Twentyfirst 02 by ....

TWENTYFIRST

LIBERATING LIBRARIES

ENLIGHTENTMENT ATTACK|THE NEED FOR SPEED URBAN METABOLISM DISORDER|DAVID PINDER 02

EDITORIAL

LIBERATING LIBRARIES

urning books has always been a tragic symbol of repression, and during the Arab Spring one of the strong symbols of peo ple protesting for freedom and democra cy was the human chain formed around the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to protect it from the riots. This battle for the protection of free information is not limited to emerging democracies. In an age of digitalization and budget cutbacks a wider struggle is emerging to prevent public libraries from ill decision-making and closures. However, the public libraries need to be re-invented for a new digital era of ever more disembedded relations between citizens and books. As containers for books and symbols of knowledge and hence of power, physical libraries have witnessed the development of human civilization since ancient times. They grew as a must-have accessory for royal, papal, clerical and imperial powers throughout most of Europe during the Middle Ages. And during the Enlightenment and the revolutionary and democratic movements in the 19th century, the libraries extended a symbolic role as they were made available to the general public. In this second issue of Twentyfirst we open by taking a look at libraries and their changing roles as hubs for knowledge and a great deal more. In times where discussions about the European welfare state are flavored by austerity, and efficiency improvements are presented as the only way forward, we need to ask ourselves, what we can make do without – and how – and what is indispensible values and institutions without which the welfare society would not be itself. Being able to borrow the latest best-selling chick-lit novel may not be an inalienable right, but having free and equal access to virtually all the world’s accumulated knowledge is. Fortunately, the Enlightenment still shines. The libraries will be foundations for any open society in this century just as in the past. The British expert in library architecture Brian Edwards has described the transformation of the libraries in an hopeful way that also guides this issue of Twentyfirst: “IT does not destroy the library but liberates it into providing new kinds of public services attracting a potential new audience.”

fbrænding af bøger har altid været et tra gisk symbol på undertrykkelse, og under det arabiske forår var menneskekæden, der blev dannet rundt om Bibliotheca Alexandrina for at beskytte bygningen, et af de stærkeste symboler på folkelig kamp for frihed og demokrati. Denne kamp for at beskytte fri information er dog ikke begrænset til spirende demokratier. I en tidsalder præget af digitalisering og budgetnedskæringer er der opstået en bredere kamp for at beskytte biblioteker fra uovervejede beslutninger og lukninger. Men de offentlige biblioteker må genopfindes til en ny digital æra, hvor forholdet mellem borgere og bøger bliver stadig løsere. Som opbevaringssted for bøger og symboler på viden, og dermed magt, har de fysiske biblioteker været vidner til civilisationens udvikling tilbage fra tidernes begyndelse. De voksede frem som en nødvendighed for konger, paver og kolonimagter i det meste af Europa i middelalderen. I oplysningstiden og med de demokratiske bevægelser i det 19. århundrede blev bibliotekernes symbolske rolle udvidet, i takt med at den brede befolkning fik adgang. I dette andet nummer af Twentyfirst åbner vi med at kigge på bibliotekerne og deres forandrede rolle som knudepunkter for viden. I en tid, hvor diskussionerne om den europæiske velfærdsstat er præget af spareplaner, og effektiviseringer præsenteres som eneste vej fremad, må vi spørge os selv, hvad vi kan klare os uden – og hvordan – og hvad der omvendt er uundværlige værdier og institutioner, som et velfærdssamfund ikke kan klare sig uden. Muligheden for at låne den seneste chick litbestseller er ikke en umistelig ret, men at have fri og lige adgang til stort set hele verdens akkumulerede viden er. Heldigvis skinner oplysningen stadig. Biblioteker vil blive hjørnestene i alle åbne samfund i dette århundrede præcis som tidligere. Den britiske ekspert i biblioteksarkitektur Brian Edwards har beskrevet forandringerne på en håbefuld måde, som også er rygraden i dette nummer af Twentyfirst: “Informationsteknologi ødelægger ikke bibliotekerne, men frisætter dem til at tilbyde nye former for offentlig service til potentielt nye brugere.” Sanne Wall-Gremstrup, editor-in-chief

TWENTYFIRST

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PROJECT

PROJECT PRESENTATION

COLLECTION TO CONNECTION Signe Filskov

MEGABIBLIOTECA

THE ICON Seattle Central Library

libraries

· re-design

silence

· knowledge

FEATURE

NOTES

ENLIGHTENMENT UNDER ATTACK Lars Trier Mogensen

CAN WE DESIGN A NEW COUNTRY?

e-books

· digitalization

cities

· documentaries NOTES

INTERVIEW

BEACONS OF THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY Kristian N. Delica

THE TALE OF TWO CITIES

A MAP WORTH GLANCING AT Jesper Pagh & Malene Freudendal

· innovation

libraries

inequality

· reform

david pinder

· utopia

INTERVIEW

PROJECT

NOTES

PROJECT

STANDARDIZED SUSTAINABILITY Signe Filskov

THE PLACEMAKER The public library at Rentemestervej

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT

SHOPPING FOR KNOWLEDGE Idea Store Watney Market

mette bak-andersen

learning

FEATURE

PROJECT

ESSAY

PROJECT

THE NEED FOR SPEED Bjarke Møller

ALPHABET STREET

URBAN METABOLIC DISORDER Austin Troy

WISDOM ON WHEELS

46 fiber

· living room

ESSAY

Editorial Staff Sanne Wall-Gremstrup, editor-in-chief swg@arkfo.dk Lars Trier Mogensen, editor-at-large ltm@arkfo.dk Jesper Pagh, editor-at-large jp@arkfo.dk Adrian Täckman, editorial design

digital

· street art

· infrastructure

Signe Filskov, assistant editor Heidi J. Schøbel, intern Dorte Herholdt Silver, Translation Cornelius Holck Colding, proofreading Cover illustration: Asbjørn Skou Advertising Morten Herforth mh@arkfo.dk Lone Andersen la@arkfo.dk

interior Subscription Helene Helligsøe Phone: +45 7025 1222 abonnement@arkfo.dk Subscription in Denmark: DKK 1,345 incl. VAT and shipping Subscription outside Denmark: € 128 excl. VAT and shipping Single copies: € 30

· gadgets

· libraries

Printing Scanprint A/S ISSN 2246-1612 Publisher The Danish Architectural Press Pasteursvej 14, 4. DK-1799 Copenhagen V Denmark

climate

· citizenship

concept

102

energy

· sustainability

libraries

· mobility

NOTES

ESSAY

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

ETHICS AND AESTHETICS Johnny Svendborg Andersen

104

106

cities

· economy

welfare

· architecture 3

XXX

INTRODUCTION

COLLECTION TO CONNECTION SIGNE FILSKOV

ediebilledet ændrer sig. Vores læseva ner ændrer sig. Selv bøgernes fysiske form ændrer sig. Men hvad med biblio teket? Biblioteket, som vi kender det, står over for grundlæggende forandringer, og de diskussioner, der præger debatten om bibliotekets fremtid, er mangfoldige og mangefacetterede: Hvilken indflydelse har digitaliseringen på biblioteket som fysisk mødested, og hvilke opgaver skal biblioteket i fremtiden løfte – som kulturel og social institution, som mødested, i byudviklingen, som hybrid kulturarena, oplevelsesøkonomisk magnet eller som samlingssted for et nærmiljø? Det er nogle af de centrale spørgsmål i den verserende debat om fremtiden for én af velfærdssamfundets kerneinstitutioner, som vi ser nærmere på i dette tema.

As one of the last remaining free cultural services, the library is not only challenged by technological developments, the way we meet and socialize, and our cultural habits but also by priorities in the public budget. Although the library has more users than any other cultural institution in Denmark, paradoxically, it is also the one that is typically most at risk when municipal budgets are laid. The library is therefore in many regards facing a need to reinvent itself and clarify its justification in the struggle for survival in the municipal landscape. In many ways, developments in the library field appear to be closely interwoven with urban development, and in several cases there are close links between strategic city planning and the development of the library institution. In recent years, the public library has been a strategic factor in urban development, and both in Denmark and around the world, the construction of new libraries is an element in the efforts to improve

Som et af de sidste gratis kulturtilbud er biblioteket ikke bare udfordret af den teknologiske udvikling, vores omgangsformer og kulturelle tilbøjeligheder, men også af kommunale prioriteringer. På trods af at biblioteket er den mest besøgte kulturinstitution i Danmark, er det paradoksalt nok også den kulturinstitution, der oftest står for skud, når de kommunale midler skal prioriteres, og biblioteket er derfor i mange henseender nødt til at genopfinde sig selv og tydeliggøre sin eksistensberettigelse i kampen for at overleve i det kommunale landskab. Udviklingen på biblioteksområdet synes på mange måder at være tæt sammenvævet med byudviklingen, og flere steder ses en tæt forbindelse mellem den strategiske byplanlægning og udviklingen af biblioteket som institution. Folkebiblioteket har igennem de seneste år udgjort en strategisk faktor i byudvikling, og både i Danmark og internationalt ser man nye biblioteksbyggerier

he media landscape is changing. Our read ing habits are changing. Even the physical format of books is changing. But what about the library? The library as we know it is fac ing profound changes, and the issues that dominate the debate about the future of the library are many and varied: How will digitization affect the library in its role as a physical meeting place, and what purposes should the library serve in the future – as a cultural and social institution, a meeting place, an element in urban development, a hybrid cultural arena, a magnet in the experience economy or a community forum? These are some of the key questions in the ongoing debate about the future for one of the core institutions of the welfare society, which we examine in this theme.

COLLECTION TO CONNECTION

TWENTYFIRST

indgå i bestræbelser på at styrke en by eller bydels identitet og image. At bruge biblioteket som strategisk element i byudviklingen stiller samtidig krav til bibliotekernes selvforståelse og dermed til deres arkitektur, intentioner og relationer til det omkringliggende samfund i øvrigt. Flere initiativer er inden for de seneste år blevet sat i søen for at afdække bibliotekets berettigelse som kulturel og social institution. Projektet Newcomers, som startede i 2010, er ét eksempel: Med støtte fra Kulturstyrelsen løb projektet over halvandet år og var et forsøg på at imødekomme og servicere de højt kvalificerede arbejdsmigranter, Danmark ønsker at tiltrække, og dermed understøtte folkebiblioteket i at være på forkant med samfundsudviklingen og de demografiske forandringer. Projektet skulle skabe netværk for de nytilkomne for derved at bidrage til fastholdelsen af dem. I 2012 tog Kulturstyrelsen i samarbejde med Realdania initiativ til et “Modelprogram for folkebiblioteket”. Modelprogrammet, der lå færdigt som inspirationskatalog i september

We are seeing an expansion of the library concept that apears to engage the welfare debate on multiple levels

in September 2013, seeks to convey new knowledge and best practices for library developers. The basic premise of the initiative is that as society is being transformed by increasing digitization and individualization, libraries are facing two major challenges: They need to provide digital services, and they need to match more differentiated user needs. In the project Danskernes Digitale Bibliotek (Danish Digital Library), the Danish Agency for Culture, the Danish Ministry for Culture and Local Government Denmark work together in an effort to improve the libraries’ ability to manage and provide electronic media content. The project is based on the premise that the individual citizen’s access to knowledge and cultural experiences greatly affects his or her ability to participate actively in today’s knowledge and network society. Among other actors, the Danish Library Association’s think tank, Future Libraries, contributes with ideas about how to generate new knowledge about libraries and library users in our digital age. The think tank’s purpose is to “promote knowledge and debate about how libraries can develop 6

2013, skal formidle ny viden og best practice for biblioteksudviklere. Det bygger overordnet på en forudsætning om, at biblioteket, i kraft af en samfundsudvikling præget af øget digitalisering og individualisering, står over for to store udfordringer: Det skal kunne levere digitalt, og det skal kunne håndtere langt mere differentierede brugerbehov. I projektet “Danskernes Digitale Bibliotek” samarbejder Kulturstyrelsen, Kulturministeriet og Kommunernes Landsforening om at styrke bibliotekernes muligheder for at håndtere og formidle de elektroniske medier. Projektet arbejder ud fra en forudsætning om, at det er den enkelte borgers evne og mulighed for at tilegne sig viden og kulturoplevelser, der er afgørende for at kunne indgå i viden- og netværkssamfundet. Danmarks Biblioteksforenings tænketank, Fremtidens Biblioteker, er en af de instanser, der byder ind med forslag til, hvordan man kan producere ny viden om biblioteket og biblioteksbrugerne i vores digitale tidsalder for at “fremme viden og debat om, hvordan bibliotekerne udvikler en aktiv og naturlig position i opbygning og udvikling af fremtidens

the identity and image of cities or neighborhoods. This use of the library as a strategic factor in urban development challenges the library’s self-concept and consequently its architecture, intentions, and relations to society at large. In recent years there have been several initiatives aimed at demonstrating the library’s justification as a cultural and social institution. The Newcomers project, which began in 2010, is one such initiative: With funding from the Danish Agency for Culture, this 21-month project aimed to reach out to and provide services to the highly qualified immigrants that Denmark wishes to attract and thus help public libraries remain on the cutting edge of social and demographic developments. The project was designed to help newcomers build networks as a means of encouraging them to stay. In 2012, the Danish Agency for Culture and the Realdania foundation initiated the development of a “Model program for public libraries.” The model program, which was presented as an inspirational catalog

an active and natural position in the establishment and development of the knowledge society of the future.” The ongoing digitization has helped set the library institution free – both functionally and architecturally. We are seeing an expansion of the library concept that appears to engage the welfare debate on multiple levels, and in several places the modular modernist libraries are being replaced by new dramatic library spaces with a much more experimental architectural expression. In this issue of Twentyfirst we focus on the library as one of the core institutions of the welfare state, exploring the library’s current and future role with contributions from a range of experts. What makes a good library? Is there a certain type of library architecture that signals the library’s identity as a democratic institution, a place of learning and knowledge, a cultural forum and a meeting place? And who defines that? These questions are raised by architectural theorist Nan Dahlkild, who together with cultural sociologist Dorte Skot-Hansen and architect Maria Gomez-

videnssamfund”, som de beskriver det. Godt hjulpet på vej af digitaliseringen er biblioteket som institution blevet sat fri – både når det gælder funktion og arkitektur. Vi ser en udvidelse af biblioteksbegrebet, der synes at række ind i velfærdsdebatten på flere niveauer, og vi ser flere steder modernismens modulbiblioteker blive afløst af nye iscenesatte biblioteksrum med langt mere eksperimenterende arkitektoniske former. I dette nummer af Twentyfirst har vi valgt at rette opmærksomheden mod biblioteket som en af velfærdsstatens kerneinstitutioner, og med bidrag fra flere eksperter sætter vi således fokus på bibliotekets nuværende og fremtidige rolle i velfærdsstaten. Hvad er det gode bibliotek, og hvordan skabes det? Er der en særlig biblioteksarkitektur, som signalerer bibliotekets identitet som demokratisk institution, som et sted for kundskab og viden, som kulturhus og som mødested? Og hvem definerer den? Således spørger arkitekturteoretiker Nan Dahlkild, der sammen med kultursociolog Dorte Skot-Hansen og arkitekt Maria Gomez 7

COLLECTION TO CONNECTION

TWENTYFIRST

Dorte Skot-Hansen holds an M.A. (research degree) in cultural sociology and is head of the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies at the Royal School of Library and Information Science, University of Copenhagen. Her research has focused on cultural policy, culture planning and urban development, and among other titles she has co-authored Biblioteket i byudviklingen – oplevelse, kreativitet og innovation (2011).

Guillamon i dette nummer af Twentyfirst kommenterer på udvalgte projektbeskrivelser fra København NV til Mexico City. Temaet er fordelt i små bidder ud over hele magasinet; s. 10 præsenteres Mexico Citys Megabiblioteca, s. 42 er en præsentation af Biblioteket på Rentemestervej i Københavns nordvestkvarter, s. 82 er en præsentation af Seattle Central Library, og s. 86 udfoldes Londons Idea Stores. Derudover præsenterer vi s. 62 tre indretningsprojekter, og s. 102 præsenteres to meget forskellige bogbusser. Hvorvidt biblioteket i fremtiden skal være en oplevelsesøkonomisk magnet, der kan trække besøgende til et område, eller være et samlingspunkt for nærmiljøet, forsøger ph.d. Kristian Delica at nærme sig i sit essay “Fyrtårne i oplevelsesøkonomien”, der kan læses fra s. 30. I artiklen “Oplysningens hellige haller er under angreb” på s. 14 ser Lars Trier Mogensen på konsekvenserne af bibliotekernes og mediernes digitalisering.

Nan Dahlkild, PhD, holds an M.A. (research degree) in cultural sociology and is an associate professor at the Royal School of Library and Information Science, University of Copenhagen. He studies and writes about architecture and library development. He also acts as a consultant. Among other titles, he has written the book Biblioteket i tid og rum (2011) about library architecture and interior design. He is especially interested in the library as part of the public space.

Maria Gomez-Guillamon Werner is an architect, educated in Spain and has been resident in Demark since 1992. She is teaching associate professor at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, where she has been teaching since 2000. She also has her own architectural firm, MGG arkitekter. In her teaching, she emphasizes the cultural dimension as an inspiration and as a crucial part of a project’s context.

Guillamon Werner comment on selected project descriptions from Copenhagen NW to Mexico City in this issue of Twentyfirst. The theme is distributed throughout the magazine; p. 10 presents Mexico City’s Megabiblioteca, p. 42 examines The Library on Rentemestervej in Copenhagen’s north-west district, p. 82 looks at Seattle Central Library, London’s Idea Stores are featured on p. 86. In addition, we look at three interior design projects on p. 62 and two very different book buses on p. 102. Whether the future library should be an experience economy magnet, able to attract visitors to an area, or a community forum is a question that PhD Kristian Delica ponders in his essay “Beacons of the experience economy” on p. 30. In the article “The Cathedrals of Enlightenment are under Attack” on p. 14 Lars Trier Mogensen looks at the consequences of the digitization of libraries and media.

XXX

PROJECT PRESENTATION

MEGA BIBLIOTECA SIGNE FILSKOV & HEIDI JACOBSGAARD SCHØBEL

Location: Mexico City, Mexico Architects: Alberto Kalach Landscape architects: José Ma. Buendía, Carlos Murillo, Teobaldo Eguiluz and Jardín Botánico UNAM Consultants: Martínez Romero (EMRSA), Enrique Arriaga, Adriana León (TAX) Client: CONACULTA Project area: 38,091 sqm Project year: 2004-2007

In Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, lies Biblioteca Vasconcelo – often referred to as Megabiblioteca – as a visible proof and symbol of the former president’s struggle for a Mexico with universal literacy. President Vicente Fox Quesada inaugurated the library in connection with the 2006 presidential election, lauding it as one of the most sophisticated constructions of the 21st century. That the building has since undergone several renovations due to construction errors does not eclipse the president’s intention of creating a place dedicated to general enlightenment and the elevation of the average Mexican’s literacy skills. Even if the library plays a certain role in the experience economy of Mexico City, slightly improving the city’s somewhat tarnished reputation as a livable city, the intentions behind the project suggest that its main role is more to serve as a facilitator and a source of inspiration for the densely populated area in Mexico City where it is located. As a popular institution that encourages learning and as a place that aims to inspire others to create pleasant public spaces that can help reverse the urban decay in the northern part of central Mexico City.

his project integrates a library and a botani cal garden. The 250-meter long concrete, steel and glass building is surrounded by a landscaped garden reminiscent of the old library gardens. The garden features water basins, footpaths and more than 150 species of Mexican plants. The green element is ubiquitous, as the garden is visible from virtually any part of the library. In its gray, monumental exterior, the building appears somewhat unapproachable, and from certain angles it almost resembles a large rock that has not moved in hundreds of years. The building has a tall, narrow, rectangular structure. The first level of the library is designed as a public space, featuring a café, exhibition area and other public facilities. In the north end of the building there is a partially underground auditorium that seats 500. In the large atrium that runs the full length of the building, wall-mounted steel and glass bookcases lend a machine-like expression to the 40,000 running meters of shelf space that currently holds the library’s collection of 580,000 books. The bookcases are staggered in different levels, and a turquoise glass floor forms an extensive network of footpaths, terraces and balconies that let visitors navigate the huge structure and use IT stations and reading desks. The large atrium is mainly lit through large glazed sections 11

MEGA BIBLIOTECA

TWENTYFIRST

and libraries face. To undertake a building project on the scale of Megabiblioteca demonstrates that the architect understands and respects the human factor, despite a large and complex program. In that sense, the project is an honest response to these challenges, which is not trying to be something other or more than what it is: a big library in a big city with room for everyone and room for books!” Thus, the project appears to have struck the right balance between the large, industrial scale and the smaller, human scale. However, Nan Dahlkild points out that, as in the case of Seattle Central Library (p. 82), there may be some doubt as to whether the library offers attractive reading areas, in this case in connection with the network of hanging bookcases in the large atrium. Megabiblioteca is an example of a modern library where the library garden forms an important part of the library experience. It filters the noise of the city and provides a transition between the hectic urban scene and the hushed world of books. The planting close to the building’s walls also filter the bright sunlight and creates a more intimate environment in the reading rooms. Furthermore, the garden offers an informal meeting place for the many people in the city, with room for recreation and new encounters. In Nan Dahlkild’s assessment, the adjacent botanical garden lives up to the classic qualities of the library garden by offering a link between nature and culture, room for recreation and reflection and a green urban space as a contrast to the noise and pollution of the city. He adds that the library garden is an important part of the library discourse that is later unfolded in manifestos, textbooks and academic journals as an important basis for shaping the library of the future. © Omar Bárcena

on the ground floor and large window wells in the ceiling. In the center of the building, an 11-meter long whale skeleton is on display – a work by the Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco. The library building was a cornerstone in Vicente Fox Quesada’s program for literacy in Mexico. Among other initiatives, his ambition to build “a nation of readers” led to the first international architectural competition in Mexico for more than a hundred years, which resulted in this mega-library. The building, which is one of the largest library buildings in Latin America, has great political significance for Mexican society, and today it stands not only as a monument to a president’s large-scale effort to reorganize available human knowledge and improve literacy skills in Mexico but also to Mexico’s architectural heritage. The siting of the library is based on an assumption that as one of the world’s largest and most heavily polluted cities, Mexico City needs to establish green, open, car-free areas. Positioned in one of Mexico City’s traffic junctures, the building and the surrounding library garden serves as a calm oasis in an otherwise aggressive urban environment. The lot was previously a barren area, and the addition of the library and the garden aimed to achieve an urban ecological revitalization in the densely populated area where the library is located. With some three thousand visitors a day, Megabiblioteca has managed to appeal to the people of Mexico. As the central library for Mexico’s 7,100 public libraries and with a basic intention of promoting reading and literacy skills in the Mexican population, the library undoubtedly plays a key role for the development of Mexican society. In Maria Gomez-Guillamon Werners’ assessment, the cultural and social purpose that motivated the project has been accomplished: “In my opinion, Megabiblioteca rises to meet the major technological and functional challenges that societies

THE CATHEDRALS OF ENLIGHTENMENT ARE UNDER ATTACK

FEATURE

THE CATHEDRALS OF ENLIGHTENMENT ARE UNDER ATTACK OPLYSNINGENS HELLIGE HALLER ER UNDER ANGREB LARS TRIER MOGENSEN The spectacular popularity of the Swedish superstar-footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović’s autobiography caused a crises for e-lending through public libraries in Scandinavia. The e-book was simply too popular, according to the publisher, which limited the lending. Illustration: Icakuriren

The spread of digital lending has opened up a two-front war on public libraries. On the one hand, anyone with Internet access can now download books regardless of where they are and when. As a result, people have less need for physical libraries. But on the other hand, large publishers are blocking free and unlimited lending. This has created an opportunity for private giants Amazon and Google to conquer the digital lending market. So far, however, the trend seems to indicate that information technology will help libraries reinvent themselves and thereby prevent the public institution from becoming a memory of the distant past.

