Shaping a platform for an urban strategic approach to non-profit housing

Added value through holistic planning

Over a two-year process, Gehl advised Denmark’s National Building Fund how to incorporate a strategic urban approach across its portfolio of activities. The goal was to enhance the societal value of non-profit housing areas and inspire innovative solutions for future development and partnerships.

Gehl acted as the secretariat for an external review board, facilitating discussions on future approaches to redeveloping non-profit housing areas. This included new roles and ways to collaborate across local and national interested parties as well as rethinking economic models and citizen engagement to create more vibrant, resilient, and inclusive cities.

One outcome was the development and launch of the ‘Neighborhood for Generations’ ideas competition, which addressed some of the most pressing questions of our times: How will we live together in the near future? How can we cohabitate across generations, sharing skills, resources, and time? The competition gathered a total of 78 designs ideas for intergenerational neighborhoods, highlighting the need for creative solutions to address today’s urban challenges and providing a platform for ongoing debate.

In 2022, four ‘idea’ winners were selected with the intention to develop their initiatives in social housing neighbourhoods across Denmark.