycare facilities along with some new additions. The main focus was to create more of an environment of various buildings for children rather than just one singular building. Kids’ City also includes a fire station, stadium, museum, factory, city hall, neighborhoods, houses, and public spaces. The whole city is designed around a human-centric design perspective. No cars can drive or park within the city, only on the outskirts to access the homes, fire station, and parking. This human-centric design is also found throughout Copenhagen. It really is unique to see how a city can evolve without the main focus being vehicles. When it comes it children, cars can be a real threat. In fact, it is the leading cause of death with an average of 11 children a week dying due to car accidents. One very important aspect of a child’s life is exploration and a feeling of safety. Children want to be able to go outside and run around like a wild animal, not having any cares in the world. To discover what it feels like to be alive. One of the most beautiful things about children is that they see everything for the very first time with such interest and appreciation. Simple things in life that we see every day we become blind to its beauty. Kids’ City creates an environment made to learn, explore, and live with safety being a key aspect.
SOS Children’s Villages
Originally founded in 1949 to help out abandoned children after World War 2, now has become a very large organization in 134 countries, including Denmark, around the world and helping around 80,000 children. Today there are around 2,000 children facilities worldwide. Women around the world are devoting there lives to be an SOS Mother, raising a generation of children, providing every child with everything they can. To be an SOS mother you need to go 2 years of training monitored by childcare professionals and social workers. Each family is given free room and board, a household allowance and a salary. 10-15 houses make up an SOS village creating a community environment. Each village has a nursery school, primary school, medical center, and a social center. Children that are alone, abandoned or orphaned can find shelter through the SOS children’s village. Here they are provided food, education, clothing, and a loving family.
Denmark promotes the goals and activities of the organization, raises funding from sponsorships and provides donations for projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ride For SOS is a fundraising event for people of all ages. Hop on your bicycle, cheer on the roadside, or make a donation for an event that can change a child’s future.
SOS Children’s Villages Webpage
#NoChildAlone #iseeyou #soschildrensvillages
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