Udbredelsen af elektroniske udlån har kastet de offentlige biblioteker ud i en tofrontskrig: På den ene side kan alle med internet-adgang i dag downloade bøger uafhængigt af tid og rum. Folk har dermed fået mindre og mindre brug for de fysiske biblioteker. På den anden side har de store forlag forhindret frit og ubegrænset udlån. Derfor kan det ende med, at det bliver private mastodonter som Amazon og Google, som erobrer det nye digitale univers for bogudlån. Foreløbigt viser udviklingen dog, at informationsteknologi er med til at genopfinde bibliotekerne – og dermed forhindre, at de offentlige bygninger blot efterlades som fortidsminder.

Public libraries risk following the fate of churches that are now only sparsely occupied during their Sunday services with a scattering of elderly people. Just as the 15th century Protestant Reformation altered the function of the church in Northern Europe, a new reformation is underway that will change the most sacred chapel of the Information Age – public libraries. Digitalization is giving people new and faster ways to access the spiritual guidance that the traditional institution previously provided. But libraries have become victims of the same democratic empowerment they helped create through the spread of knowledge and improved access to information. History is repeating itself. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 14th century, the seeds of the Protes-

Offentlige biblioteker risikerer at ende på samme måde, som alle de halvtomme kirker, hvor ældre mennesker i dag sidder spredt og ensomt til søndagsgudstjenesterne. Ligesom den protestantiske reformation i det 15. århundrede ændrede kirkens funktion i Nordeuropa, er en ny omvæltning på vej til at forandre oplysningstidens helligste haller, bibliotekerne. I dag er det digitaliseringen, som hastigt er ved at give folk nye og hurtigere veje til selv at finde frem til den åndelige vejledning, som de traditionelle institutioner tidligere gav. Bibliotekerne er blevet ofre for den demokratiske frisættelse, som de selv har skabt ved at udbrede viden og adgang til fri information til folket. Historien gentager sig: Med opfindelsen af bogtrykkerkunsten af Johann Gutenberg i det 14. århundrede blev grundlaget for den protestanti15

THE CATHEDRALS OF ENLIGHTENMENT ARE UNDER ATTACK

TWENTYFIRST

tant Reformation were sown. The printed Bible allowed ordinary people to read the word of God and, as a result, both priests and churches faded slowly into the background. The same process is now currently taking place in the 21st century, except the new motor for change is the digitalisation of literature and knowledge. The increased popularity of electronic books, e-books, may end up dramatically increasing the number of loans, while also undermining the need for library buildings. Jakob Heide Petersen, director of Copenhagen Main Library, acknowledges the challenge. “There is a very real risk of library bypass if citizens no longer need to visit a physical library in order to borrow books,” Petersen told Twentyfirst: “Even though the primary reason people visit public libraries is to borrow physical books, the number of loans has been falling despite the fact that the number of library visits has increased over the past few years. This suggests that people might still need physical libraries, presumably to fulfill needs other than borrowing books.” Petersen underlines the fact that the transition from physical to electronic books is taking place at a slower pace than was predicted by the most extreme doomsayers: “The book is a very old medium and reading habits could turn out to be quite conservative among many users. A likely scenario over the next ten years could be an accelerating decline in the loan of physical books, coupled with a much faster growth in the number of e-book loans. The two numbers could intersect in seven or eight years’ time,” Petersen said. He pointed to the conservative media habits of many culturally-active citizens, confirmed by studies that show users can be hesitant to switch from existing media, such as radio or television, The Zlatan Effect The Swedish Language Council has included the verb ‘to zlatan’, meaning to do something audacious or outrageously brilliant. Among Swedish librarians ‘to zlatan’ also has another meaning: The publication of the footballer’s self-biography Jag är Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2011 made a whole new group of citizens start using the local libraries: young immigrants from the ghetto-suburbs. The success of the book was so immense, especially through e-lending, that the publisher, Bonniers, had the service limited. Afterwards, e-lending has been more restricted throughout 16

ske reformation skabt. Uden den trykte bibel ville menigmand aldrig have fået mulighed for selv at læse forkyndelsen. Gradvist gled både præsterne og kirkerne i baggrunden. Samme omvæltning er ved at ske her i det 21. århundrede, nu blot med digitaliseringen af litteratur og viden som historiens nye motor. E-bøger kan på én og samme tid øge udlånet dramatisk og gøre biblioteksbygningerne overflødige. Chefen for Københavns Hovedbibliotek, Jakob Heide Petersen, anerkender den grundlæggende udfordring: “Der er en reel risiko for, at brugerne glider udenom, når de ikke længere er nødt til at gå hen på de fysiske biblioteker for at låne bøger. Hovedårsagen til at besøge et bibliotek er stadig at låne fysiske bøger”, siger Jakob Heide Petersen til Twentyfirst: “I Danmark har antallet af besøgende dog været voksende i de seneste år, selv om antallet af udlån er faldet. Det tyder på, at folk måske har brug for fysiske biblioteker for at få opfyldt andre behov end at låne bøger.” Jakob Heide Petersen understreger, at skiftet fra analoge til digitale bøger sker i et langsommere tempo, end de største dommedagsprofeter har forudsagt: “Bogen er et meget gammelt medie, og læsevaner kunne vise sig at være ganske konservative blandt mange brugere. Et sandsynligt scenarie kunne være et accelererende fald i udlånet af fysiske bøger de næste 10 år kombineret med en endnu hurtigere vækst i udlånet af e-bøger, hvor de to tal måske krydser hinanden inden for 7-8 år”, siger bibliotekschefen og fremhæver konservatismen blandt mange ellers kulturelt aktive borgere. Undersøgelser af medievaner viser, at mange borgere er langsomme til at skifte fra eksisterende medieplatforme såsom radio og tv, og at nye medier som internet ofte supplerer medieforbru-

Scandinavia. However, the book itself tells a fascinating story of the struggle for social mobility in the Nordic welfare state and is a merciless reckoning with the middle class: “It was like living a parallel life,” Zlatan Ibrahimović says: “In Rosengård, we had our own set of values, our own ideas, our own culture. We never watched Swedish television and I didn’t know the top Swedish sportsmen. My dad drank beer, listened to Yugoslav music and talked about the Balkan war. We had our own heroes, like Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. When I went to the posh school nearby, I was amazed by the Swedish boys. They wore shirts

and that new media, such as the Internet, often ends up supplementing their existing media consumption. But Petersen is acutely aware that media habits are rapidly changing. “We have witnessed fundamental changes in music and newspaper distribution and consumption, suggesting that the media habits of young people, in particular, are taking place at a more rapid pace,” Petersen said. Glenn Leervad-Bjørn, head of the secretariat for Danskernes Digitale Bibliotek – the Danish digital library association – urges calm. “The potential for e-book lending is very large but users will have to get used to reading using different platforms before they wave goodbye to physical books. We are seeing, however, that school children and especially students are increasingly using digital learning materials – a habit that they will take with them into later life. Screens and reading devices are constantly developing so the reading experience will constantly improve. The advantage of being able to constantly access electronic books will increase their demand.” The million dollar question is how will digitalisation affect physical public libraries? The experts all agree that it’s too soon to write off libraries and Dr. Henrik Jochumsen, a libraries researcher and associate professor at University of Copenhagen, argues that the digital transition may even strengthen public libraries. “Despite all the prophesies of doom – that users would only use libraries from a distance and stop using the the physical buildings – this has not happened. The possibilities offered by physical libraries has actually increased with the addition of Internet-based services, while the information

get. Men Jakob Heide Petersen er yderst opmærksom på de hurtigt skiftende mønstre: “Vi har oplevet fundamentalle ændringer i både distribution og forbrug af musik og avisnyheder, og det kunne tyde på endnu hurtigere forandringer i medieforbruget, ikke mindst blandt de yngre.” Sekretariatschef for Danskernes Digitale Bibliotek, Glenn Leervad-Bjørn, maner dog til besindelse i forhold til forandringshastigheden: “Potentialet for udlån af e-bøger er meget stort – men kræver en holdningsændring hos brugerne, der skal sige farvel til den fysiske bog og læse på andre platforme. Vi ser dog, at skolebørnene og især de studerende i højere grad benytter digitale undervisningsmidler. Det vil de føre med sig videre i livet. Skærme og devices udvikler sig løbende, så læseoplevelsen hele tiden bliver bedre. De fordele, der ligger i, at man altid har bøgerne tilgængelige, vil derfor ned tiden øge efterspørgslen på e-bøger.” Det store spørgsmål er: Hvordan vil digitalisering påvirke de fysiske biblioteker? Eksperterne er enige om, at det endnu er for tidligt at afskrive de gamle biblioteker. Dr. Henrik Jochumsen, lektor på Københavns Universitet ved Det Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi, ser ligefrem den digitale transformation som en styrkelse af bibliotekerne: “På trods af alle dommedagsprofetierne om, at brugerne kun vil bruge biblioteker på afstand og ikke længere komme på de fysiske biblioteker – ja, så er det bare ikke sket. I dag er mulighederne på bibliotekerne blevet udvidet af internet-baserede tilbud, mens udbuddet af informationskilder, som folk kan få bekvemt adgang til hjemmefra, fortsat vokser. Vi er vidner til en renæssance for det fysiske bibliotek”, siger lektor Henrik Jochumsen.

with collars. I had never seen that. I couldn’t talk to the Swedish girls, even though they were beautiful, because they seemed to be from a different planet.” He often refers to his upbringing in the projects of Malmö: “When I go into a supermarket these days with my old friends, they will open their jackets afterwards in the car, and all sorts of stuff will fall out. I say to them: Are you out of your mind? I could buy the entire shop. But that’s not the point. They do it for fun. That's how we grew up. I have become more sensible, and I am rich. But I will never be able to deny where I came from.”

THE CATHEDRALS OF ENLIGHTENMENT ARE UNDER ATTACK

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resources that people are able to access from the comfort of their homes, or from anywhere else they might wish, are continuously increasing. We are witnessing a renaissance of the physical library,” Jochumsen said. The Church of Zlatan Cultural conservatism is not the only challenge facing the reformation of the public library. Legally-complicated rights issues have also limited the range of e-books on offer. Publishers – fearful of losing income and becoming vulnerable to piracy – have withdrawn many titles from digital library shelves and, as a result, fewer e-books are being borrowed than physical books. In contrast to physical books, which have to become physically available before they are handed over to a new borrower, there is no real limitation on how many times an e-book can be lent. Technically speaking, it’s not impossible to let every citizen borrow the same book at the same time, which could limit a consumer’s incentive to go out and buy their own physical or electronic copy. A large study, examining the experiences of e-book borrowers, has shown that only a few distinct groups make use of the opportunity to rent both physical and electronic books. The study was carried out by Michael Moos-Bjerre – a consultant who has specialised in the digitalisation of libraries – who says that e-book borrowers are so-called ‘cultural super users’. “The most important factor in determining whether someone ends up borrowing an e-book is whether they use physical libraries. Users of physical libraries take advantage of the digital services far more often than the population at large. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and,” Moos-Bjerre said. “The library’s core users, who also borrow e-books, are relatively modern people. What is interesting about the group is that they are not especially digitally orientated in general, but when it comes to the library’s digital services, they are highly interested and use them often. 99 percent of them answered that they expect to use the library’s digital services in the future, compared to 46 percent of the general population.” A symbolic turning point for Scandinavia came in 2011 with the release of I Am Zlatan Ibrahimović, a biography about the superstar Swedish-Croatian footballer who is currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain, which was ghostwritten by the author David Lagercrantz. The riveting account of the young immigrant’s social ascendancy through the Nordic welfare system was an immediate success. The book sold vast numbers in kiosks and supermarkets, and 18

Zlatans kirke Faktum er, at udlån af e-bøger stadig halter langt efter fysiske bogudlån. Og reformationen af biblioteksvæsnet bremses ikke kun af en udbredt kulturkonservatisme blandt ældre brugere. Juridisk komplicerede rettighedsspørgsmål har foreløbig sat en effektiv stopper for bibliotekernes udbud af elektroniske bøger. Forlagene frygter at miste indtægter og blotte sig for privatkopiering og har derfor trukket de fleste titler væk fra offentligt udlån. I modsætning til fysiske bøger, hvor lånerne må vente på ledige eksemplarer efter tur, er der reelt ingen begrænsninger på udlånet af elektroniske bøger. Teknisk set kan alle borgere på samme tid låne den samme bog, så snart den bliver tilgængelig. Og tilskyndelsen falder oplagt til selv at købe værket – i en fysisk kopi eller elektronisk. En større undersøgelse af brugernes erfaringer med e-udlån på bibliotekerne har vist, at det i høj grad er de samme grupper, som gør brug af fysiske og digitale bøger. Konsulent Michael Moos-Bjerre, der er specialiseret i digitalisering af biblioteker og har stået bag undersøgelsen, fremhæver, at e-bogslånerne er kulturelle superbrugere: “Det, der har størst betydning for, om man bruger det digitale bibliotek, er, om man bruger det fysiske bibliotek. Lånerne på det fysiske bibliotek bruger således også de digitale tilbud markant mere end den øvrige befolkning. Det er altså ikke et enten eller, men et både og”, siger Michael MoosBjerre: “Det er kernebrugerne af biblioteket, som også bruger e-udlån, forholdsvis modne folk. Det interessante ved gruppen er, at de ikke er særligt digitalt orienterede generelt. Men når det kommer til bibliotekets digitale tilbud, har de stor interesse og bruger dem hyppigt. 99 procent af gruppen har angivet, at de forventer at bruge bibliotekets digitale tilbud i fremtiden – mod kun 46 procent i den samlede befolkning”. Udgivelsen af biografien Jag är Zlatan Ibrahimović om den svensk-bosnisk-kroatiske fodboldspiller, som i dag er superstjerne i Paris Saint-Germain – ghostwritten af forfatteren David Lagercrantz – blev dog et symbolsk vendepunkt i Skandinavien i 2011. Den gribende beskrivelse af en indvandrerdrengs sociale rejse op og tværs gennem det nordiske velfærdssamfund blev en øjeblikkelig succes. Bogen solgte i kæmpe oplag i supermarkeder og kiosker og fik ifølge svenske bibliotekarer en helt ny gruppe af unge til at begynde at læse bøger, nemlig indvandrerdrenge. I anden bølge opstod et fænomen, som i Sverige blev døbt ‘Zlatan-effekten’: Indvandrerdrengene fik deres debut på de lokale biblioteker og begyndte i stor stil at downloade Jag är Zlatan Ibrahimović som e-bog. I løbet af kort tid var

The Secret e-Libraries

E-book search: Online store 75 %

Market share: Amazon 67 %

Very few go to the public library to find new e-books in the US: 75 % choose to buy online, while only 12% look first at their public library. And the ebook buyers primarily goes shopping at Amazon, which is way ahead of the other two major players in the market of ebooks, iTunes and Barnes & Nobles. Source: Pew Research Center and Book Industry Group

Swedish librarians credit it with encouraging a new group of young people to start reading books, immigrant boys. But the so-called ‘Zlatan Effect’ caused a backlash once the young immigrant boys, after being drawn into libraries, started to download I Am Zlatan Ibrahimović as an e-book. The book’s publisher, Bonnier, decided to pull the e-book from libraries after it was quickly borrowed 13,000 times. Other publishers soon followed suit and began blocking access to other popular e-books through libraries. The fear that the library e-book would contribute to dropping sales may have been exaggerated, however, especially given that I Am Zlatan Ibrahimović had sold over 600,000 copies before it was pulled from the digital library shelves. The fear does exist, however, and Phil Bradley, president of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, has stated publishers regard librarians as “sitting close to Satan”. In Scandinavia it could be called the ‘Church of Zlatan”. Publishers are fighting back Legally speaking, e-books are characterized as software and are therefore subject to completely different copyright rules than physical books. Libraries do not have the same rights to to lend e-books as physical books and instead have to strike deals that vary widely from country to country and publisher to publisher. In Denmark, the largest publishers have all pulled out of an attempt to establish a comprehensive e-book loaning system, the ‘E-reol’ (the ‘E-Bookcase’). According to Leervad-Bjørn from the digital library association, the greatest challenges are the legal difficulties that arise when trying to agree on rights for lending e-books: “The lending rights for physical books do not apply to e-books. This pre-

e-bogen blevet læst 13.000 gange, og forlaget, Bonniers, fik stoppet udlånet. Sammenlignet med et salg på over 600.000 fysiske eksemplarer af bogen kan frygten for faldende salg måske synes overdrevet. Ikke desto mindre fik bogen også en ‘Zlataneffekt’ på de offentlige bibliotekers muligheder for at udlåne populære e-bøger. Forlagene blokerede. Formanden for Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Phil Bradley, har udtalt, at bibliotekarerne i udgivernes øjne “sidder tæt på Satan”. I Skandinavien kunne fænomenet snarere kaldes for ‘Zlatans kirke’. Forlagene slår tilbage Juridisk har e-bøger karakter af software og er derfor underlagt helt andre copyright-regler end fysiske bøger. Bibliotekerne har i udgangspunktet ikke samme ret til at låne e-bøgerne ud, men skal lave særlige ordninger – som varierer voldsomt fra land til land – og fra forlag til forlag. I Danmark har de største forlag også trukket sig ud af bibliotekernes forsøg på at etablere et storstilet e-udlånsssystem, E-reolen. Sekretariatschef for Danskernes Digitale Bibliotek Glenn Leervad-Bjørn vurderer, at netop de juridiske problemer med at enes om udlånsrettigheder til e-bøger lige nu er den største barriere: “På e-bøger er der ikke samme udlånsret, som gør sig gældende for de fysiske bøger. Det er en barriere, da den manglende ret til at låne bøger ud fjerner nogle af incitamenterne for at digitalisere bibliotekernes bagkatalog. Og netop den manglende digitalisering af bagkataloget gør, at udbuddet af e-bøger er for lille i forhold til udbuddet af de fysiske bøger”, siger Glenn Leervad-Bjørn: “Markedet for e-bøger er stadig i etableringsfasen. Der eksperimenteres med forretningsmodeller, og de hidtidige modeller har til en vis grad været 19

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sents us with a challenge, because the incentive to for libraries to digitalize their back catalogues is reduced if they don’t have the rights to loan books. And without the digital back catalogue, the supply of e-books will far too small compared to the supply of physical books,” Leervad-Bjørn said. “The e-book market is still developing and different businesses models are being experimented with. Former models tended to suffer from an insecurity that was driven by the publishers large revenue expectations and libraries unrealistically low cost expectations.” The limited supply of e-books for loan has not stimulated the sale of e-books, however. On the contrary. In the USA, where e-books have become well established, the trend is now pointing toward a more modest growth rate after several years with double-digit growth rates. According to the latest numbers from the Association of American publishers, adult e-book sales in the US are up 4.8 percent through August 2013, to $ 647.7 million, compared with 28 percent over the same period of 2012 and 252 percent in 2010. But sales of hardcover books are up even more, 11.5 percent to $ 778.6 million, over the same period. E-books have yet to conquer the old-fashioned book. Petersen from Copenhagen Main Library fears, however, that the protectionism of publishers will end up harming the supply of new books. “In most countries there is a legally established lending right that allows libraries to buy a copy of a physical book and use it for an unlimited number of loans. This right balances the libraries’ obligation to provide access for all citizens to literature. There is not a similar right for a library to buy a digital copy of an e-book at market price and loan it to one citizen at a time,” Petersen said. “Instead it is up to publishers to decide whethPrivate e-Libraries With the legal limitations to e-lending through public libraries a new world of private libraries has opened up. The most succesful is Amazon’s service with a form of direct lending peer-to-peer, from one e-book owner to the other, via the Kindle device. Kindle Owners’ Lending Library provides access to over 350,000 titles, including all seven Harry Potter books and more than 100 current and former New York Times Best Sellers. The requirement, however, is the Kindle e-reader – manufactured and sold by Amazon. In that sense it is a closed 20

præget af usikkerhed og store forventninger til indtjeningen på forlagssiden og af urealistiske forventninger til lave priser i bibliotekssektoren.” Begræsningerne på udlån af e-bøger har dog endnu ikke stimuleret salget af e-bøger. Snarere tværtimod. I USA, hvor e-bøger er slået først igennem i stor skala, peger tendensen i retning af en mere moderat fremgang for e-bogsalget efter en årrække med dobbeltcifrede vækstrater. Ifølge de seneste tal fra Association of American Publishers steg salget af e-bøger til voksne med 4,8 procent i 2013, sammenlignet med vækstrater på 28 procent i 2012 og hele 252 procent i 2010. Men salget af fysiske bøger er steget endnu mere: 11,5 procent i 2013. E-bøgerne er derfor langt fra at have slået gammeldags indbundne bøger. Chefen for Københavns Hovedbibliotek, Jakob Heide Petersen, frygter dog, at forlagenes protektionisme kommer til at skade det samlede udbud af nye bøger: “I de fleste lande er der en juridisk veletableret låneret, som giver biblioteker mulighed for at købe en bog og udlåne den ubegrænset. Denne låneret gør det muligt for bibliotekerne at leve op til forpligtelsen om at stille litteratur til rådighed for alle borgere. Men der findes ikke en lignende ret for et bibliotek til at købe en e-bog til markedspris og låne den ud til brugerne efter tur”, siger Jakob Heide Petersen: “Forlæggerne kan i stedet bestemme, hvorvidt en e-bog skal kunne lånes ud. Paradoksalt nok kan det medføre en begrænset adgang for borgere til bøger i takt med udviklingen fra fysiske til digitale bøger.” Uden for de stadigt mere veludviklede forskningsbiblioteker, hvor digital distribution for længst er blevet normen, er antallet af offentligt tilgængelige e-bogstitler på bibliotekerne stærkt begrænset og sågar i flere tilfælde direkte faldende. Da priserne på e-bøger samtidig er væsent-

er to make e-book available for library loans. Paradoxically, the result could be that citizens will have a reduced access to literature when libraries migrate from physical to digital books,” Petersen added. Besides well-developed research libraries – in which digital distribution became the norm a long time ago – the number of the publicly available e-books at libraries is severely restricted, and is even falling in some cases. And because the cost of e-books are significantly higher than physical books, libraries risk spending more money to acquire far fewer titles. The long tail of old books A new platform is growing in the vacuum between the world of libraries – who are either not allowed to loan all books digitally or cannot afford to buy the necessary licenses – and publishers – who are nervous about their future income and are therefore trying and slow libraries as they try to upgrade their catalogues. Private companies such as Google and Amazon have already understood that providing literature digitally has enormous opportunities. Amazon has managed to increase the sales of e-books so rapidly that they now overshadow the sale of physical books. Since April 2011, Amazon delivered more e-books to consumers who use their e-book reader, the Kindle, than they have sent physical books out in the mail. “We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly,” Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, said triumphantly. In the same way that Apple dominates the digital distribution of music through iTunes, Amazon has established itself as the Internet’s best-known digital bookstore and is slowly starting to offer services similar to those provided by libraries.

circuit among Kindle owners and so far almost solely used among American and British readers. Google has ambitions of providing access to all literature even written with the Google Book Search Project. More than 30 million books have so

ligt højere end på fysiske bøger, risikerer bibliotekerne også alene af den årsag at måtte bruge stadig flere penge på stadigt færre titler. Lang hale på gamle bøger I tomrummet mellem de offentlige biblioteker, som enten ikke kan få lov til at udlåne alle bøger digitalt eller har råd til at købe licenserne, og en forlagsverden, som er nervøs for de fremtidige indtjeningsmuligheder og derfor forsøger at bremse opgraderingen af bibliotekerne, er nye platforme vokset frem. Private virksomheder som Google og Amazon har tidligt set og forstået de enorme muligheder for at udbyde litteratur på digitale platforme. Amazon har på ganske få år formået at øge af salget af ebøger så massivt, at det nu overgår salget af fysiske bøger. Siden april 2011 har Amazon solgt flere værker til deres egen Kindle-læser, end de i dag sælger bøger, som sendes rundt med posten: “Vi havde store forventinger om, at det ville ske før eller siden, men vi havde aldrig forestillet os, at det ville ske så hurtigt”, triumferede Amazons topchef, Jeff Bezos. På samme måde som Apple har sat sig tungt på salget af digitalt distribueret musik via deres iTunes, har Amazon etableret sig som en digital boghandler, som tilmed også er begyndt at stille biblioteks-lignende services til rådighed. Faste kunder kan låne e-bøger direkte til hinanden, og dermed kan Amazon være på vej til at etablere sig som det 21. århundredes Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Forudsætningen for et velfungerende system for elektroniske bøger er imidlertid, at det ikke kun er de allernyeste bøger, men også den lange hale af tidligere udgivelser fra før den digitale æra, som bliver tiltængelige for menigmand. Og her består vanskelighederne fortsat.

far been scanned, but due to the legal issues of copyrights the participating universities have been forced to slow the process: “They're still scanning. They're scanning at a lower rate than the peak,” Paul N. Courant, University of Michigan’s dean of libraries says. In

reality Google Books is at present an extension of the search facilities, and only guides the users to online bookstores. But potentially, Google Books can become the true Bibliotheca Alexandrina of the 21st century with possible access to the vast back catalogues of an incomprehensible amount of texts and books. The only truly free and global libraries are smaller services like the Project Gutenberg which offers over 42,000 free ebooks, and The Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library of Internet sites, which like a paper library provides free access to texts and audio. 21

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Now that returning customers can loan e-books to each other, Amazon is on track to become the Bibliotheca Alexandrina of the 21st century. A precondition for a well-functioning electronic book market is that it provides not only the latest titles, but also a long tail of older titles that predate the digital era. But there are some considerable difficulties to overcome. In 2004, Google launched the Google Print Library Project whose ambitious plan was to scan every book in the world and enable them to be searched. So far over 30 million books have been scanned, which is an enormous accomplishment, but even the mighty Google isn’t immune from running into copyright problems. The project has suffered following court cases brought by publishers and the number of newly scanned books has dropped dramatically. The Digital Public Library of America – which is partially financed by a fund started by Microsoft founder Bill Gates – has now offered to take over the project’s fundamental ambition of digitally providing an increasingly comprehensive access to the world’s literature. Private businesses acting alone are simply are not up to the challenge. Even in the digital era, the public sector may play a vital role in the development of a common library service. So far, the trend seems to indicate that public libraries are the most significant driving force in the use of digital literature, at least among the general population. In the USA, public libraries are the sole providers of Internet access to the country’s many residents who do not online at home. Every year around a third of those aged 14 and older – around 77 million people – use a public library computer or wireless network to access the Internet. Public libraries have therefore become a vital E-learning for Children The youngest generation do not seem to care which technical platform the information and entertainment flow from – just as long as it is easy and abundantly available. But so far even the most tech-hungry kids have not used much of their screen time to read e-books. A recent study by Common Sense Media showed, that while 60 percent of children 8 years and younger read or are read to each day, only 4 percent use an e-reader daily. Hence, at lot of e-reading projects have focused on facilitating and stimulating new ways of learning through various new media interfaces – simply 22

Google.com lancerede ellers i 2004 Google Print Library Project, hvor den ambitiøse idé var at indscanne alverdens bøger og stille dem til rådighed som fri tekst via søgetjenesten. Indtil videre er over 30 mio. bøger blevet indscannet. I sig selv en imponerende bedrift. Men selv mastodonter kan løbe ind i copyrightproblemer. Efter en lang række retssager, hvor flere forlag anlagde sag mod Google, er projektet gradvist blevet bremset, og tempoet i indscanningen af bøger, som dog fortsætter, er bremset voldsomt. I stedet synes det nye The Digital Public Library of America – som delvist finansieres af Microsoft-grundlæggeren Bill Gates’ fond – måske at kunne overtage den grundlæggende ambition om at stille en stadig mere komplet adgang til alverdens litteratur til rådighed digitalt. Private virksomheder kan næppe løfte opgaven alene. Også i den digitale æra synes den offentlige sektor at spille en afgørende rolle for at få et alment og veludbygget biblioteksvæsen til at fungere. Indtil videre tyder udviklingen også på, at de offentlige biblioteker i praksis er den væsentligste drivkraft for brugen af digital litteratur, i hvert fald blandt den brede befolkning. I USA fungerer bibliotekerne ofte som den eneste reelle adgang til internettet for de mange borgere, som ikke har netopkobling derhjemme. I USA bruger omkring en tredjedel af alle fra 14 år og op – eller 77 millioner borgere – en bibliotekscomputer eller trådløst netværk derfra til at koble sig på nettet hvert år. De offentlige biblioteker er blevet et omdrejningspunkt i den digitale infrastruktur. Men bibliotekernes muligheder strækker længere. Ifølge chefen for Københavns Hovedbibliotek, Jakob

part of the digital infrastructure, though there are more opportunities that can be exploited. According to Petersen, digitalisation has opened up new opportunities to libraries that want to live up to their ambitions: “Public libraries can retain an important role in promoting learning. Developments in digital media will enable libraries to focus less on their collection, and more on their users. Learning often has an important social dimension and public libraries can provide a physical place to support learning, both individually and together with other citizens”. “Library staff will have to take on new roles that are more facilitative in character, similar to their current roles when organizing reading clubs, gamification services, public debates and so on. The changing role of the library will also mean changes in the layout and design of the physical library space to make room for fewer bookcases and more people and activities. The 20th century public library project was about providing equal access to media in order to provide a foundation for education and enlightenment. The 21st century public library project will probably focus more on citizens and their ability to thrive and contribute in a knowledge society.” Dr. Henrik Jochumsen from University of Copenhagen is even more optimistic: “We will see a transformation from a more-or-less passive collection of books and other media, to an active space for experience and inspiration and a local meeting point. Instead of a transition from ‘bricks to clicks’, the transformation will be from ‘collection to connection’, or even from ‘collection to creation’, the latter of which was proposed by the American Library Association in its new strategic vision,” says Dr. Henrik Jochumsen. trying to transform the screen time used on passive gaming consumption to more active form of learning. The trend is positive: Though children generally have been slower to start using e-books than especially culturally active seniors several surveys find a rising trend: On average 46 percent of kids 6-17 in OECD countries have read an e-book, up from 25 percent in 2010. Danish libraries are in the forefront of trying to make school children (and their teachers) use digital resources. The largest project is called ‘Palles Gavebod’, which could be translate to something like ‘Gilberts Giveaway’, an

Heide Petersen, åbner digitaliseringen nye muligheder for i endnu højere grad at leve op til selve formået med offentlige biblioteker: “Offentlige biblioteker kan bevare en vigtig rolle i understøttelsen af læring. Udviklingen i digitale medier vil gøre det muligt for biblioteker at fokusere mindre på bogsamlinger og mere på brugerne. Læring har en vigtig social dimension, og offentlige biblioteker kan tilbyde et fysisk rum, der understøtter læring både individuelt og i fællesskab med andre borgere”, siger Jakob Heide Petersen: “Bibliotekspersonalet vil være nødt til at påtage sig en mere faciliterende rolle, der minder om de nuværende opgaver i forbindelse med læseklubber, gamification-aktiviteter og debatarrangementer. Den forandrede rolle for biblioteker vil også betyde et nyt fysisk design med mindre plads til bogreoler og mere rum til mennesker og aktiviteter. Det 20. århundredes biblioteksprojekt handlede om lige adgang til medier som grundlaget for uddannelse og oplysning. Det 21. århundredes biblioteksprojekt vil formentlig fokusere mere på borgerne og deres muligheder for at trives i og bidrage til videnssamfundet.” Henrik Jochumsen fra Københavns Universitet er endnu mere optimistisk: “Vi ser en forvandling fra mere eller mindre passive bogsamlinger til aktive rum for oplevelser, inspiration og lokale møder. For at bruge et slogan kunne man tale om en forvandling fra ‘samlinger til forsamlinger’, eller ligefrem fra samlinger til skabelse, som foreslået af den amerikanske biblioteksforening, snarere end den tidligere forudsigelse om en skift fra mursten til museklik”, siger dr. Henrik Jochumsen.

online universe with e-books, movies and games, targeted at school pupils in the age of 8 to 12 years. The library project E-reolen, the ‘eBookcase’, is an even larger e-bookuniverse for the general public. In the first full year of service, 2012, the eBookcase had almost 700,000 loans. These e-books were borrowed by a group of early adopters numbering approximately 100,000 citizens, compared to approximately 1.8 million yearly library users in Denmark.

“Only when we accept the wild and the surprising, only then can we begin to design a new country” is the central claim in this proposal. The team takes an outset in the rising sea levels and reminds us that Denmark is a seafaring country with generations after generations of experience from coping with the forces of water. Instead of fighting the inevitable we should develop an approach that exploits the potential of the changes to come. Through a series of tableaus the movie illustrates the architectural and cultural consequences of developing a new rational and emotional approach to incorporating nature JAC Studios Johan Carlsson

The team proposes to radically rethink the agricultural production in Denmark and asks whether a marriage between gastronomy, agriculture and urban life can create a Charles Bessard, Powerhouse Company ApS Dominic Balmforth, Susturb ApS Andreas M. Dalsgaard, Frontier Film

REDANE

into our culture – “20 scenes of land, sea and a seafaring people” as it says in the introduction. The movie creates its scenes through a combination of details from Danish masterpieces of landscape painting (Christen Købke, Jens Juel ao.), small film clips and large illustrations in ink and water color of possible sceneries like “a ship on its way from Varde to Vejle” and “brussel sprouts on Lindø Shipyard”. pression and aesthetic framework. Based on this, five proposals were picked and the participating teams asked to develop the actual movie, financed by the Arts Foundation’s Architecture Committee. The jury consisted of Lars Juel Thiis, adjunct professor, architect (chair). Anette Brunsvig Sørensen, associate professor, architect. Dan Stubbergaard, creative director and founder, COBE, architect. Lisbeth Knudsen, managing editor, Berlingske Tidende. Max Kestner, film director. Ulla Tofte, director & head of festival, Golden Days. The five movies, the competition program and jury recommendation can be seen at www.kunst.dk/initiativer/ kan-vi-tegne-et-nyt-land

A COUNTRY WE ALL CAN REACH

This movie addresses the center-periphery discussion by proposing a new central element in the national infrastructure dubbed ‘the mobility circle’ (mobilitetsringen). It is a high-speed railway connecting Copenhagen, Odense and Aarhus in a loop also including Viborg, Billund and Herning in Jutland. “Everything is connected” it is stated, and the idea is that the cities with stations on the circle will become super hubs for their surrounding areas, dissolving the notion of center and periphery. On one hand, the mobility circle connects to local and regional infrastructure and on the other hand, it connects with the future

Sara Buhl Bjelke & Arne Cermak Nielsen

ONLY WHEN DENMARK UNDERSTANDS

better life for the general population. In the movie the team specifically addresses the pig production which is a major source of export but also of pollution and land use, and proposes to give up industrial production in favor of pre-industrial household farming. By doing so, landscape is freed to create ‘new growth’, as they boldly say, consuming less resources, reducing CO2-emissions and enhancing biodiversity and quality of life. The film is produced as a professional documentary with the architects themselves putting forward their statement, supported by a visual narrative emphasizing the alienation of industrial production and the obvious advantages of the closer-to-natureapproach advocated by the proposal. The program offered 12 essays by among others idea historian and professor at the The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture (RASA) Carsten Thau; architect, urban planner and professor at RASA too Jens Kvorning; biologist and environmental journalist Jørgen Steen Nielsen and the architects Johannes Molander Pedersen and Morten Rask Gregersen who run the architectural office NORD and were also in charge of developing the competition’s program altogether. The participants’ proposals were required to include three elem e nt s : A m a n i fe s to communicating the basic idea and message of the competition entry, a synopsis providing a comprehensive description of the idea behind the film and a storyboard giving an impression of the film’s creative solutions, visual ex-

In their synopsis, Tredje Natur deconstruct the very title of the competition by claiming that it is based on a discourse of weak ambitions, outdated modernity, and a lack of imagination. Their manifesto is constructed of ten blunt statements with a very consequent use of the F-word like “I will never reduce architecture to

Tredje Natur

WOLFLAND

large-scale European infrastructure. The movie is an appealing mix of a convincing graphical presentation of the mobility circle, step-by-step presenting its obvious advantages and ‘real life’ scenes supporting the argument by illustrating Asian tourists entering the countryside and a young couple moving from the city to the outskirts in a cheap house living happily ever after.

design objects! Architecture is fucking SSR (Slumbering Social Relations). Not any fucking thing else!” In their synopsis, Tredje Natur deconstruct the very title of the competition by claiming that it is based on a discourse of weak ambitions, outdated modernity and a lack of imagination. Their manifesto is constructed of ten blunt statements with a very consequent use of the F-word like “I will never reduce architecture to design objects! Architecture is fucking SSR (Slumbering Social Relations). Not any fucking thing else!”

In this proposal, segregation and homogenization of urban areas is described as a huge challenge to the cohesion of society and addressed b y ( re - ) i nt ro d u c i n g communal living across generations as a housing strategy for the next century – multigenerational living as they call it. The idea is to create a housing infrastructure that can nurture the density and diversity of a city, hence bringing people together across Anne Sofie von der Pahlen Julie Reinau

THE STITCH

was announced in April with an elaborate program describing climate change, rural depopulation and the emergence of new infrastructure corridors as three mega trends to be addressed by the participants. The task was to make a movie envisioning how these challenges could be turned into resources when developing and designing the future physical environment of Denmark.

generations. Instead of moving to a nursing home, the elderly will live close together with younger people who will support them, and in turn the elderly will take care of the young families’ children and teach them crafts and manners. The proposal is visualized in a naivistic manner with animated cardboard figures enacting the before and after situations, supported by a voice-over explaining the strategy of bringing people together through this architectural intervention. The Mobility Circle (mobilitetsringen), a high-speed railway. From: A Country We All Can Reach.

CAN WE DESIGN A NEW COUNTRY? December saw the first screening of the five winning movies from the open competition “Can We Design a New Country?” arranged by the Architecture Committee of the Danish Arts Foundation. 76 teams participated in the competition that

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NOTES TWENTYFIRST

SUSTAINABILITY HAS TO BE STANDARDIZED

Q&A

SUSTAINABILITY HAS TO BE STANDARDIZED METTE BAK-ANDERSEN

Q: What is the ambition for the new materials library? A: “First of all, to help us acquire new knowledge about materials. We would also like for our students to have hands-on experience with the materials and learn enough about them to begin to experiment. Hands-on experience with various materials makes it easier to grasp the cradle-tocradle idea and to put materials into a new context of sustainability. The Material Design Lab, which the library is a part of, offers a new way of learning about materials and includes The Box, The Lab and The Library. The Box is also a sort of library, albeit a very small one, that focuses exclusively on ‘basic materials’ such as aluminum, silk fibers, and different kinds of wood. The Lab is a hybrid between a typical design prototyping workshop and a chemistry lab and is a key part of the Material Design Lab because of its practical outlook. It promotes a real hands-on, in-depth understanding of materials. The Library is the materials collection itself, which consists of 1,500 physical material samples and a database of some 7,000 materials.” Q: What role did sustainability play in the development of The Material Design Lab? A: “Not all the materials are sustainable, but the students learn about sustainability by being able to experiment, for example to determine what makes something biodegradable. If you’ve never seen how something is broken down in nature or discovered how something dissolves in water, it’s hard to grasp. The choice of materials and the way they are combined, whether they’re glued together or assembled mechanically, are crucial for whether a product can be broken down biologically or recycled. In many regards, the material is the DNA of the product. And if the DNA is not sustainable, the product won’t be either.”

A global network of databases of materials has been tied together via “Material ConneXion” – from New York over Milan and Istanbul and now to Copenhagen. The curator of the new materials library at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, industrial designer Mette Bak-Andersen, explains why materials need to be included into the form-giving process at a much earlier stage to achieve greater sustainable solutions. SIGNE FILSKOV 26

Q: How does the library serve as a guide to sustainability? A: “In the Material ConneXion's database, you can select parameters to define what you want from a material. For example, you can choose whether the material should come from a recycled resource, whether it should be certified or nontoxic, and whether it should be reusable or biodegradable. The criteria for sustainability depend on the product you’re working on. They’re not always the same. If you need a very heavy material, local sourcing may be important to you. If you’re building a house, and the whole house should eventually be composted, you don’t want to use recyclable synthetic materials, even if they are actually

sustainable. In that case you’ll want something that’s biodegradable. So, sustainability depends completely on the context the materials are going to be used in.” Q: All this talk of reusability and sustainability may sound a bit treehugging. What are your thoughts on that? A: “If all this talk about materials and sustainability is to make a difference, if it is to have an impact on our society and the environment, we have to move to an industrial level. And once the industry is involved, the ‘hippie’ aspect is reduced. That’s why it is important that our students relate to industry. That they work with the industry and don’t lose sight of the fact that the material has to work in an industrial context.” Q: At what stage in the design process does the knowledge of materials play the biggest role? A: “The way the design process works in many places today, materials are considered a necessary evil that is applied to a form at the very end. In a sustainability perspective, that is not ideal. The material should be a consideration throughout the design process. After all, sustainability is not something that you can inject into the product at the last stage of the process.” Q: What role does an interdisciplinary approach play for a more sustainable development? A: “It is crucial. You don’t spend long working on a material before a question pops up that you’ll want to consult a chemist about; you don’t spend long working on inspiration from nature before you’ll want to speak to a biologist; and you don’t spend long working on any form of surface coating before you need to consult an engineer. Or need to find a cabinetmaker who knows how to assemble things without adhesives. One person can’t know everything. That is another reason why it’s important to speak with people from the plastic industry, for example, who understand how a particular type of plastic behaves, what machines can be used to process it, etc. The idea that design is something that’s created in a cool studio on a cool computer based on cool-looking sketches is a bit outdated. It’s not really applicable.” Q: Can the exchange of experiences internally in the industry contribute to a sustainable development? A: “A greater exchange of experiences among architects and designers would definitely help our efforts to approach an ecological mindset. We need to be better at sharing the things we find 27

SUSTAINABILITY HAS TO BE STANDARDIZED

TWENTYFIRST

difficult. Unfortunately, we tend to be a little selfrighteous when we work with sustainability and to glorify the process – let’s call it eco-design or eco-architecture – that led to the finished product. It would be more helpful if we began to discuss the aspects of the process that were difficult. The real learning moments in the design process occur when something isn’t working, and when we can’t control the process. That is exactly where the innovation lies, and where we need to focus.” Q. What are the political obstacles for us to approach an ecological mindset with a circular economy? A: “First of all, we don’t have any standardized solutions. In Denmark, the issue is now receiving much more political attention, but it is a huge challenge that the municipalities are working in isolation. It’s no good if every single municipality needs to reinvent the wheel when it comes to recycling plastic, metal, etc. To reach a scale that makes a real difference, we need a shared solution.

where else. On a European level, therefore, we are virtually forced to begin to think in terms of recycling and a circular economy.” Q: Do consumers have a responsibility too? A: “Consumers have a big responsibility. I think the key is to make them aware that they are not just consumers but also manufacturers. Every day, we produce materials at home that could turn into new materials. Every single day. It just doesn’t normally occur to us, because this amazing garbage truck comes along and takes it away forever. If all the waste that you produce in a year was sitting in your backyard, you’d soon begin to think about what to do with it. You would probably make a compost heap pretty soon. And you would probably also quickly begin to sort the materials and consider where you might take them. If you didn’t have a lot of money you would probably soon begin to consider whether you could collect some of it and sell it. And that is what I see as one of the next major issues: that materials are becom-

The idea that design is something that’s created in a cool studio on a cool computer based on cool-looking sketches is a bit outdated. It’s not really applicable. A standardized solution where there is no difference in how the issue is approached in the City of Copenhagen, the City of Frederiksberg or Hjørring Municipality. Secondly, we need to consider how we combine things. Both in architecture and design. We need to think about how we can take things apart again to incorporate the time perspective. If we are dealing with a short time frame, the question of what to do with the material the product is made of is going to come up soon.”

ing more expensive, and that we are surrounded by all these materials in the public space. We have always taken for granted that the materials we put into the public space have no value. Just think of how fragile our system is if these sorts of materials run out one day. Copper theft from the Danish railway system, delaying train services unnecessarily is just one example of how the shortage of certain materials can affect our society.”

Q: How is the concept of a circular economy handled on a European level? A: “On a European level, it’s beginning to happen automatically, due to the growing scarcity of certain essential minerals that we use in our wind turbines and computers, for example. Many of the materials and minerals that we need belong to China. In the EU there is growing awareness that at some point we will be caught in China’s net if we maintain the same production level without considering the need to recycle these tiny components. There is awareness that these materials are being depleted, and that we have no control over them in Europe, because they are sourced some28

BEACONS OF THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

ESSAY

BEACONS OF THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

PERSPECTIVES ON LIBRARIES OF THE 2010S PERSPEKTIVER PÅ 10’ERNES BIBLIOTEKER © Idea Store

KRISTIAN NAGEL DELICA, PH.D. ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY

Idea Store, Watney Market

he library still undeniably provides an important socio-cultural service to citi zens from all walks of life. However, the library is also constantly in the firing line, actively needing to convince critics who broadly question its relevance – especially as a physical institution. This essay outlines the boundaries among various interests in the library sector; among positions that prioritize libraries as aesthetically appealing junctions of the experience economy versus positions that prioritize the library as a community forum. The main emphasis is placed on developments in the Danish library sector with the additional inclusion of international examples. Kristian Nagel Delica is an assistant professor at Roskilde University, Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change, where he is associated with the interdisciplinary program in planning studies Plan, Town & Process. Earlier this year he defended his PhD dissertation, Biblioteksbaserede medborgercentre i udsatte boligområder (Library-based community centers in marginalized neighborhoods), which examines the strategic role of libraries in social innovation in relation to marginalized citizens. Libraries and library services should be designed and planned in relation to other institutions to enable them to reach out and address the social and cultural needs of various community groups. Currently, the sector is moving toward an unfortunate polarization between aestheti30

iblioteket er fortsat uomgængeligt som socio-kulturelt tilbud til borgere af alle slags. Men biblioteket er også konstant i skudlinjen og må aktivt overbevise kri tikere, der over en bred kam sætter spørgsmålstegn ved dets relevans – særligt som fysisk institution. I dette essay trækkes grænserne op mellem forskellige interesseorienteringer i bibliotekssektoren; mellem positioner, der vægter bibliotekerne som æstetisk attraktive oplevelsesøkonomiske knudepunkter, og positioner, der prioriterer biblioteket som lokalsamfundets omdrejningspunkt. Hovedvægten lægges på udviklinger i den danske bibliotekssektor, mens der trækkes tråde til internationale eksempler. Kristian Nagel Delica er adjunkt på Roskilde Universitets Institut for Miljø, Samfund og Rumlig Forandring, hvor han bl.a. er tilknyttet den tværfaglige planlæggeruddannelse Plan, By & Proces. Tidligere i år forsvarede han sin afhandling Biblioteksbaserede medborgercentre i udsatte boligområder, hvor han bl.a. undersøger bibliotekernes strategiske rolle i social innovation i arbejdet med udsatte i byen. Biblioteker og deres tilbud må designes og planlægges i sammenhæng med andre institutioner, så de i stadig større omfang rækker ud mod forskellige borgeres sociale og kulturelle behov. Sektoren udvikler sig i øjeblikket i retning af en uheldig polarisering mellem på

cally appealing and experience-oriented cuttingedge libraries that attract official attention versus community-based library hybrids with a clear social profile whose main impact may be in relation to the everyday life of marginalized citizens. Avoiding this polarization and generating synergy among the various library services and among the library and other public sectors and civil society institutions will be crucial for the ability of the library in all its different guises – physical as well as symbolic and social – to continue to occupy a central role in the welfare landscape and in the public awareness. These are some of the key points I will argue after an introductory overview of the current state of affairs in the library sector. A temperature check – threats and potentials On the one hand, the public library as an institution is under pressure. In Denmark alone, there have been more than 300 closures in the past 10 years, and libraries (and the cultural sector overall) are a common target when it is time for the seemingly ritually recurring municipal budget cuts. In connection with the latest redrawing of the municipal map in 2007 alone, more than 100 local libraries were closed down in a single move. This trend co-occurs with the spread of unstaffed libraries in recent years, and critics argue that the days of the physical library are numbered. There is an ongoing debate about what the future library can and should offer. Thus, in a discussion paper

den ene side æstetisk smukke oplevelsesbaserede cutting edge-biblioteker, der løber med meget af den officielle opmærksomhed, og på den anden side lokalsamfundsforankrede bibliotekshybrider med en klar social profil, der måske først og fremmest gør en forskel i udsatte borgeres dagligdag. At undgå denne polarising og samtidig arbejde for at skabe synergi imellem de forskellige bibliotekstilbud og mellem biblioteket og andre offentlige og civilsamfundsbaserede institutioner bliver afgørende, hvis bibliotekerne i alle deres mange udtryksformer – fysiske såvel som symbolske og sociale – fortsat skal indtage en central plads i både det velfærdspolitiske landskab og i borgernes bevidsthed. Det er nogle af de centrale pointer, jeg vil argumentere for efter et indledende overblik over den aktuelle status i bibliotekssektoren. Temperaturmåling – trusler og potentiale På den ene side er folkebiblioteket som institution under pres. I Danmark alene er der lukket over 300 filialer gennem de seneste 10 år, og biblioteket (og kulturområdet i det hele taget) står traditionelt for skud, når der skal prioriteres i de nærmest rituelle kommunale nedskæringsrunder. Alene i kølvandet på den seneste store kommunalreform i 2007 blev der med ét snuptag lukket over 100 filialer. Dette sker samtidig med, at der i de seneste år er set en opblomstring af personaleløse biblioteker, og kritiske røster mener, at dagene er talte for 31

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det fysiske bibliotek. Det debatteres løbende, hvad biblioteket i fremtiden kan, skal og bør bruges til. Det Digitale Råd foreslog således i et debatoplæg tilbage i 2011, at det fysiske bibliotek skulle udfases hen over en 10-årig periode til fordel for “en ny digital struktur med ét nationalt e-bibliotek”. I anledning af det seneste kommunalvalg i november 2013 foretog Kristeligt Dagblad en rundspørge, hvor 30 borgmestre blev bedt om at prioritere indsatser på kulturområdet. Her havner investeringer i biblioteketsområdet på næstsidstepladsen. Borgmestrene vil hellere prioritere investeringer, de mener trækker borgere (og dermed skattekroner) til kommunen. Således betragtet er fremtidsudsigterne dystre for den historisk set ellers så traditionsrige folkeoplysningsinstitution. På den anden side er biblioteket fortsat ét af de mest besøgte kulturtilbud i Danmark – 36 mio. besøgende i 2011 taler sit tydelig sprog – og i forskellige tilfredshedsundersøgelser scores der generelt højt, når brugerne spørges til deres tilfredshed med det lokale bibliotekstilbud. Enkelte steder i landet har investeringer i prestigefyldte placemakerbiblioteker sat både biblioteket som institution og den kommune/bydel, hvori de nye kulturelle fyrtårne troner, på landkortet. Et eksempel på dette er Biblioteket på Rentemestervej, som har haft stor betydning for det københavnske Nordvestkvarter; som ikon, som mødested og som base for at skabe modfortællinger til det territoriale stigma, der til en vis grad har klistret sig til kvarteret. Ligeledes er der meget positive erfaringer med at gentænke og videreudvikle biblioteker til mere hybride, sociokulturelle platforme, der tager afsæt i og dyrker styrkerne i at være den (eneste?) offentlige institution, der møder borgeren uden krav om fremvisning af cprnr., og uden at man skal være visiteret til tilbuddet. Dette gøres i en ramme, der lægger op til åbne læringsrelationer (borgerne kommer og deltager frivilligt i f.eks. lektiehjælp eller it-kurser), og der skabes, bl.a. på denne baggrund, grobund for, hvad man kunne kalde socialt innovative praksisformer i arbejdet med f.eks. udsatte borgere. Dette har indtil nu først og fremmest manifesteret sig i de såkaldt udsatte boligområder (i form af biblioteksbaserede medborgercentre) og i tyndt befolkede områder (i form af multifunktionelle centre). Med ovenstående in mente kan man altså tegne et noget skizofrent statusbillede over bibliotekssektoren her lidt ind i 10’erne. Det klassiske, samlingsorienterede bibliotekskoncept er under pres ‘udefra’ af skrantende kommunal økonomi, og nye mediers indtog gør, at den fysiske bog ikke længere er det medie, al biblioteksdrift indrettes efter. Samtidig er biblioteket et stærkt brand

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published in 2011, Det Digitale Råd (the Digital Council) suggested that physical libraries should be phased out over a ten-year period in favor of “a new digital structure with one national e-library.” In connection with the latest municipal elections in November 2013, the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad carried out a survey that asked 30 mayors to prioritize cultural initiatives and services. In this survey, library investments came second to last. Instead, the mayors favored investments which they believe will attract citizens (and thus tax revenues). In this light, the future outlook is bleak for what has historically been a celebrated institution of general education and information. On the other hand, the library is still one of the most popular cultural institutions in Denmark – a total number of 36 million visitors in 2011 speaks loud and clear – and in surveys, libraries generally get high scores when people are asked to rate their satisfaction with their local library services. A few places around the country, investments in high-profile placemaker libraries have put both the library as an institution and the city or neighborhood of the future cultural beacon on the map. One example of this is The Library on Rentemestervej, which had a strong impact on Copenhagen’s north-west district; as an icon, a meeting place and a base for counter narratives to the territorial stigma that has tended to attach itself to the area. Similarly, there are very positive experiences with rethinking libraries and developing them into socio-cultural hybrid platforms that are based on and revolve around the strength in being a public institution (perhaps the only one?) that meets people without requiring ID or a referral. In part because the context encourages open learning relationships (people come in for voluntary homework support or IT courses), it creates a basis for what might be called socially innovative practice approaches in relation to marginalized groups. Until now, this has manifested itself mainly in so-called marginalized neighborhoods (in the form of library-based community centers) and in rural areas (in the form of multi-purpose centers). Thus, it is a slightly schizophrenic image that emerges of the library sector right now, a few years into the 2010s. The classic, collectionbased library concept is under pressure ‘from the outside’ due to municipal budget woes, and the advent of new media means that the physical book is no longer the only media format that library services revolve around. At the same time, the library is a strong brand with a broad appeal, and internal trends are emerging in the sector that seek to develop libraries in a variety of directions – including a move toward more network-based

Seattle Central Library

structures with socio-cultural and/or experience economy ‘twists’. It is this trend that is my main focus in the following. Conflicting interests and inspirations The tension that I described above in a Danish context also exists globally. Here too, there are both iconic ‘Bilbao effect’ libraries and attempts at transforming the library into a community forum – ‘community builders’ in their own right, as they would be called in an American context. At one end of the spectrum we find international examples and already canonized versions of the former variant – the architectural icons. This includes, for example, Seattle Central Library, which carries Rem Koolhaas’ studio, OMA’s, signature, the relatively new library in Jo Coenen’s design on Amsterdam’s harbor front, Openbare Bibliotheek (which in addition to being a high-profile placemaker is also Europe’s largest public library), Moshe Safdie’s library in Vancouver and the Philological Library at Freie Universität Berlin, which was designed by Foster + Partners. Many of these icons are designed to blend elegantly into the urban space, not unlike Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s Black Diamond in Copenhagen. Here, Jo Coenen’s monolithic

med bred appel til borgerne, og der ses udviklingstendenser, der mere internt i sektoren søger at udvikle bibliotekerne i forskellige retninger – bl.a. mod mere netværksprægede organiseringer med sociokulturelle og/eller oplevelsesøkonomiske ‘twists’. Det er denne udvikling, jeg særligt vil fokusere på nedenfor. Modstridende interesser og inspirationer Den spænding, jeg ovenfor beskrev i en dansk kontekst, findes også globalt. Også her ses både ikoniske ‘Bilbaoeffekts-biblioteker’ og forsøg på at transformere biblioteket til lokalsamfundets knudepunkt – til at være ‘community builders’ i deres egen ret, som man ville kalde det i en amerikansk sammenhæng. I den ene ende af spektret ses internationale eksempler og allerede kanoniserede bud på det første – de arkitektoniske ikoner. Det er f.eks. Seattle Central Library, som bærer Rem Koolhaas’ tegnestue, OMA’s, signatur, det er det forholdsvis nye Jo Coenen-designede bibliotek på havnefronten i Amsterdam, Openbare Bibliotheek (der ud over at være en markant placemaker også er Europas største offentlige bibliotek), det er Moshe Safdies bibliotek i Vancouver, og det er Freie Universitets filologiske bibliotek i Berlin, 33

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building at Amsterdam’s harbor front serves as an iconic European example. The design is clearly defined by the building’s role as a public venue with a wide variety of usage needs: A well-considered functional distribution of space (among other functions, the library houses a theater and a top-floor restaurant overlooking the city) and qualities to accommodate the wide variation in use (the building has to offer calm and focused work spaces while also welcoming a steady flow of users and visitors) make for a complex design task, and Coenen’s solution is consistent and convincing. The Library on Rentemestervej can be characterized on similar terms: It also features carefully designed spaces (from various types of study areas in the adult section to a very interactive children’s section). From a more sociological point of view, these new libraries often host a wide range of activities – from traditional library services to cafés, stage productions, bookstores, exhibitions, etc. Their main audience is often the relatively well-off urban middle class. This is the group that typically uses these places as calm oases in the noisy tumble of the city and a chance to ‘log off ’ from the hustle and bustle in order to study or converse in these open, welcoming and informal meeting places. In many regards, despite the classic library’s ambition of embracing everyone, it is often the needs of this urban middle class that are accommodated, just as they are the ones who can afford to sip expensive coffee while enjoying the photo exhibitions in the café. At the other end of the spectrum there are also new developments in the internal drive to transform the library into a platform with a more explicit ambition of playing a social role for marginalized citizens than the experience-oriented library – a more socially sensitive and needsdriven library concept. A specific international example of this is the so-called Idea Store, which represent a British reinterpretation of the classic library concept. Here, the main focus is on the role of the library in relation to life-long learning and educational activities for children, youth and families from marginalized areas of London. This involves a ‘re-design’ of the physical setting with maximum accessibility, openness and functionality as key qualities as well as a rethinking of the content with a particular emphasis on the intensive facilitation of activities for users from a low-education background in the form of homework clubs, BookStart projects and early language stimulation. This represents a particular trend in British library development which explicitly aims to assign the library an active role in relation to social inclusion. A general point that is made in 34

der er designet af Foster + Partners. Disse ikoner er, ikke ulig Schmidt Hammer Lassens Sorte Diamant i København, ofte bygget, så de elegant glider ind i bybilledet. Jo Coenens monolitiske bygning ved havnefronten i Amsterdam kan her tjene som et ikonisk europæisk eksempel. Designet tager i høj grad hensyn til, at der er tale om en offentlig bygning med mange forskellige anvendelsesbehov: gennemtænkt funktionsopdeling af rum (biblioteket huser bl.a. også et teater og en restaurant på øverste sal med udsigt over byen), hensyntagen til den meget forskelligartede brug af de forskellige rum (der er behov for steder til fordybelse, samtidig med at der vil være en lind strøm af brugere og besøgende) gør det til en kompleks designopgave, og Coenens løsning herpå er gennemført og overbevisende. Biblioteket på Rentemestervej kan karakteriseres med samme termer: Her er ligeledes tale om et særdeles velovervejet design af forskellige rum (fra forskellige typer fordybelseshjørner i voksenafdelingen til et meget interaktivt børnebibliotek). Set med et mere sociologisk blik er det markant, at disse nye biblioteker ofte tilbyder en bred vifte af funktioner – fra traditionelle bibliotekariske ydelser til café, scenekunst, boghandel, udstillinger osv. Det er ofte den urbane, bedrestillede middelklasse, der tiltrækkes. Det er typisk dem, der bruger disse som åndehuller i byens larmende virvar til at ‘logge af ’ fra larm og trængsel, til at studere, konversere; de bruges som åbne, uformelle mødesteder med højt til loftet. Det er på mange måder, trods det klassiske biblioteks ambition om at rumme alle, denne urbane middelklasses behov, der forsøges imødekommet, og det er dem, der har råderum til at nyde dyr kaffe, mens de ser på fotokunst i caféen. I den anden ende af spektret ses der også nybrud i den måde, biblioteket indefra ønskes transformeret til en platform, der i mere eksplicitte termer end i det oplevelses-orienterede bibliotek søger at spille en social rolle for marginaliserede borgere – et mere socialt sensitivt og behovsbaseret bibliotekskoncept. Et konkret, internationalt eksempel er de såkaldte Idea Stores, der repræsenterer en britisk nyfortolkning af det klassiske bibliotek. Her er der i særlig grad fokus på bibliotekets rolle i relation til livslang læring, læringsbaserede aktiviteter for børn, unge og familier fra udsatte boligområder i London. Dette implicerer både et ‘redesign’ af de fysiske rammer med højest mulig tilgængelighed, åbenhed og funktionalitet som nøgleord og en mere indholdsmæssig nyorientering, hvor der særligt lægges vægt på intensiv facilitering af aktiviteter for de ‘ikke-uddannelsesvante’ brugere i form af lektiecaféer, bogstartsprojekter og

TWENTYFIRST

Idea Store, Bow

the British debate is that the library is a particularly well-suited setting for this effort to reduce social inequality because of its unique reach and accessibility. The library has an image of being an open space, it is characterized by a sense of neutrality, and it often has a physical presence ‘on location’ in the marginalized neighborhoods that enables it to reach people in their local community with information and learning activities. This gives it a significant potential to include people actively in the effort to vitalize their neighborhood. In that sense, this constitutes a broad effort to make the library a platform for explicitly pursuing strategies aimed at promoting active citizenship. In a Danish context, the concept of libraries as Idea Stores and as community builders is also manifest. That is evident in a series of recently completed projects where 16 public libraries in marginalized neighborhoods took part in a three-year development process aimed at becoming combined libraries and community centers (or library-based community centers). A library-based community center is a hybrid organizational setting where a culture and information institution (the library) serves as a base for volunteer efforts, outreach public services, collective approaches and impartial counseling and guidance with links to social housing services and entrepreneurial environments. Thus, the community centers represent a unique blend of services and activities that have traditionally

sprogstimulering. Dette er udtryk for ét særligt spor i britisk biblioteksudvikling, der eksplicit ønsker, at biblioteket skal spille en aktiv rolle i forhold til social inklusion. Generelt påpeges det i den engelske debat, at biblioteket er en særligt velegnet ramme til netop dette arbejde med at mindske den sociale ulighed, bl.a. fordi det har en unik rækkevidde og tilgængelighed. Biblioteket har et image som værende et frirum, rummer en form for neutralitet og ofte en fysisk placering ‘on location’ i de udsatte boligområder, der netop gør det muligt at nå ud til folk i deres nærmiljø med information og læringsprægede aktiviteter. Derigennem er der et stort potentiale i at inddrage borgerne aktivt i arbejdet med udviklingen af deres boligområde. Således betragtet er der med et bredt perspektiv tale om at udvikle biblioteket mod at blive en platform, der eksplicit arbejder med strategier møntet på udviklingen af et aktivt medborgerskab. I en dansk sammenhæng manifesteres tankerne omkring udviklingen af Idea Stores og om biblioteket som community builder også. Det gør de i en række nyligt afsluttede udviklingsprojekter, hvor 16 folkebiblioteker beliggende i udsatte boligområder hen over en treårig periode tog del i en udviklingsproces med sigte på at blive bibliotek og medborgercenter (eller biblioteksbaseret medborgercenter). Et biblioteksbaseret medborgercenter er en hybrid organisatorisk ramme, der, med udgangspunkt i en kultur- og oplysningsinstitution (biblioteket) fungerer som base for både frivilligt arbejde, fremskudte offentlige services, 35

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existed in separate contexts across a wide range of institutions in the public sector and civil societies. The unique institutional set-up of these community centers represents firstly, a good context for addressing specific cultural and social needs. Secondly, the centers bring professions together that normally work in different contexts, both in their day-to-day work and in more strategic initiatives. The community centers give these professions a chance to develop broad interdisciplinary approaches and understandings in connection with the efforts to meet individual and community needs and to develop the library as a more explicitly socially oriented institution in society. Thirdly, the centers represent a potentially stable construction in the community where co-existing but normally unrelated efforts, for example aimed at health issues among young people, are able to connect and achieve synergy effects. Fourthly, they establish a badly needed ‘third place’ in marginalized neighborhoods. Here I refer to the sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s theory about ‘third places.’ In his interpretation, these are places that are neither home (‘first place’) nor workplace (‘second place’) but meeting places such as cafés, museums, restaurants, etc. where we can have low-intensity meetings with people we would not otherwise encounter. Oldenburg views these third places as essential for the development of networks and a sense of cohesion in a community. The community centers provide a venue for independent counseling of marginalized groups that also benefits from this sense of being a ‘third place’ in a more metaphorical sense, as the community center staff and any associated volunteers can meet people without representing either social services or a social housing service. These four aspects suggest that the library’s functional rationale and associated practices are still under development. In my view, this hybridization (and transformation) of the library has a huge potential and indicates an important development for the sector. The topic of ‘hybridization’ in and of the library sector has long been a topic of debate. I use the concept here, not in reference to any specific initiatives to fuse the physical library with digital services such as the establishment of the ‘Danish Digital Library’, but rather in reference to experiments that move the library toward increased networking with other public sector institutions, the volunteer sector and grassroots, often expressed in cooperation across administrative and professional boundaries and across the distinction between professionals and volunteers.

kollektive organiseringer, uvildig rådgivning og vejledning og har links til både boligsociale indsatser og iværksættermiljøer. Således repræsenterer medborgercentrene en unik blanding af services og tilbud, der traditionelt har været at finde adskilt og spredt på en mængde forskellige offentlige såvel som civilsamfundsbaserede institutioner. Det særlige institutionelle setup, som medborgercentrene udgør, repræsenterer for det første en ramme, der er velegnet til at arbejde med forskellige borgeres konkrete kulturelle såvel som sociale behov. For det andet samler centrene forskellige professioner, der i det daglige såvel som i mere strategiske samarbejder normalt arbejder løsrevet fra hinanden. Medborgercentrene giver disse professioner muligheden for at udvikle en bred tværfaglighed møntet på både arbejdet med borgernes forskellige behov og med udviklingen af biblioteket som en mere eksplicit socialt orienteret, samfundsmæssig institution. For det tredje repræsenterer centrene i lokalsamfundet en mulig, stabil konstruktion, hvor samtidig eksisterende, men normalt uafhængige indsatser for f.eks. unge og sundhed rent faktisk kan relateres til hinanden og skabe synergi på tværs. For det fjerde etableres der et tiltrængt ‘tredje sted’ i de udsatte boligområder med dannelsen af de biblioteksbaserede medborgercentre. Her trækker jeg på sociologen Ray Oldenburgs teori om ‘tredjesteder’. I hans udlægning er det steder, der hverken er dér, hvor vi bor (‘førstesteder’) eller arbejder (‘andetsteder’), men netop mødesteder som f.eks. caféer, museer, restauranter osv., hvor man kan have lav-intensive møder med folk, man ellers ikke ville møde. Oldenburg ser disse tredjesteder som helt centrale for udviklingen af sammenhæng og netværk i lokalsamfundet. Med medborgercentrene etableres et fundament for uvildig rådgivning af udsatte grupper, der ligeledes har præg af at være et sådant ‘tredjested’ i mere overført betydning, da medborgercentrenes medarbejdere og evt. frivillige knyttet hertil kan møde borgerne uden at være hverken ‘en af dem fra kommunen’ eller f.eks. fra den boligsociale indsats. Disse fire nedslag peger på, at bibliotekets funktionsrationale og de dertilhørende praksisformer er under stadig udvikling. At hybridisere (og transformere) biblioteket på denne måde rummer for mig at se et enormt potentiale og danner et markant udviklingsspor for sektoren fremadrettet. Man har netop længe talt om ‘hybridisering’ i og af bibliotekssektoren. Når jeg her har anvendt begrebet, er det ikke møntet på de forskellige tiltag, der har været i retning af at sammensmelte det fysiske bibliotek med digitale services som f.eks. oprettelsen af “Danskernes digitale bib-

TWENTYFIRST

The public library at Rentemestervej, Copenhagen

Potential bridge-building and synergies The library is thus currently facing threats as well as a huge development potential. External dynamics (such as the advance of new media) and internal trends in the library sector point to a variety of potential directions for libraries. This involves a risk of polarization, but it also offers strategic possibilities – for politicians, planners, architects and others – for taking active measures to prevent the library sector from ‘snapping in half’ by focusing either on the wealthy middle class or on more or less marginalized groups with a wide variety of needs. In closing, I will outline three perspectives that point to potential bridge-building among the trends that I have outlined above. Firstly, a few words about The Library on Rentemestervej. What is particularly noteworthy here is that the newly constructed ‘Library’ is a rare case, by Danish standards, of a library that was constructed from the outset as a hybrid four-story cultural institution, explicitly planned around the library’s role as a beacon in the community. In addition to library services for children and adults, the building houses a range of services and activities, for example a café, textile workshops, the local TV station, a large hall for concerts and literature events, and municipal services. The library web-

liotek”, men i højere grad de forsøg, der tænker biblioteket i retning af øget netværkssamarbejde med andre offentlige institutioner, den frivillige sektor og græsrødder og ofte konkret udmøntes i samarbejder på tværs af forvaltningsmæssige opdelinger, forskellige faggrupper og mellem professionelle og frivillige. Mulig brobygning og synergieffekt Der er altså aktuelt både trusler mod biblioteket og et enormt udviklingspotentiale. Der er dynamikker, der kommer udefra (som nye medier, der trænger sig på), og der er brydningsflader internt i bibliotekssektoren, der repræsenterer forskellige mulige udviklingsspor for bibliotekerne. Der er fare for polarisering, men der er også strategiske muligheder – for politikere, planlæggere, arkitekter osv. – for aktivt at imødegå, at bibliotekssektoren ‘knækker over på midten’ og fokuserer enten på den velbjærgede middelklasse eller på mere eller mindre marginaliserede borgere med alskens behov for hjælp. Jeg vil her afslutningsvist pege på tre perspektiver, der kan henlede opmærksomheden på mulige brobygningsperspektiver mellem de optegnede udviklingsspor. Jeg vil som det første knytte et par ord til Biblioteket på Rentemestervej. Det, der særligt er værd at bide mærke i, er, 37

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TWENTYFIRST

The public library at Rentemestervej, Copenhagen

site says, “On the second floor you find the Democracy Corner, which is home to the local committee and the community center. They offer support and assistance with community projects.” The text may be seen as a brief, factual and fairly modest description of what takes place on the second floor of the building, but from a historical perspective, this service description is very interesting. The second floor is also home to the ‘community lab’ (part of the Democracy Corner), which explicitly aimed, from the conception of the building, to establish networks among and provide a base for grassroots wishing to launch debates, campaigns and happenings of a more or less political nature in the urban space. It is, to my knowledge, a fairly new development to make room for and explicitly invite this type of activity into an otherwise established and ‘formal’ cultural institution such as the library. Secondly, I would like to point out that if the beacon projects fail to attract people and ‘make a difference’ they will appear as embarrassing failed investments for the responsible political decision-makers and the civil servants. They need to bring in people who contribute to creating (rather than merely consuming) culture. This dynamic might well spring from the small and less aesthetically striking libraries. These libraries often have a close relationship with the community and with subcultural environments – Nørrebro Library on Bragesgade is a case in point. In other words, I suggest the need to consider mutual connections across institutions explicitly – not only the connections among differ38

at det nybyggede ‘Biblioteket’ er et, efter dansk målestok, sjældent eksempel på et bibliotek, der fra starten er bygget som en hybrid kulturinstitution i fire etager, eksplicit planlagt med tanker om bibliotekets rolle i lokalsamfundet som pejlemærke. Her huser man, ud over voksen- og børnebibliotek, en vifte af forskellige tilbud og aktiviteter som f.eks. café, håndarbejdsværksteder, den lokale tv-station, en stor sal til koncerter og forfatterarrangementer og borgerservice. På Bibliotekets hjemmeside står der: “På anden sal finder du Demokratihjørnet, hvor lokaludvalget og medborgercentret holder til. Her yder de bl.a. hjælp og støtte til borgergruppernes forskellige projekter”. Teksten kan ses som en kort, nøgtern og noget undseelig beskrivelse af, hvad der foregår på anden sal i huset, men med historiske briller på er denne funktionsbeskrivelse langt mere interessant. Det er nemlig på anden sal, at man huser ‘bydelslaboratoriet’ (en del af demokratihjørnet), der eksplicit og fra husets fødsel er udviklet til at etablere netværk mellem og huse græsrødder, der gerne vil lave debatter, kampagner og happenings af mere eller mindre politisk art i byens rum. Det er, så vidt jeg ved, ret nyt, at sådanne funktioner får plads og fra starten af eksplicit inviteres indenfor på en ellers etableret og ‘formel’ kulturinstitution som biblioteket. For det andet vil jeg påpege, at fyrtårnsprojekterne, hvis de ikke trækker besøgende og ‘gør en forskel’, vil fremstå som pinlige fejlinvesteringer for de ansvarlige kommunale toppolitikere og embedsmænd. De har brug for ‘kunder’ i butikken, der bidrager til at skabe

ent types of libraries but also between the library and other public sector and civil society institutions. That may also improve the library’s chance of survival; an informant in my PhD project puts it very clearly: “… as I understand it, the reason we weren’t taken off the budget last time (in the previous budget negotiations), the reason why we weren’t cut… came down to (…) local protests. So many people protested because of, how could you put it, the work we do, both for our users and also as a place for many of the local youths to drop in” (Delica 2013:168). In other words, it clearly helps to establish relations with local institutions and, for example, to initiate activities that open the area up to the outside world and enhance the library’s role as a central institution that brings the community together. That insight is also relevant for the beacon projects. Thirdly, and in conclusion, the title of the essay is of course slightly misleading. This is not an either-or scenario but instead two positions in a broad spectrum. It is neither realistic to expect that all 98 municipalities in Denmark will create iconic libraries nor to expect all the local libraries across the country to develop into full-fledged community centers. The library sector needs both, and where there is a synergy potential it will be possible to build very strong constellations. Examples of the latter include the relationship between the future highprofile Urban Mediaspace (UM) and the City of Aarhus and the City’s other public libraries (several of which are located in so-called marginalized neighborhoods). It will be a challenge not

(og ikke alene forbruge) kultur. Den dynamik kan sagtens komme fra de små og æstetisk set mindre prangende filialer. Disse har ofte en nærhed til borgerne og til subkulturelle miljøer – Nørrebro Bibliotek i Bragesgade er et godt eksempel herpå. Dette er med andre ord en opfordring til, at der tænkes helt eksplicit i gensidige sammenhænge på tværs af institutioner – ikke alene mellem forskellige typer af biblioteker, men også mellem biblioteket og andre offentlige og civilsamfundsbaserede institutioner. Dette kan også øge bibliotekets overlevelseschancer; en informant i min afhandling udtrykker dette meget klart: “…så vidt jeg kunne forstå sidste gang (ved sidste budgetforhandlinger), grunden til vi ikke blev sparet væk… det var på grund (…) af protester i området. Der var så mange, der protesterede på grund af den, hvad kan man sige, indsats vi gør for, både for vores brugere, men også som værested for mange af de unge” (Delica 2013:168). Det er med andre ord tydeligt, at det betaler sig at etablere relationer med lokalsamfundets institutioner og f.eks. være igangsætter for aktiviteter, der både åbner området for omverdenen og forstærker bibliotekets rolle som central og samlende institution for lokalområdet. Den indsigt kan fyrtårnsprojekterne også drage nytte af. For det tredje og afsluttende er titlen på essayet naturligvis noget misvisende. Der er ikke tale om en enten ellerrelation, men om to positioner i et bredt spektrum. Det er hverken realistisk, at der dukker ikoniske biblioteker op i samtlige 98 kommuner, eller at alle biblioteksfilialer landet over udvikler sig til 39

XXX

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References Andersen, John, Delica, Kristian & Frandsen, Martin Severin (2013): “From ‘book container’ to community centre”. In Moulaert, Frank; MacCallum, Diana; Mehmood, Abid & Hamdouch, Abdelillah: Social Innovation: Collective action, Social learning and Transdisciplinary Research. International Handbook on Social Innovation. Edward Elgar. Det Digitale Råd (2011): Effektiviser borgernes kontakt til det offentlige. Debatoplæg om kanalstrategi. Det Digitale Råd, 3rd report. January 2011. Delica, Kristian Nagel (2013): Biblioteksbaserede medborgercentre i udsatte boligområder: om praksisformer, strategier og social innovation i arbejdet med avanceret marginalitet. PhD dissertation, Roskilde University. Delica, Kristian Nagel & Elbeshausen, Hans (2013): SocioCultural Innovation by and through Public Libraries in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods in Denmark: Concepts and Practices. Information Research, 18 (3), paper C14. Oldenburg, Ray (1999 [1989]): The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. Marlowe & Company, New York. Pateman, John & Vincent, John (2010): Public Libraries and Social Justice. Ashgate, Burlington. Rasmussen, Casper Hvenegaard, Jochumsen, Henrik & Skot-Hansen, Dorte (2011): Biblioteket i byudviklingen – oplevelse, kreativitet og innovation. IVA, Realdania og Danmarks Biblioteksforening, Copenhagen. Theme issue of Nordisk Tidsskrift for Informationsvidenskab og Kulturformidling om “Biblioteket i byens rum”, No. 1, vol. 2. 2013.

fuldblods medborgercentre. Bibliotekssektoren har brug for begge dele, og i de tilfælde, hvor der er synergi herimellem, kan der udvikles særdeles stærke konstellationer. Eksempler herpå er f.eks. relationen mellem det kommende højtprofilerede Urban Mediaspace (UM) og Aarhus og kommunens andre filialer (hvoraf flere er placeret i såkaldt udsatte boligområder). Det bliver en udfordring ikke at udsulte de lokale filialer på forskellige måder (symbolsk, anerkendelsesmæssigt og driftsøkonomisk), når UM slår dørene op. Det bliver ligeledes en udfordring kontinuerligt at arbejde på, at der er en ‘socio-kulturel fødekæde’ mellem filialerne og UM, og at UM også udvikler en social profil og endda (også) kommer til at spille en rolle for kommunens mere marginaliserede borgere – dette kunne måske ligefrem være med inspiration i meget af det pionerarbejde, der gennem de sidste 10 år er lavet med at transformere bibliotekets ydelser, så de i endnu højere grad rammer borgernes specifikke behov i et af landets fattigste boligområder i Community Center Gellerup. Kilder Andersen, John, Delica, Kristian & Frandsen, Martin Severin (2013): “From ’book container’ to community centre”. I Moulaert, Frank; MacCallum, Diana; Mehmood, Abid & Hamdouch, Abdelillah: Social Innovation: Collective action, Social learning and Transdisciplinary Research. International Handbook on Social Innovation. Edward Elgar. Det Digitale Råd (2011): Effektiviser borgernes kontakt til det offentlige. Debatoplæg om kanalstrategi. Det Digitale Råd, 3. rapport. Januar 2011. Delica, Kristian Nagel (2013): Biblioteksbaserede medborgercentre i udsatte boligområder: om praksisformer, strategier og social innovation i arbejdet med avanceret marginalitet. Ph.d. Afhandling, Roskilde Universitet. Delica, Kristian Nagel & Elbeshausen, Hans (2013): SocioCultural Innovation by and through Public Libraries in Disadvanteged Neigborhoods in Denmark: Concepts and Practices. Information Research, 18 (3), paper C14. Oldenburg, Ray (1999 [1989]): The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair salons and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. Marlowe & Company, New York. Pateman, John & Vincent, John (2010): Public Libraries and Social Justice. Ashgate, Burlington. Rasmussen, Casper Hvenegaard, Jochumsen, Henrik & Skot-Hansen, Dorte (2011): Biblioteket i byudviklingen – oplevelse, kreativitet og innovation. IVA, Realdania og Danmarks Biblioteksforening, København. Temanummer af Nordisk Tidsskrift for Informationsvidenskab og Kulturformidling om “Biblioteket i byens rum”, nr. 1, 2. årgang. 2013.

to give local libraries a lower priority in various ways (symbolically and in terms of recognition and funding) once UM opens to the public. It will also be a challenge to continue to ensure a ‘sociocultural food chain’ between the local libraries and UM and to ensure that UM develops a social profile, even (also) playing a role for the City’s more marginalized citizens. In this, they might even draw inspiration from the pioneering effort at Community Center Gellerup over the past ten years, which has aimed to transform the library service in order to target people’s specific needs in one of Denmark’s poorest areas.

THE PLACEMAKER

PROJECT PRESENTATION

THE PLACEMAKER SIGNE FILSKOV & HEIDI JACOBSGAARD SCHØBEL

he golden library building consists of four boxes – or books, if you will – stacked on top of each other with a cladding of golden stretch metal. The large, dense volumes are staggered, with different orientations, and connect to the existing cultural center by means of footbridges, stairs and intersecting levels. The two library entrances, one to the north and one to the south, provide a shortcut in the city via the lobby. Like the rest of the library, both the interior and the exterior, the lobby has decorations by the Danish street art artist HuskMitNavn 42

The Library in Copenhagen’s north-west district appears as a beacon of culture in the form of a giant stack of golden books. To quote the city’s development plan for the district, “Lidt mere Nordvest” (Slightly more north-west), “The new library and cultural center should serve as the community forum that the Bispebjerg district needs; the ambition is to create a unique setting for cultural activities, reflection, development and debate in order to generate energy and strengthen cultural activities in the district.” Thus, The Library on Rentemestervej reflects a trend where libraries are seen as ‘placemakers’ that build community identity and serve as cultural centers, enriching and connecting the community. As such, it is a good example of the growing emphasis on libraries as meeting places in a time of increasing individualization, digitization and functional compartmentalization of the city.

(RememberMyName), which give the library an urban feel. The architects behind the building also designed the interior, which includes a rethinking of library furniture. On the ground floor, the municipal Citizen Service counter sits next to Café Glad, where visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee along with their daily (international) newspaper. Another street level facility is the children’s library, Grotten (The Cave). It is furnished with green, yellow and white cubic boxes, which can be used as a climbing landscape, as bookcases, and as seating. The first floor fea-

Location: 76 Rentemestervej, Copenhagen NW Architects: COBE Architects and Transform Landscape Architects: Schønherr Consultants: Wessberg and Witraz architects Client: The Culture and Leisure Administration, City of Copenhagen Project area: 2,000 sqm Project year: 2009-2011 43

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TWENTYFIRST

In 2009, the two libraries in Copenhagen’s NW district merged with the local cultural center. The existing cultural center was expanded by 2,000 square meters and now had room for a café, a citizen service center, a local TV station, library facilities for children, youth and adults, creative workshops and many other facilities. The merger of the two local libraries and the cultural center aimed to create a type of library that was new in Denmark, and The Library on Rentemestervej is a good example of a library trend that integrates cultural and social facilities. The intention was to create a welcoming place that would offer assistance with self-service access to public services, issue passports, provide information about a variety of issues in a safe space and, of course, lend library books. The Library on Rentemestervej also exemplifies the role that libraries can play in urban renewal initiatives aimed at reviving and revitalizing worn-down neighborhoods. Thus, in its relatively brief existence, The Library on Rentemestervej has already helped modify the identity of Copenhagen’s north-west district and established itself as a cultural center for the local community. It also serves as an excellent Danish example of a global trend toward creating hybrids of social institutions, cultural centers and more conventional library facilities. Nan Dahlkild points out that the decision to simply call the place The Library reflects today’s broad library concept, which includes a wide range of functions. “In recent years, there has 44

been a great interest world-wide in the role of libraries as ‘placemakers’ in urban development, that is, libraries as architectural icons, drivers of economic development and social, educational and cultural actors in connection with urban renewal. The Library on Rentemestervej has its own unique identity that embraces the contrast between large, open spaces and small, intimate places such as the café, The Cave, and the fiction section. The urban space approach and the use of spaces-within-a-space are particularly successful features. The Library contains elements of the ‘third place’– a free space between home and work,” Dahlkild says. He sees the design of the library as an urban space with main streets and side streets as a very strong feature and also highlights HuskMitNavn’s street art-inspired drawings of happy people, some with musical instruments, which continue from the street and help create an urban feel inside The Library. Maria Gomez-Guillamon Werner says, “The architectural design of the project is simple. Each box contains a program, and the character of the space is determined by the size of the room or the interior design. Only in a few cases does the program affect the interior design, as in the children’s section, but that is expressed solely in the outfitting, not in the architectural solution.” She points to Seattle Central Library as a clear source of inspiration and says about this type of project, “This is an architecture that, on the one hand, is dictated by the program, as all these different programs are stacked in various containers based on the conviction that the encounter of functions within the containers will create one large, dynamic space. On the other hand, it creates a highly inflexible concept that restricts the inherent spatial qualities and makes it difficult to develop the space to accommodate its own needs. It becomes an architecture that both dictates and is dictated.” The project is part of a global trend toward merging traditional library functions with functions that are associated with being a citizen in a welfare society. A place that covers such a wide range of functions as The Library on Rentemestervej, might risk becoming quite chaotic and confusing, with no room for orientation, engagement, and reflection. The Library on Rentemestervej seems to steer clear of this risk. Perhaps precisely because of the strict programming that Maria Gomez-Guillamon Werner describes.

tures a section for young adults and a media section with music, films, and computer games. Also on this floor, one finds the City of Copenhagen’s ‘community lab’ Bydelslaboratoriet. The lab offers information about funding and support for community initiatives and projects and is home to Bispebjerg Lokaludvalg (Local Committee) and Medborgercentret (Citizens’ Center). On the second floor one finds the adult section, sub-divided into fiction and non-fiction. The fiction section has a light pinewood decor and comfortable easy chairs, while the non-fiction section has a sparser and more minimalist decor. The third floor features a hall that is used for children’s theater, concerts, literature events etc. as well as the premises of Bispebjerg’s local TV & radio station. The roof has an open patio overlooking the area. There is wireless Internet access throughout, visitors can borrow laptops for use on the premises, and the entire library is fitted with modern IT equipment. The spaces in between the four boxes/floors form open, transparent rooms with glass walls.

THE NEED FOR SPEED

FEATURE

THE NEED FOR SPEED BJARKE MØLLER

Fiber net will be a key competitive factor for cities and nations in the years to come, but Denmark is falling behind in the gigabit race, while Sweden has pioneered a unique model that gives the country an international edge. This is the story about why cities and nations are competing on speed, and why the big new amounts of data are a potential goldmine.

few milliseconds may spell the differ ence between success and failure in the new global economy. And some people are willing to pay a high price to speed up the online transfer of vital data. Not least the traders in derivatives at the Chicago Board of Trade. When a trader hits the button to buy a security that is traded at the New York Stock Exchange, the message takes just a few milliseconds to reach its destination via fiber-optic cables. I 2010, the round trip transfer time was 13.1 milliseconds, but now, some providers are promising to cut the time to 9 or maybe even 8 milliseconds. The difference is not only an ocean of time for the high-frequency trading that takes place automatically, governed by complex algorithms. It is also emblematic of the new world order. Fiber networks have arguably become the most important infrastructure in the new world order, where the speed of execution goes up, instant access to data and information is vital, and the transatlantic fiber-optic connection reduces the geographic distance between, say, Chicago and London to 79 milliseconds. Round trip, of course. 46

Fibernet er afgørende for byer og nationers konkurrenceevne, men Danmark er ved at blive sat af i gigabitkapløbet, hvor svenskerne har udviklet en unik model, der er blevet foregangseksempel. Her fortælles historien om, hvorfor byerne og nationerne kæmper om højere hastighed, og hvorfor de nye datamængder er en potentiel guldmine.

å millisekunder kan udgøre forskellen på succes eller fiasko i den nye globale økono mi. Og der er folk, der vil betale dyrt for at få sat hastigheden i vejret ved overførslen af vitale data på internettet. Det gælder ikke mindst på børsen hos Chicago Board of Trade. Når en finansmand trykker på knappen og køber et finansielt papir, der handles på børsen i New York, sendes beskeden via fiberoptiske kabler på få millisekunder. I 2010 tog det 13,1 millisekunder tur/ retur, men nu lover nogle selskaber at skære tiden ned til 9, måske 8 millisekunder. Forskellen er ikke kun et ocean af tid for de højfrekvente finansielle handler, der sker automatisk efter komplicerede algoritmer. Det er også et sindbillede på den nye verdensorden. Fibernet er blevet den måske vigtigste infrastruktur i den nye verdensorden, hvor eksekveringshastigheden stiger, hvor lynhurtig adgang til data og informationer er af vital betydning, og hvor den geografiske afstand mellem f.eks. Chicago og London reduceres til 79 millisekunder i det fiberoptiske netværk over Atlanterhavet. Tur/retur naturligvis. For byerne er hastigheden på internettet blevet en afgørende konkurrencefaktor, når borgmestre

For cities, online speed has become a key competitive factor in the efforts of mayors to attract businesses and jobs. In the modern economy, physical and digital planning merge into one, and the total amount of data is growing explosively. The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama, has declared that he aims to make Chicago the most connected city in the world, “and expanding our fiber-optic cable infrastructure is critical to achieving this goal.” He made this statement in September, when the city council signed a deal with the telecommunications network operator ExteNet Systems to acquire a new fiber-optic network to connect public institutions, parks, public spaces and underserved neighborhoods. The inter-city competition on data Cities all over the world, from Kansas City and Chattanooga in the United States to Stockholm and Singapore, have made it a top priority to win the global gigabit race, where online speed is no longer measured in download speeds of 20-30 megabits per second (Mbit/s) as in Denmark but reach levels of 1,000 Mbit/s for both download and upload. The difference is quite noticeable. At that speed, for example, an HD film can be downloaded in less than 2 minutes compared to the 20-30 minutes many Danish families have to put up with. But the stakes are much higher than that. Fiber optics also make it possible to fulfill the vision of giving citizens access to digital welfare services and telemedicine, also in rural districts

forsøger at tiltrække nye virksomheder og sikre job. For i den moderne økonomi smelter fysisk og digital planlægning sammen, og mængden af data vokser eksplosivt. Chicagos borgmester, Rahm Emanuel, der er tidligere toprådgiver for præsident Barack Obama, har sagt, at han ønsker at gøre Chicago til den bedst forbundne by i verden, “og udvidelse af vores fiberoptiske kabel-infrastruktur er helt afgørende for at nå dette mål”. Det udtalte han i september, da bystyret underskrev en aftale med teleselskabet ExteNet Systems om at få leveret et nyt fibernet, der skal forbinde institutioner, parker, offentlige pladser og nabolag med dårlige internetforbindelser. Byernes kamp om data Byer fra Kansas til Chattanooga i USA til Stockholm og Singapore satser hårdt på at blive vindere i det globale gigabitkapløb, hvor hastigheden på internettet ikke længere måles i 20-30 mbit pr. sekunds download som i Danmark, men bliver til 1000 Mbit/s til både download og upload. Det er virkelig noget, der kan mærkes. Eksempelvis kan en film i HD-format downloades på under to minutter, mens det for mange danske familier kan tage op til 20-30 minutter. Men der er meget mere på spil. Med fiber kan man også virkeliggøre visio nerne om at give borgerne digital velfærdsservice og telemedicinsk pleje til selv borgere i yderområderne, hvor selv de hurtigste mobilnet mangler båndbredde og speed til at klare datamængderne. 47

THE NEED FOR SPEED

TWENTYFIRST

68,45 %

62,76 %

60 55 50 45 40 35,85 %

32,70 %

30 23,77 %

25 20

18,30 %

15 10,68 %

10 5 0.82 %

1.71 %

1.97 %

2,02 %

7.72 %

7.19 %

6.82 % 2.75 %

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The 130-year-old copper cables can no longer handle the deluge of data that modern society relies on

Fr a

Man kan lave onlineklasseværelser i skolerne, så børnene kan møde og få undervisning af selv de skarpeste hjerner på nettet. Og med fiber vil byerne få en infrastruktur, der kan bære alle de data, som i fremtiden vil blive udvekslet på det intelligente smart grid-elsystem. Det mener formanden for Danske Regioner, Bent Hansen (S): “Hvis man ønsker digital velfærd, må man også etablere den nødvendige infrastruktur med fiber, der kan gøre det muligt. Der skal fiber ud til alle hjem i et moderne samfund,” siger han til Twentyfirst. Fra 2015 får alle danske borgere pligt til at kommunikere digitalt med det offentlige, og digitaliseringen af velfærden vil brede sig til flere og flere områder. Folk indbetter allerede deres skat digitalt, tinglysningen er digitaliseret, og folk søger om institutionspladser over nettet. Børn og forældre får pligt til at bruge elev- og forældreintranet på skolerne, og eleverne skal aflevere deres opgaver over nettet. Men hænger Danmark stadig

Share of fibre connections Percentage of fiber connections among total broadband connections, selected OECD-countries.

where even the fastest mobile networks lack the bandwidth and the speed to handle heavy data transfers. They also make online classrooms possible, allowing schoolchildren to meet and be taught by the brightest minds online. And fiber networks will give towns and cities an infrastructure capable of supporting the amounts of data that will be exchanged in the intelligent smart grid power system of the future. The Chairman of Danish Regions, Bent Hansen (Social Democrats) agrees: “If we want digital welfare services, we have to establish the necessary fiber-based infrastructure to make it feasible. To build a modern society, we have to give all homes fiber access,” he says to Twentyfirst. From 2015, all Danish citizens are required to communicate digitally with public service providers and agencies, and the digitization of welfare services is bound to continue to spread to more areas. People are already filing their taxes online, mortgage registration has been digitized, and

applications for daycare placement are also handled online. Children and parents are required to use the school’s student/parent intranet, and students have to hand in assignments online. But can Denmark remain a cohesive society if the population is divided into high-speed internet users with fiber access versus those who trudge along on old copper wires and ADSL connections? Bent Hansen does not think so. He draws a comparison with the historical decision to ensure that all homes had access to electricity, running water, and heating. “Today, it would be inconceivable to tell someone that they can’t have electricity put into their home, so if they want that, they’ll just have to move somewhere else,” he says. The big data leap In the coming years, people in Denmark and other western countries will see an explosion of data in the public and private space that will put the existing networks under heavy pressure. The old copper telephone wires will not be able to handle the huge data loads, and the mobile network will depend increasingly on fast fiber-optic connections to link the mobile cell sites. This becomes evident by extrapolating recent years’ explosive growth in data traffic. “70 percent of mobile phone traffic already runs on Wi-Fi networks that con48

sammen, hvis der opstår et nyt A- og B-hold på nettet, der er delt mellem dem, der har høj hastighed på fibernettet, og dem, der snøvler afsted på nedslidte kobberledninger og ADSL-forbindelser? Det mener Bent Hansen ikke. Han sammenligner det med dengang, hvor vi i Danmark besluttede, at alle husstande skulle have strøm, vand og varme. “Det er fuldstændig utænkeligt, at man kan sige til borgeren, at han ikke kan få strøm ind i huset og bare kan flytte”, siger han. Den store dataficering I de kommende år vil borgerne i Danmark og andre vestlige lande opleve en eksplosion af data i det offentlige og private rum, som vil sætte de eksisterende netværker under hårdt pres. Telefonnettets gamle kobberledninger vil ikke længere kunne klare datamængderne, og det mobile netværk vil i stigende grad blive afhængige af hurtige fiberforbindelser mellem antennemasterne. Det står klart ved at fremskrive de sidste års eksplosive vækst i datamængderne. “70 pct. af trafikken på mobiltelefonerne foregår allerede i dag over wifi, der er koblet op på det faste netværk, og mobilnettet ville kollapse, hvis det selv skulle klare opgaven”, siger lektor ved Aalborg Universitet Michael Jensen. “Hvis vi skal have et pålideligt og hurtigt 4G-mobilnet kræver det, at der bliver lagt fiber ud

nect to landline systems, and the mobile network would collapse if it had to support itself,” says Associate Professor Michael Jensen, Aalborg University. “To achieve a fast and reliable 4G mobile network we need to install fiber to link up all the cell sites, or we won’t be able to use all the frequencies,” he says. But the 130-year-old copper cables can no longer handle the deluge of data that modern society relies on. “Fiber has become a critical infrastructure for society,” says Jensen. In our everyday life, bits and digital gadgets are present everywhere, from we wake up in the morning, during our daily commute, and until we go to bed at night. Digitization is a factor in every industry, and even manufacturers of wind turbines and machinery compete to deliver digital services, data collection and ongoing software updates. In Denmark, 99 percent of all children have Internet access at home, and even the older generations are coming onboard now. In the United States, studies have found that young people would rather go without TV than give up Internet access, and many are speaking of a shift in paradigm where Internet access has become an integral part of modern social behavior. Every single day, there are more than 400 million new tweets, more than 730 million people around the

mellem alle antennemasterne, for ellers kan man ikke udnytte alle frekvenserne”, fastslår han. Men de 130 år gamle kobberledninger kan ikke længere bære den syndflod af data, som det moderne samfund er ramt af. “Fiber er blevet en samfundskritisk infrastruktur”, mener Michael Jensen. I hverdagslivet er bits og digitale gadgets til stede overalt, lige fra folk står op om morgenen, er på vej til arbejdet eller går i seng. Digitaliseringen slår igennem i alle brancher, og selv fabrikanter af vindmøller og maskiner kappes om at levere digitale serviceydelser, dataindsamling og løbende softwareopdateringer. 99 pct. af danske børn har internet i hjemmet, og selv de ældre er ved komme med. I USA er der undersøgelser blandt de unge, der viser, at de hellere vil undvære tv end internetforbindelsen, og der er tale om et paradigmeskifte, hvor adgangen til internet er blevet en integreret del af det moderne menneskes sociale adfærd. Hver eneste dag sendes over 400 millioner tweets over internettet, over 730 millioner verdensborgere går hver dag på Facebook for at lave opdateringer, og hver time uploades over 10 millioner billeder på Facebook. Det en guldmine af data, der venter på at blive udnyttet. Men det stopper ikke ved de sociale medier. 49

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world access Facebook to post updates, and every hour, more than 10 million images are uploaded to Facebook. This creates a goldmine of data just waiting to be utilized. But the trend goes beyond the social media. The human brain and our physical activities will be online constantly, and that has profound consequences for our thinking and behavior. In London, for example, the technology firm API has built an analysis system that enables the real-time search for tweets expressing people’s sentiments about buses and trains in London. The example is mentioned in the report Designing with data. Shaping our future cities, which was prepared by the Royal Institute of British Architects in cooperation with Arup. The report recommends government agencies, city planners, and architects to make a more active use of realtime data about the way people use public spaces and infrastructure in preparation for designing future solutions. Big data in our machines In the coming years, modern people will become surrounded by communicating things and products with built-in sensors, GPS and memory chips to an extent that is difficult to fathom today. In Australia, for example, the City of Melbourne has positioned sensors around the city to collect data about how people use the city in order to improve the city planners’ ability to accommodate future needs. In our homes, the Internet has spread to every single room. And the Spanish city of Santander has received EU funding to install 12,000 sensors throughout the urban environment. They city expects big savings from real-time informa50

Den menneskelige hjerne og vores fysiske aktiviteter vil konstant være koblet på nettet, og det vil få dybe konsekvenser for, hvordan vi tænker og handler. I London har teknologifirmaet API f.eks. bygget en analysesystem, der i realtid kan følge de tweets, som borgere udsender om deres følelser, oplevelser og holdninger til busser og tog i London. Eksemplet indgår i en rapport, Designing with data. Shaping our future cities, som Royal Academy of British Architects har udarbejdet i samarbejde med Arup. De anbefaler, at de offentlige myndigheder, byplanlæggere og arkitekter fremover mere aktivt anvender realtidsdata over folks brug af offentlige pladser og infrastruktur, inden man designer fremtidens løsninger. Big data i vore maskiner I de kommende år vil det moderne menneske være omgivet af kommunikerende ting og produkter med indbyggede sensorer, GPS og hukommelseschips i en grad, som er vanskelig at forestille sig. I den australske by Melbourne har man f.eks. placeret sensorer rundt omkring i byen for at indsamle data om, hvordan borgerne bruger byen, og dermed blive bedre til at planlægge i forhold de fremtidige behov. Også i hjemmet er internettet bredt sig ud til alle rum. Og den spanske by Santander har fået EU-støtte til at installere 12.000 sensorer overalt i bymiljøet, og man forudser store besparelser, når man fremover i realtid får informationer om, at affaldsspande snart skal tømmes, at lyset i offentlige bygninger kan slukkes, at vandingen i parkerne skal mindskes og så videre. Flere europæiske byer er koblet på projektet, der

tion telling them that specific trash cans need to be emptied, that lights in public buildings can be turned off, that watering of public parks can be reduced, etc. Several European cities have joined the project, which offers a taste of our highly digitized future. Today, a typical Danish family has ten devices that are connected to the Internet, but by 2020 each home may have as many as fifty devices with an online connection, thus the assessment of the OCED, the industrialized countries’ organization for economic cooperation. The new Internet of Things will lead to an explosive growth in the amount of data in coming years; from supermarket logistics, research labs and welfare services to smartphones and running shoes with built-in data chips we are accumulating data at an unprecedented rate. By 2020, the consultancy firm Gartner Group estimates that there will be more than 7 billion smartphones and PCs in use in addition to 26 billion other devices that connect to and transfer data via the Internet. This leads to an exponential growth in global data traffic, which may amount a whopping 40,000 billion gigabytes by 2020. Big data is going to change our lives dramatically, is the message in Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier’s bestselling book Big Data – A Revolution that Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think. Big data is a resource and a tool that will make it possible to analyze people’s behavior and test hypotheses faster than ever before. It will also allow us to experiment and innovate faster at an unprecedented rate. In turn, this ability to analyze and harness big data in decision-making process-

er et billede på den datatunge virkelighed, som vi er på vej ind i. I dag har en typisk dansk familie 10 enheder koblet på internettet, men i 2020 vil der måske være 50 forskellige netopkoblede ting i hvert hjem, vurderer de vestlige landes samarbejdsorganisation, OECD. Det nye Internet of Things vil få datamængderne til at vokse eksplosivt i de kommende år – lige fra supermarkedernes logistiske apparat, forskningslaboratorierne og velfærdsinstitutionerne til smartphones og løbesko med indbyggede datachips akkumuleres data som aldrig før. I 2020 vil der ifølge konsulentvirksomheden Gartner Group være mere end 7 milliarder smartphones og pc’er i brug, og oven i det vil der være 26 milliarder andre apparater, der er koblet op og overfører data på internettet. Det udløser en eksponentiel stigning i de globale datamængder, der i 2020 måske vil runde hele 40.000 milliarder gigabyte. Big data vil transformere den måde, vi lever, arbejder og tænker på, lyder budskabet i Viktor Mayer-Schönberger og Kenneth Cukiers bestsellerbog Big Data – A Revolution that Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think. Big data er en ressource og et redskab, der vil gøre det muligt at analysere folks adfærd og teste hypoteser hurtigere end tidligere. Og det vil gøre det muligt at eksperimentere og innovere hurtigere end nogensinde før i verdenshistorien. Og evnen til at analysere og at bruge big data i beslutningsprocessen vil definere nationers og virksomheders konkurrencemæssige fordele, mener de. I trafikken kan man styre trafiklysene mere 51

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es will come to define the competitive positions of nations and companies, the authors argue. In traffic, cities will be able to control traffic lights more intelligently, the energy sector will be able to reduce CO2 emissions by analyzing big data in the new smart grid networks, and companies and welfare service providers will be able to optimize their procedures by analyzing data about the behavior of customers and users. The potential is staggering. The OECD report Exploring Data-Driven Innovation as a New Source of Growth argues that the intelligent use of data will enable governments to reduce administrative costs by 15-20 percent. Competing models Without a powerful infrastructure with digital superhighways where the rapidly growing amounts of data can be transferred at lightning speed via fiber-optic cables, the net will be subject to traffic jams and the constant risk of collapse.

intelligent, i energisektoren kan man spare store mængder CO 2 ved at analyse big data i de nye smart grid-netværker, og virksomheder og velfærdsinstitutioner kan optimere deres arbejdsprocesser ved at analysere data om kunders og borgeres adfærd. Mulighederne er enorme. De vestlige landes økonomiske samarbejdsorganisation, OECD, skønner i rapporten Exploring Data-Driven Innovation as a New Source of Growth, at man via intelligent brug af data kan spare op imod 15-20 pct. af de administrative udgifter i de offentlige sektor. Kampen om vindermodellerne Uden en stærk infrastruktur med digitale motorveje, hvor de hastigt stigende datamængder overføres lynhurtigt via fiberoptiske kabler, vil der opstå store trafikpropper, og nettet vil konstant være truet af kollaps. Men Europa og de fleste europæiske storbyer er kommet bagud i det globale fiberkapløb. Den danske regering har

The ability to analyze and harness big data in decision-making processes will come to define the competitive positions of nations and companies However, most major European cities are lagging behind in the global fiber optics race. In March 2013, the Danish government announced the goal of giving all Danish households and companies access to upload speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s by 2020, but although the government aims for a download speed of 100 Mbit/s, that still falls far short of the goals set in other countries. For example, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are making huge investments to establish high-speed next-generation fiber networks that are capable of transferring one gigabit per second, and in the United States, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) called for every state to establish a gigabit city by 2015. This has become a strategic concern for the European Commission. “If you combine Japan, South Korea and the USA, it is the same population as Europe. But they have over eight times more fixed fiber broadband, and almost fifteen times more 4G. And the gap is growing. Europe will lose if we don’t also change,” said Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission, at a telecommunications conference in September 2013. “Current trends are unsustainable for the sector, and unsustainable for our whole economy. 52

i marts 2013 opstillet en målsætning om, at alle husstande og virksomheder senest i 2020 skal have adgang til uploadhastigheder på mindst 30 Mbit/s, men selv om man gerne vil give danskerne en downloadhastighed på 100 Mbit/s, så er det langt mindre end målet i andre lande. I Japan, Sydkorea og Singapore investeres der massivt i at etablere lynhurtige next generation-fibernetværk, hvor man kan nå op på en gigabit i sekundet, og i USA har formanden for de føderale telemyndigheder (FCC) erklæret, at alle delstater skal have gigabit-byer i 2015. Det er blevet et strategisk problem, der skaber bekymring langt ind i Europa-Kommissionen. “Hvis man lægger Japan, Sydkorea og USA sammen, har de omtrent samme befolkning som Europa, men de har over otte gange så meget fiberbredbånd og mere end 15 gange så meget 4G-mobilnet. Gabet er voksende, og Europa vil tabe, hvis vi ikke forandrer os”, sagde Neelie Kroos, der viceformand for Europa-Kommissionen, på en telekonference i september. “De aktuelle trends er uholdbare for hele vores økonomi. Uden en infrastruktur, der er konkurrencedygtig, kommer vi ingen vegne. Vi skader forbrugerne, vi skader økonomien, og vi skader vores strategiske fremtid, hvis ikke vi handler”,

There are basically four models for establishing fiber networks

Der er fire hovedmodeller for, hvordan man får etableret fibernetværk

Market-driven model: The government leaves it up to the market, which in practice means that established players, such as tele- and cable companies, take a leading role and determine which companies and households will have access. This is still the prevailing model in Denmark.

En markedsdreven model: Staten lader markedet råde, og det betyder i praksis, at de etablerede spillere som teleog kabelselskaber får dominerende rolle og bestemmer, hvilke virksomheder og husstande der kan få adgang til fiber. Denne model hælder Danmark stadig mest til.

Google model: The online giant has established its own fiber company, Google Fiber, which is now challenging the established tele- and cable companies in three US cities – Kansas City, Austin, and Provo – with aggressive pricing on fiber connections that reach all the neighborhoods where most residents could be potential customers.

Google-model: Netgiganten Google har etableret sit eget fiberselskab, Google Fiber, der i tre amerikanske byer, Kansas, Austin og Provo, nu udfordrer de etablerede teleog kabelselskaber med aggressive priser på en gigabits fiberforbindelser, som kommer ud til alle bydele, hvor der er et flertal af kunder, der efterspørger løsningen.

Community-based model: Co-ops, for example in the energy sector, invest in establishing and running fiber networks that all customers – regardless of size – can access on equal terms. This is the model chosen by Chattanooga, Tennessee and SE in Southern Jutland.

Fællesskabsdreven model: Andelsejede selskaber, f.eks. i energisektoren, investerer selv i at anlægge og drive fibernet, som alle – store som små – kan få adgang til på lige vilkår. Det er en model, som Chattanooga i Tennessee og SE i Sønderjylland er eksponenter for.

The public model: Government – on a national, state or city level – invests in a digital infrastructure and establishes a fiber network that all private service providers can access, competing to deliver digital services to the customers. Stockholm is a pioneer of this particular approach.

Den offentlige model: Staten eller kommunen har selv investeret i en digital infrastruktur og anlagt fibernet, som alle private serviceudbydere kan få adgang til og konkurrere om at levere digitale ydelser til kunderne. Stockholm er et foregangseksempel her.

Without the infrastructure to compete, we aren’t going anywhere – in any sector. We hurt consumers, we hurt the economy, we hurt our strategic future if we do not act,” she said. But the main challenge is how to accelerate the transformation from copper to fiber and make the right investments. Internationally, there are several models that Denmark and other European countries may turn to for inspiration. Denmark is no longer in the lead in the digital race, and we cannot match the best nations in the race for bandwidth and speed. The map of Denmark has many blank spots without fiber, where people often have to make do with an ADSL connection that relies on 130-year-old copper cables, which results in slow and unstable connections. The download speed is increasing, but the upload speed is lagging, because the final meters or kilometers to the home are copper-based. That can hurt commercial growth as well. Several international studies have found a positive link between internet speed and economic growth. According to the consultancy firm Copenhagen Economics, the employment rate is 4.1 percent higher in areas with fiber-to-the-home than in areas without fiber-to-the-home, and an international study found that a 10 percent increase

fastslog hun. Men den store udfordring er, hvordan man accelererer transformationen fra kobber til fiber og investerer pengene rigtigt. Internationalt tegner der sig flere modeller, som Danmark og andre europæiske lande kan hente inspiration hos. Se tekstboks. Danmark er ikke længere en frontløber i det digitale kapløb, og vi kan ikke matche de bedste nationer i kapløbet på båndbredde og hastighed. Det danske landkort er fyldt med sorte huller, hvor der ikke findes fiber, og hvor borgerne ofte må nøjes med ADSL-forbindelser, der er bundet op på 130 år gamle kobberledninger og derfor giver langsomme og ustabile hastigheder. Hastigheden er stigende for download fra nettet, men uploadhastigheden halter langt bagefter, fordi de sidste meter eller kilometer til hjemmet sker via kobberledninger. Det kan også gå ud over væksten. En række internationale undersøgelser har påvist en positiv sammenhæng mellem hurtigere internet og vækst. Ifølge analysehuset Copenhagen Economics er der 4,1 pct. højere beskæftigelse i områder med fiber til hus end i områder uden fiber til hus, og et internationalt studie viser, at 10 pct. større udbredelse af hurtigt bredbånd kan booste bruttonationalproduktet med mellem 0,9 53

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in high-speed broadband coverage can boost the GDP by 0.9-1.5 percentage points. Although economics is not an exact science, several studies have documented the link between faster broadband and increased productivity. TDC hampers development in Denmark Only some parts of Denmark seem to benefit from the fiber net. Even in Copenhagen and northern Zealand, many do not have fiber net access, and if they want more than 30-50 Mbit/s, they usually have to buy a cable TV package from TDC as well. Competition is also limited or non-existent on fiber in the greater Copenhagen area. In 2009, TDC acquired a fiber network from DONG Energy, but although TDC is required to rent the net out to other providers, the company has put in place so many technical barriers that nothing has come of it. In November 2013, TDC acquired the fiber provider ComX in competition with the energy

procentpoint og 1,5 procentpoint. Økonomi er ikke en eksakt videnskab, men en række studier har dokumenteret, at hurtigere bredbånd kan hæve produktiviteten. TDC lægger bånd på udviklingen i Danmark Kun udvalgte dele af Danmark ser ud til at høste fordelene på fibernettet. Selv i København og Nordsjælland kan mange borgere ikke få adgang til fibernettet, og hvis de vil have øget hastigheden over 30-50 mbit i sekundet, er de som regel henvist til at købe en kabeltv-pakke hos TDC oveni. Konkurrencen er også begrænset eller ikke-eksisterende på fiber i hovedstadsområdet. I 2009 købte TDC et fibernet fra DONG Energy, men selv om man er blevet pålagt at udleje nettet til andre operatører, har man i praksis sat så mange tekniske hindringer op, at det ikke er blevet til noget. I november 2013 købte TDC så fiberselskabet ComX for næsen af energiselskabet SE og

Optical fiber is a condition if we want to reverse rural depopulation and maintain an efficient welfare society company SE and other actors and thus prevented the entrance of a real challenger in the lucrative and densely populated Copenhagen market. Torben Rune, managing director of the consultancy firm Netplan, said to the Danish newspaper Berlingske that “the acquisition of ComX was probably driven by the same motivations as TDC’s decision to buy DONG’s fiber network; TDC wants to preserve its position as the sole supplier in the lucrative Copenhagen area.” In other parts of the country, energy companies have invested in fiber networks but not always successfully. That has led to a certain degree of consolidation, but large areas remain that are not covered by fiber networks. TDC currently has 40,000 kilometers of fiber in Denmark, but by comparison they have 300,000 kilometers of copper cables and aim to squeeze money out of the last kilometer of copper cable to people’s homes. Not everyone shares this philosophy, and in the Danish Energy Association, which represents the energy companies, consultant Thomas Woldiderich says that “today, fast fiber networks are a critical infrastructure for society. High speed and high capacity have become some of the most important conditions for growth, welfare and jobs.” The energy company SE is probably the main challenger to TDC’s dominant market position. 54

andre aktører, og dermed fik man forhindret, at der kommer en reel udfordrer på det lukrative og befolkningstætte marked i hovedstaden. Torben Rune, der er direktør i konsulentfirmaet Netplan, har udtalt til Berlingske, at “købet af ComX er nok sket ud fra samme bevæggrunde, som da TDC købte DONGs fibernet; TDC ønsker at bevare sin eneposition som leverandør i de givtige områder i hovedstaden.” I andre dele af landet har energiselskaberne investeret i fibernet, og nogle har brændt fingrene undervejs. Det har ført til en konsolidering, men der er stadig store områder uden fibernet. TDC har idag 40.000 kilometer fiberledninger i Danmark, men TDC har til sammenligning 300.000 km kobberledninger og satser på at klemme penge ud af kobberens sidste kilometer frem til folks hjem. Ikke alle deler den filosofi, og hos Dansk Energi, der samler energiselskaberne, siger konsulent Thomas Woldiderich, at “hurtigt fibernet er i dag en samfundskritisk infrastruktur. Hurtige hastigheder og rigelig kapacitet er blevet en af de vigtigste forudsætninger for vækst, velfærd og arbejdspladser.” Energiselskabet SE er nok den væsentligste udfordrer til TDC’s dominerende markedsposition. SE har lavet en ambitiøs udrulning af fiber i Syddanmark, i 2012 købte selskabet STOFA, og det ejer også bredbåndsselskabet Waoo.

SE has launched an ambitious roll-out of fiber in southern Denmark, in 2012 they acquired STOFA, and they also own the broadband company Waoo. Niels Duedahl, the CEO of the energy company SE in southern Denmark, says to Twentyfirst that fiber networks are a key condition for growth and development. “The small, rural towns in Southern Jutland don’t stand a chance unless they get fiber,” says Duedahl, who has a declared goal of providing fiber-to-the-home to 97.5 percent of all households in the area by 2016. “We have lots of fresh air and beautiful scenery, but if we are to deliver efficient care systems to our senior citizens in the future, and if people are to be able to perform intellectual jobs in this area, we need fiber. Fiber is a condition if we want to reverse rural depopulation and maintain an efficient welfare society in the future, and it also gives companies a shortcut to the global marketplace.” Mayors are rebelling The law governing telecommunications in Denmark still contains two dogmas that legislators, so far, have shied away from challenging: that the law should be technology-neutral and marketneutral. Thus, it does not address whether copper is outdated, and fiber is the future. There has also been no challenge to the market-leading position that the old telecommunications monopoly, TDC,

Niels Duedahl, der er CEO for energiselskabet SE i Syddanmark, understreger over for Twentyfirst, at fibernet er en afgørende forudsætning for vækst og erhvervsudvikling. “Landsbyerne i Sønderjylland har ikke skyggen af en chance, hvis ikke de får fiber”, siger Duedahl, der har sat mål om, at 97,5 pct. af alle husstande i 2016 får fiberforbindelse til hjemmet. “Vi har masser af frisk luft og natur, men hvis vi skal levere effektive plejesystemer til de ældre i fremtiden, og folk skal kunne bestride intellektuelle job her i området, kræver det, at vi har fibernet. Fiber er en vigtig forudsætning for at kunne imødegå udvandringen, at bevare et velfungerende velfærdssamfund i fremtiden, og så giver det virksomhederne en hurtig genvej til det globale marked.” Borgmestrene gør oprør Der er stadig to dogmer i den danske telelovgivning, som politikerne endnu ikke har turdet røre ved. Teleloven skal være teknologineutral og markedsneutral. Det betyder, at man ikke vil tage stilling til, om kobber er forældret, og fiber er fremtiden. Samtidig har man ikke ønsket at gribe ind over for den markedsledende position, som den gamle telemonopolvirksomhed, TDC, sidder på og udnytter. Hele 60 pct. af bredbåndsmarkedet i Danmark er kontrolleret af TDC, og bortset fra Luxembourg er der intet andet land, hvor det 55

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In the municipal landscape, dissatisfaction with patchy broadband infrastructure has long been smoldering In the municipal landscape, dissatisfaction with the poor and patchy broadband infrastructure has long been smoldering. After a conference in Ringkøbing-Skjern in August 2013, the chairman of the Danish Regions, Bent Hansen, penned a letter about the problem together with the local mayor, addressed to Minister for Business and Growth Henrik Sass Larsen. And in October, in a dramatic joint move, the regions and the 98 municipal mayors in Local Government Denmark demanded fiber throughout the country. The Chairman of Danish Regions, Bent Han sen, calls for an ambitious plan for rolling out fiber to all homes, because there are far too many blank spots on the map without adequate coverage. Experiments with telemedicine in Holstebro, for example, showed that the outcome is unsatisfactory without a high-speed Internet connection. He calls copper “a useless technology” and calls for a revision of the national telecommunications agreement of 1999. “If we want development and commercial growth throughout Denmark, we need a digital infrastructure based on fiber. We may be able to change the pattern of settlement and halt rural depopulation if people can work from home, and the children can hand in their school assignments online,” says Bent Hansen. Thomas Woldiderich, a chief consultant in the interest organization Danish Energy Association, expects municipalities to play a more prominent 56

Henrik Sass Larsen om at gøre noget ved problemet. Og i oktober gik regionerne og de 98 borgmestre i Kommunernes Landsforening sammen i en opsigtsvækkende fælles udmelding og krævede fiber til hele landet. Formanden for Danske Regioner, Bent Hansen, mener, at der bør lægges en ambitiøs tidsplan for at få rullet fiber ud til alle husstande, fordi der er alt for mange sorte huller på landkortet uden ordentlig dækning. Forsøg med telemedicin i Holstebro har f.eks. vist, at det fungerer for dårligt, når folk ikke har en lynhurtig netforbindelse. Han kalder kobber for “en udsigtsløs teknologi” og efterlyser et opgør med det fjorten år gamle teleforlig fra 1999. “Hvis vi vil have udvikling og erhverv i hele Danmark, får vi brug for en digital infrastruktur med fiber. Det kan ændre bosætningsmønstret og stoppe fraflytningen fra yderområderne, hvis folk kan udføre deres arbejde hjemmefra, og børnene kan aflevere deres opgaver i skolen via internettet”, siger Bent Hansen. Thomas Woldiderich, der er chefkonsulent i interesseorganisationen Dansk Energi, sætter sin lid til, at kommunerne kommer til at spille en mere fremtrædende rolle i omstillingen til fibernet. “Kommunerne bør have bedre muligheder for at låne kapital og lave intelligente udbud, hvor man stiller krav om fibernet”, siger han. Samtidig er der brug for en oprydning i de eksisterende

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Cities in a bottom-up rebellion It is not only in Denmark that cities and mayors are stirring and calling for fiber for the people. In the British cities of Bristol, Peterborough, York and Bournemouth, for example, the mayors have decided to establish gigabit connections. The British government also approved a grant of some DKK 5 billion to roll out rural broadband, but in practice, most of the money went to British Telecom. That has led to fierce public debate, and in a sharply worded report, the Public Accounts Committee accused the British government of mismanaging public funds and stated that British Telecom had exploited its quasi-monopoly position to maintain their market share and overcharged for its services. Thus, the British examples may not be the best source of inspiration. Perhaps the best example of a fiber frontrunner from the English-speaking world is Chattanooga,

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role in the conversion to fiber networks. “The municipalities should have better opportunities for borrowing investment capital and launch intelligent bidding rounds that include fiber networks as a requirement,” he says. He also sees a need to modernize the current rules and suggests the establishment of an expert task force to tackle the broadband issue. “Today, it’s up to the Minister for Economic Affairs and the Interior Margrethe Vestager to intervene if municipalities transgress against the unwritten rules governing the latitude of their actions. Minister for Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs Carsten Hansen oversees any excavations, and Henrik Sass Larsen has the overall responsibility for telecommunications. In the municipalities, no one knows who to call if they have a problem that needs fixing,” he explains.

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The cheap fiber success of Stockholm, Average prices of dark fiber (SEK) per month calculated on monthly fees and connection fees. Source: United Minds

gamle telemonopol sidder så tungt på markedet. Energiselskaberne har forsøgt at udfordre giganten, men har stadig kun en mindre markedsandel. Kommunerne er også begyndt at blive urolige, fordi manglen på fiberadgang ser ud til at skade væksten. De har stillet krav om at få ændret kommunalfuldmagten, så de får mulighed for at investere i fiber eller åbne de kommunale net op. Men det er ikke lykkedes, og i december 2013 fik Albertslund Kommune f.eks. forbud mod at bruge deres eget fibernet – der forbinder byens institutioner – til at give borgerne gratis wifi i kommunen. I det kommunale landskab har utilfreds heden med den dårlige og hullede bredbåndsinfrastruktur længe ulmet. Efter en konference i Ringkøbing-Skjern i august skrev regionernes formand, Bent Hansen, sammen med den lokale borgmester et fælles brev til erhvervsminister

enjoys and exploits. As much as 60 percent of the Danish broadband market is controlled by TDC, and apart from Luxemburg, no other country has allowed a former telecommunications monopoly a similar market presence. The energy companies have tried to challenge the giant, but so far they have only secured a minor market share. The Danish municipalities too have begun to stir now, because the lack of fiber access is seen to hamper growth. They want to change the unwritten rules that prevent them from investing in fiber or opening municipal networks up to outsiders. So far, they have been unsuccessful in this effort, and in December 2013, for example, the Municipality of Albertslund was barred from using their own fiber net – which is used by the municipal institutions – to offer local residents free Wi-Fi.

regler, mener han og foreslår, at der etableres en bredbånds-task force af eksperter. “I dag er det økonomi- og indenrigsminister Margrethe Vestager, der kan gribe ind over for kommunerne, hvis de overskrider kommunalfuldmagten. Det er Carsten Hansen, der fører tilsyn med gravearbejdet, og Henrik Sass Larsen har det overordnede ansvar for teleområdet. Ingen i kommunerne ved, hvem de skal ringe til, hvis de har et problem, der skal løses”, fortæller han. Byernes oprør fra neden Det er ikke kun i Danmark, at byer og borgmestre gør oprør og kræver fiber til folket. I Bristol, Peterborough, York og Bournemouth har britiske borgmestre f.eks. besluttet at få gigabit-forbindelser i byen. Den britiske regering har også givet en større bevilling på omkring 5 mia. kr. for at få hævet hastigheden på internettet i en række britiske byer, men i praksis er British Telecom løbet med alle støttepengene. Det har udløst en voldsom offentlig debat, hvor statsrevisorerne i en skarp rapport har anklaget den britiske regering for at have misforvaltet offentlige penge, og British Telecom har ifølge dem udnyttet deres quasimonopolstilling på markedet til at bevare deres markedsposition, og de har taget overpriser for opgaverne. Derfor er der næppe så meget at lære af de britiske eksempler. Det måske bedste angelsaksiske eksempel på en fiberfrontløber er snarere Chattanooga i Tennessee. Allerede for fem år siden, mens finanskrisen rasede, besluttede byens kommunalt ejede elselskab i at optage et obligationslån på 169 mio. dollar for at anlægge et fiberoptisk netværk. Med ekstra støtte på 111 mio. dollar fra forbundsregeringen fik byen realiseret en drøm, som mange andre byer i dag misunder dem. Alle Chattanoogas 57

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Tennessee. Already five years ago, while the financial crisis was raging, the city’s publicly owned electric company raised 169 million U.S. dollars in bond money to establish a fiber-optic network. With an additional 111 million dollars in federal stimulus money, the city was able to set up a service that is the envy of many cities today. All Chattanooga’s private homes and companies now have access to a gigabit fiber connection for a monthly fee of 70 dollars. This initiative was not just about increasing the speed but about reinventing the city. The high speed made online giant Amazon choose the city as the location for its new distribution center, which is the size of 28 football fields and has more than 2,000 full-time employees. The fiber net has fueled the transformation of the city, the police uses intelligent traffic light systems that adjust to optimize the flow of traffic, and the power company has established a smart grid with intelligent power meters, which are projected to produce economic gains of up to 580 million dollars over the next ten years. Chattanooga’s community-based fiber net has become a role model for other American cities. This summer, President Barack Obama visited the city and gave a speech at the Amazon distribution center about how to re-establish good, well-paid middleclass jobs in the United States. There are many different models for cities to follow to enter fully into the digital economy of the 21st century and set up fiber nets. In Chattanooga, the initiative was driven by the publicly owned power company, but in Kansas, Provo and Austin, it was the Internet giant Google that grabbed the headlines. Google challenged the established telecommunications companies, offering 1 gigabit fiber access for as little as 70 dollars a month. The offer was a big hit. Or, as Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Fiber’s Kansas push, said at the Broadband World Forum conference in Amsterdam in fall 2013, “There is a huge consumer demand... for faster Internet.... We’re confident that the next 100x improvement in speeds will lead to more innovation.” In response to Google’s initiative, the established telecommunications companies such as AT&T are now offering competitive prices in Austin in an attempt to stem Google’s success. If the phenomenon spreads to all the major cities in the United States, the established players will lose a lucrative business in the densely populated areas. The denser the population, the lower the cost of offering fiber. Google’s fiber push has also demon58

husstande og virksomheder kan, hvis de ønsker det, få adgang til en gigabit-fiberforbindelse, og det koster lige under 400 kr. om måneden. Det var ikke bare et spørgsmål om at få øget hastigheden, men om at genopfinde byen. Internetgiganten Amazon valgte på grund af de hurtige netforbindelser at lægge et nyt distributionscenter i byen, der fylder et areal svarende til 28 fodboldbaner og beskæftiger over 2000 fuldtidsansatte. Fibernettet har været en motor for forandring af byen, politiet gør brug af intelligente trafiklyssystemer, der reguleres alt efter trafikken, og elselskabet har etableret et smart grid med intelligente elmålere, der ifølge selskabet kan give en økonomisk gevinst på op imod 580 mio. dollar i de næste 10 år. Chattanoogas fællesskabsdrevne fibernet er blevet en rollemodel for andre byer i USA. Og præsident Barack Obama besøgte byen sidste sommer, hvor han i Amazons distributionscenter holdt en tale om, hvordan man genskaber gode, velbetalte middelklassejob i USA. Der er mange forskellige modeller for, hvordan byer kan tage det fulde skridt ind i det 21. århundredes digitalt drevne økonomi og etablere fibernet. I Chattanooga har det været det kommunalt ejede elselskab, men i Kansas, Provo og Austin er det internetgiganten Google, der har ryddet overskrifterne. De har udfordret de etablerede teleselskaber og har tilbudt borgerne 1 gigabit-fiber for kun 70 dollar om måneden. Det har været en stor succes. Eller som Kevin Lo fra Google Fibers Kansas-fremstød sagde på efterårets Broadband World Forum-konference i Amsterdam: “Der en stor forbrugerefterspørgsel efter hurtigt internet, og vi er overbeviste om, at den næste 100x-forbedring af hastigheden vil føre til innovation.” De etablerede teleselskaber som AT&T har forsøgt at komme med et modspil til Google, og de vil nu tilbyde konkurrencedygtige priser i Austin for at sætte en stopper for Googles fremstød. Breder det sig til alle store byer i USA, så vil de etablerede aktører miste en guldkalv i de befolkningstætte områder. Jo tættere folk bor, jo billigere er det at tilbyde fibernet. Googles satsning på fiber har samtidig vist, at folks dataforbrug stiger hastigt, når blot kapaciteten og hastigheden er til stede på nettet. Den svenske model Danmark kan også lære noget af Sverige på fiberområdet. I Dansk Energi har man slået til lyd for at indføre den svenske model, hvor borgerne i bolig-

strated that people’s data consumptions increases rapidly once the online capacity and speeds are in place. The Swedish model Denmark could also learn from Sweden when it comes to fiber. The Danish Energy Association advocates the Swedish approach, where tax-deductible home improvements include the establishment of fiber access. That can be expected to drive fiber development in many locations where home-owners have difficulty having fiber brought all the way into the home. However, Sweden is also home to a world-class business case in the fiber area that has inspired other initiatives around the world, including Singapore’s push to deliver fiber to all households. Already 20 years ago, the City of Stockholm decided to establish a city-wide fiber network with equal access for all. Here, fiber access is viewed as a public good, and it

jobordningen får fradrag for etablering af fibernet. Det kan sikkert sætte skub i fiberudviklingen mange steder, hvor boligejere har svært ved at få gravet fiber helt ind til huset. Men Sverige kan også levere en verdensklasse-case på fiberområdet, der er en central inspirationskilde bag bl.a. Singapores offensive satsning på fiber til alle husstande. Allerede for 20 år siden besluttede bystyret i Stockholm nemlig at etablere et fibernetværk i byen, hvor alle skulle have lige adgang. De ser det stadig som et fælles offentligt gode, og det drives af et offentligt ejet selskab, Stokab, der leaser fiber ud til alle på lige vilkår. Nettet er åbent for fri konkurrence mellem forskellige serviceudbydere, og de cirka 100 teleoperatører på nettet har nu drevet priserne så langt ned, at man i Stockholm kan få en gigabits fiberforbindelse til under 400 kr. om måneden. I København skal man hos TDC betale de samme penge for at få en 100 Mbit/s forbindelse, og det

There are many different models for cities to follow to enter fully into the digital economy of the 21st century and set up fiber nets is delivered by the publicly owned company Stokab, which leases fiber to everyone on equal terms. The network is open to free competition among service providers, and the 100 or so online operators have now driven prices so low that residents in Stockholm can buy a gigabit fiber connection at less than 54 € a month. In Copenhagen, the same amount only buys a 100 Mbit/s connection from TDC, and that only applies to the download speed. While the Stockholm price includes a gigabit in upload, Copenhageners have to make do with an upload speed of 20 Mbit/s – and furthermore, this offer is only available to customers who pay an additional fee of a few hundred kroner to buy a small cable TV package. In Copenhagen, only about one in five households has access to fiber; in Stockholm that number is close to 90 percent. In Stockholm, almost all companies can buy fiber access, which has enabled a wave of innovation, created new jobs, and helped Stockholm in the competition to attract international investors. A recent study by the analytical firm Acreo found that Stockholm’s publicly owned fiber net, Stokab, has earned the city a substantial return on its investment. The installation of 1,200,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cables in Stockholm required a total investment of DKK 4.4 billion, and in 2003 the company suffered a three-figure mil-

er kun downloadhastigheden. Hvor man i Stockholm også får en gigabit i upload, så må man nøjes med København nøjes med 20 Mbit/s – og man er endda forpligtet til at lægge yderligere et par hundrede kroner for at få den lille kabel-tv-pakke med. Hvor det i København kun er omkring hver femte husstand, der har adgang til fiber, er op imod 90 pct. af husholdningerne i Stockholm på det hurtige net. Og næsten alle virksomheder har mulighed for at få fibernet i den svenske hovedstad, og det har banet vej for en bølge af innovation, skabt nye arbejdspladser og været med til at styrke Stockholm i konkurrencen om at tiltrække udenlandske investeringer. Et nyt studie foretaget af analyseinstituttet Acreo viser nu, at Stockholms offentligt ejede fibernet, Stokab, har givet byen en stor samfunds økonomisk gevinst. Man har samlet set investeret 4,4 mia. kr. i at lægge 1.200.000 km fiber i byen, og i 2003 måtte man afskrive et større trecifret millionbeløb i kølvandet på dot.com-krakket. Men investeringen har over tid givet et flot afkast, og de samlede økonomiske gevinster for samfundet, virksomhederne og brugerne er med 13,2 mia. kr. tre gange så store som udgifterne. Kommunen har siden 1996 sparet over 1,6 mia. kr. på fibernettet. I stedet for at lade forskellige private selskaber grave vejene op på hinanden følgende gange, har 59

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lion-kroner loss following the dot.com crash. Over time, however, the investment has generated good returns, and the overall economic gain for society, companies and users is estimated at DKK 13.2 billion – or three times the original investment. Since 1996, the fiber network has saved the City of Stockholm more than DKK 1.6 billion. Instead of having private companies dig up the streets repeatedly, Stokab only had to dig once, which reduced the costs considerably. In addition, it was a clear policy from the outset to provide sufficient capacity, and today, Stockholm is one of the most fiber-intensive cities in the world. “The costs were much lower in Stockholm because the infrastructure was created by a single actor,” says Marco Forzati, who is the main author of the report. “It was a community investment, and the city has no commercial interests at stake. Another wise decision was to allow all private service providers to use the network in a free compe-

Stokab kun gravet én gang, og det har reduceret omkostningerne betragteligt. Det har også været en klar politik fra starten, at der ikke må mangle kapacitet, og i dag er Stockholm en af de mest fiberintensive byer i hele verden. “Omkostningerne har været langt lavere i Stockholm, fordi der kun er én enhed, der har bygget infrastrukturen,” siger Marco Forzati, der er hovedforfatter til rapporten. “Det har været en fælles investering, og kommunen har ingen kommercielle interesser på spil. Man har samtidig lavet den kloge beslutning, at alle private serviceudbydere kan bruge nettet og konkurrere frit. Det svarer til, at man har bygget en motorvej og lader alle fragtselskaber konkurrere med hinanden.” Fibernettet har også haft en række afledte konsekvenser. Det er en medvirkende årsag til, at Stockholm blev verdens første by med et 4G/ LTE-netværk for mobiltelefon, og i dag er der fire 4G-netværker i byen.

In Stockholm fiber access is viewed as a public good, and it is delivered by the publicly owned company Stokab, which leases fiber to everyone on equal terms tition. That’s like building a highway and allowing all the delivery companies to compete freely.” The fiber network has also had a number of secondary consequences. It was a contributing factor in making Stockholm the first city in the world with a 4G/LTE mobile phone network, and today the city has 4G networks. “It’s a myth that fiber and mobile networks are competing technologies. In fact, the fiber network is a condition for establishing 4G mobile networks. 70-80 percent of the costs involved in building 4G networks go to establishing fiber-optic cables between the individual mobile masts,” says Marco Forzati. He is also convinced that the well-developed fiber infrastructure helped make the city’s science park, KISTA Science City, a success. “Without the fiber network, KISTA would hardly have become the success that is has, and the birthplace of Skype and Spotify,” says Marco Forzati about Sweden’s answer to Silicon Valley, KISTA Science City, which is now home to more than 100 IT firms, 24,000 employees, 6,800 students and 1,100 researchers. “The internet is the backbone of the IT firms. They need high-speed, low-cost connections. Today, Stockholm has more internet start-ups than any other region in Europe.” 60

“Det er en myte, at fiber og mobilnet er to konkurrerende teknologier. Fibernettet er faktisk forudsætningen for at bygge 4G-mobilnetværk. 70-80 pct. af omkostningerne til at bygge 4G-netværk går nemlig til at lægge fiberkabler ud mellem hver sendemast”, siger Marco Forzati. Han mener også, at den veludviklede fiberinfrastruktur har været med til at gøre byens videnskabspark, KISTA Science City, til en succes. “Uden fibernettet ville KISTA næppe været blevet til så stor succes og have født Skype og Spotify”, siger Marco Forsati og henviser til Sveriges svar på Silicon Valley, KISTA Science City, der idag er hjemsted for mere end 100 it-selskaber, 24.000 ansatte, 6800 studerende og 1100 forskere. “Internettet er i kernen af it-selskabernes forretning. De har brug for højhastighedsforbindelser med lave omkostninger. Stockholm er i dag den region i Europa, der har flest internet startupvirksomheder.” Marco Forzati er overbevist om, at andre europæiske byer kan lære noget af stockholmerne. “Selvfølgelig kan man ikke overføre modeller fra et land til et andet uden tilpasninger, men jeg er sikker på, at Stokab-modellen vil kunne speede bredbåndsudviklingen op i Europa og give bedre resultater for den digitale agenda i EU”, fastslår han. I Syddanmark kigger Niels Duedahl fra SE

Marco Forzati believes that other European cities could learn from the Stockholm approach. “Of course, you can’t simply transfer a model from one country to another without modifications, but I’m certain that the Stokab model could speed up the broadband development in Europe and help promote the digital agenda in the EU,” he states. In southern Denmark, Niels Duedahl of SE looks with some degree of envy to countries like Sweden, South Korea and Singapore, which are pulling ahead of Denmark in the digital competition. He calls for a much more aggressive national effort to replace the old copper networks with fiber. “It would only cost about DKK 20 billion to install fiber-optic cables throughout Denmark and replace the old copper cables. That’s not a huge cost for society if we look at the economic benefits it would produce. The new hospital in Aarhus alone is going to cost DKK 10 billion, so why can’t we make the decision to bring Denmark into the digital knowledge society?” he asks. He does not think it would be that difficult to obliterate the blank spots on the digital map. “The government could charge all Danes a monthly Public Service Obligation, PSO, fee of DKK 20, which would go directly to investing in fiber networks in rural districts. The subsidy could then be scaled down as soon as the earnings reached market level. It would further be essential to keep the fiber network open to all operators to ensure free competition on services,” he adds. Sources Copenhagen Economics: Behov for hurtigere bredbånd og øget bredbåndskonkurrence i Danmark, analysis for Danske Energi, 2013. M. Forzati, C. Mattsson: Stokab, a socio-economic study, Acreo report Stockholm, July 2013. McKinsey Global Institute: Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy, 2013. OECD: Exploring Data-Driven Innovation as a New Source of Growth, Paris, 2013. Royal Academy of British Architects, Arup: Designing with data. Shaping our future cities, 2013. V. Mayer-Schönberger, K. Cukier: Big Data – A Revolution that Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think, New York, 2013.

med en vis misundelse på lande som Sverige, Sydkorea og Singapore, der er ved at distancere Danmark i den digitale kappestrid. Han mener, at der på nationalt plan bør satses langt mere offensivt på at få erstattet det gamle kobbernet med fibernet. “Det vil ikke koste mere end 20 mia. kr. at grave fiber ned i hele Danmark og udskifte de gamle kobberledninger. Det er ikke en stor samfundsmæssig omkostning, når man kigger på alle de økonomiske gevinster, det vil give. Alene sygehuset i Aarhus koster 10 mia. kr., så hvorfor kan vi ikke finde ud af at tage en beslutning om at løfte Danmark ind i det digitale videnssamfund?” spørger han. Han mener ikke, at det behøver at være svært at få fjernet de sorte huller på det digitale landkort. “Samfundet kunne opkræve en PSO-afgift af alle danskere på 20 kr. om måneden, pengene kunne gå direkte til investeringer i fibernet i yderområderne, og så kunne støtten blive aftrappet, lige så snart der er et markedskonformt afkast. Det er samtidig vigtigt, at fibernetttet holdes åbent for alle operatører, så de kan konkurrere frit på forskellige serviceydelser”, understreger han. Kilder Copenhagen Economics: Behov for hurtigere bredbånd og øget bredbåndskonkurrence i Danmark, analyse for Danske Energi, 2013. M. Forzati, C. Mattsson: Stokab, a socio-economic study, Acreo-rapport, Stockholm, juli 2013. McKinsey Global Institute: Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy, 2013. OECD: Exploring Data-Driven Innovation as a New Source of Growth, Paris, 2013. Royal Academy of British Architects, Arup: Designing with data. Shaping our future cities, 2013. V. Mayer-Schönberger, K. Cukier: Big Data – A Revolution that Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think, New York, 2013.

ALPHABET STREET

PROJECT PRESENTATION

ALPHABET STREET The interior design of libraries has a significant impact on the way we perceive and use the library space. The interior design determines whether we feel welcome and want to spend time in a place, and whether we are able to decode the functions and navigate the library. On the following pages we take a closer look at library interior design, a key aspect of creating an attractive public space.

oday, the library has to satisfy a wide range of demands, serving as anything from a cultural beacon to a community living room. There is particular emphasis on creating opportunities for people to meet by creating flexible spaces with room for varied and overlapping activities. Whether the library acts as an icon, a placemaker or a catalyst for community life and engagement, library interiors often reflect city planning philosophies. Designers and architects speak of main streets, side streets and meeting places with room for life and activities. Hjørring Central Library is a case in point. Here, the design draws on inspiration from the medieval European city in an effort to create a dynamic and varied meeting place. Openbare Bibliotheek in Amsterdam acts as a cultural anchor in a neighborhood where many functions overlap. Overlapping functions seem to be another rapidly growing trend in library design. In some cases, this results in a scarcity of calm, 62

quiet settings because so many different activities unfold simultaneously side by side. At Openbare Bibliotheek, that issue has been addressed with the establishment of reading rooms that form small private oases in the large library. An interesting example of a consistent design that seeks to provide optimal study space. Vennesla Library in Norway represents another approach to library design. Here, the building, rooms and interiors are designed as one. The integration of the interior design in the construction of the building produces a very different expression in comparison with libraries that aspire, for example, to the role as placemaker. At Vennesla Library, the main emphasis is on creating a calm, coherent setting, and the place almost appears as a reinterpretation of the traditional library where the books take center stage.

Hjørring Central Library

SIGNE FILSKOV & HEIDI JACOBSGAARD SCHØBEL

HJØRRING CENTRAL LIBRARY THE MEDIEVAL CITY PLAN Location: Hjørring, Denmark Designers: Rosan Bosch and Rune Fjord Client: Hjørring Central Library Project area: 4900 sqm Project year: 2008 Photos: Laura Stamer The basic floor plan for Hjørring Central Library shares features with the European medieval city, and with inspiration from the Danish architect and city planner Jan Gehl, the architects have aimed to create an attractive library environment where people will want to spend time and go exploring. In the article “Biblioteket som mødested” (The library as a meeting place), Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Henrik Jochumsen and Dorte SkotHansen discuss how library planners are seeking to challenge the functionally divided structure in favor of dynamic multi-purpose spaces – just like city planners who for many years now have sought to create attractive urban spaces where people enjoy spending time. Today, many libraries tone down the functionally divided structure that characterizes libraries created during the

interwar years and which essentially mirrors the concept of the functionally divided, rational city. Many contemporary library designs are instead modeled on the medieval European city, and the goal is to create socially and culturally diverse spaces where people not only pass through but choose to spend time. The intentions behind the design of Hjørring Central Library enter into this trend. A key element in the design of Hjørring Central Library is a red ribbon that acts as a guide to the library’s many functions and encourages visitors to explore the library. The red ribbon is an important feature in the design of the library and is used to present the library materials thematically. The ribbon winds its way through most of the library and tones down the functional division that characterizes the traditional presentation of materials. The library design includes several small plazas or squares as places where varied activities may unfold. These areas have different flooring and almost resemble small theatre stages in the library space. In addition to serving as work and study areas, the squares can be used for exhibitions and other activities, and like the red ribbon, they help break up the library’s functionally divided structure.

ALPHABET STREET

VENNESLA BIBLIOTEK WHEN BUILDING BECOMES BOOK SHELL Location: Vennesla, Norway Architects: Helen & Hard Client: Vennesla Municipality Project area: 1938 sqm Project year: 2011 Photos: Hufton and Crow Today, many libraries are designed with flexible spaces that can accommodate varying activities. This emphasis on flexibility, however, may result in an interior design that is difficult for the user to decode. Vennesla Library is an example of the opposite. Here, building, spaces and interiors were designed as planned as a coherent whole. Although this does reduce the flexibility, for example because the interior cannot be altered, the library space overall appears very calm and with clearly defined functions. Vennesla Library is a consistent example of a library where the building, interiors and technical facilities are well integrated. The combination of functionality and technical infrastructure as a single architectural element gives the project a clear aesthetic identity and makes the library a 64

landmark in the city’s cultural center. The building’s construction is defined by 27 ribs made of prefab wooden elements and plywood. Wood is used consistently throughout the building, which ties the space together and creates a warm atmosphere. The ribs span from one side of the building to the other to form the large library space. Each rib has integrated acoustic absorbents, ventilation shafts, curved glass panes as lighting covers and a variety of furniture. They fold down to the floor to form bookcases, tables, seats and niche spaces. There is great variation in what the individual rib folds into. In some cases it turns into a bookcase that invites people into the more closed-off niches between the bookcases, which feature desks and seats, making use of the private space between two bookcases. Elsewhere, they provide seats in the form of calm, private ‘reading caves’. Using the ribs as construction, space dividers and interior makes the interfaces of the space very visible – from both inside and out.

TWENTYFIRST

WORKSKULL THE PRIVATE SPACE Location: Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, The Netherlands Designer: Joep van Lieshout, AVL, Atelier Van Lieshout Project year: 2005 Photos: Annetje van Praag Sigaar The general trend of libraries turning into cultural centers has sparked a need to make the more traditional library spaces that offer for calm and focused reading more clearly defined in library interiors. Modern libraries are home to a wide range of activities, and thus there may be a need for more secluded, private areas for reading or studying. AVL Workskull is one approach to creating such a space. At Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, these ‘workskulls’ stand in contrast to the large, open space, offering a calm refuge from the many other activities taking place at the library. The design is consistent and creates an introvert space for users looking for a private work space. In this cave-like room, the user can ‘hide’ from the outside world. Joep van Lieshout is known

for sculptures that are inspired by the organs and bones of the human body, and as the name suggests, AVL Workskull is inspired by a skull. The ‘skulls’ are constructed of two polyester shells, which are bolted together and feature a built-in wooden bench, a desk, a power outlet for the computer and Internet access as a link to the outside world. The narrow entrance and the two windows on one side of the skull let in daylight, but otherwise the space offers a high degree of privacy and minimizes the impact of outside noise and distractions.

and economic justice will start here and will start now”. Mayor Bill de Blasio even used a catch phrase in his election campaign, “The Tale of Two Cities” - the title of Charles Dickens legendary novel from 1859, which resembles the title of Jacob Riis’ most famous work “How the Other Half Lives” from

1890. This title is in itself a reference to the French writer François Rabelais, who wrote in Pantagruel: “One half of the world does not know how the other half lives””. With New York City as the base of the Occupy Wall Street movement it might not come as a surprise that the majority of voters have rallied behind

a candidate, who wants to tax the one percent highest earners in order to provide better welfare services for the rest. However, the inauguration of de Blasio could be a turning point for design of new welfare programs for the 21st century: “When I said we would take dead aim at the Tale of

tions, they would be better motivated to help eradicate them. Originally, Jacob Riis didn’t call for government involvement in battling poverty in the immigrant slums. Still, with the launch of Bill de Blasio’s new political platform for New York City, a Nordic wind of change could pass through America in the coming years. More than 124 years after the publishing of “How the Other Half Lives” the challenges of inequality and social segregation still remain, nowhere more archetypical than in New York City.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

The epicentre of the financial meltdown in 2008 has risen to become a new starting point for progressive social reforms in The United States of America: The new mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, who was inaugurated on New Year’s day, has launched an ambitious plan to offer fullday universal pre-K and afterschool programs for every middle school student, paid for by a new tax on high-earners of “about the cost of a small soy latte at your local Starbucks.” In his inauguration speech Bill de Blasio highlighted the Danish photographer and writer Jacob Riis as one of his main inspirations: “From Jacob Riis to Eleanor Roosevelt it was New Yorkers who challenged the status quo, who blazed a trail of progressive reform and political action, who took on the elite, who stood up to say that social Two Cities, I meant it. And we will do it,” said Bill de Blasio: “We will succeed as One City. We know this won’t be easy. It will require all that we can muster. And it won’t be accomplished only by me; It will be accomplished by all of us — those of us here today, and millions of everyday New Yorkers in every corner of our city”. In an iconic way the Danish immigrant has made his ambition come true: Riis assumed that as people of the middle class were made more aware of the horrible condi-

NOTES A TALE OF TWO CITIES

INTERVIEW

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A CONVERSATION ON

UTOPIAS

DAVID PINDER

“There is no alternative”, Margaret Thatcher infamously stated as an argument for capitalism in its most liberal form – despite its obvious shortcomings – as the only relevant economic system in advanced and modern democracies. With the demise of state socialism in the 1990s for a time it seemed like she had been right, and more and more in urban planning and design today, the market forces seem at least as important as the human condition. But why is it meant to be unrealistic to propose decent housing for all or an urbanism that puts the needs of people above those of profit? And what is inconceivable about an urbanism that is no longer based around private property, or that emphasises the pleasures and joys of living? In this e-mail conversation the British geographer David Pinder makes a defence for utopian thinking as a means to imagine alternatives that seem impossible today but may be possible tomorrow JESPER PAGH & MALENE FREUDENDAL-PEDERSEN

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To claim that we need utopia will sound strange to many people. Utopias tend to be viewed skeptically today, even negatively. There are rich traditions of utopianism within architecture, planning and urbanism that have looked to build new and better urban environments. They have done a great deal to shape urban imaginations as well as material spaces. But utopias themselves are now rarely seen as useful, let alone necessary. The standard view is that they are fanciful and fantastical. They depict perfect cities and societies that do not currently exist, nor do they have any real prospects of doing so. They are castles in the sky, distant and naive dreams that have little bearing on reality. They might exercise our imaginative capacities but they are said to lack practical applicability, being too divorced from situations on the ground. Where attempts have been made to build utopias, they are typically associated with failure. They are seen as less likely to solve urban problems than to create them. The legacies of modernist attempts at comprehensive urban renewal and building cities afresh are particularly significant in this regard. Since the 1960s, and not without reason, we’ve been taught to be suspicious of strategies that seem to be captivated more by the perfect geometries of the drawing board than by the ordinary spaces and lives of cities, and that seek to impose a new ideal order onto existing realities.

Mange vil nok synes, at det lyder mærkeligt, at vi skulle behøve utopier. I dag bliver utopier ofte betragtet med skepsis eller ligefrem set som noget negativt. Inden for arkitektur, planlægning og byudvikling, hvor man har været optaget af at skabe nye og bedre bymiljøer, er der imidlertid en rig tradition for utopier. De har været med til at forme vores forestillinger om byen og byens rum, men i dag ses utopier sjældent som noget nyttigt, og slet ikke som noget nødvendigt. Den almindelige opfattelse er, at der er tale om fantasifostre og fantasteri. De maler et billede af perfekte byer og samfund, som ikke eksisterer og sandsynligvis heller aldrig vil komme til at gøre det. Det er luftkasteller, fjerne og naive drømmebilleder, som ikke har meget med virkeligheden at gøre. De udfordrer måske nok forestillingsevnen, men den almindelige holdning er, at de savner praktisk anvendelighed, og i for høj grad er hævet over den virkelighed, vi lever i. Der, hvor man har forsøgt at realisere utopierne, anses de typisk for at have slået fejl og for at være mere tilbøjelige til at have skabt byernes problemer end til at kunne løse dem. Især skræmmer sporene efter modernisternes eksperimenter med omfattende byfornyelser og helt nyopførte byer. Siden 1960’erne har vi – ikke uden grund – lært at være mistænksomme over for strategier, der mere synes at handle om tegnebordsæstetik end om hverdagslivet og byernes almindelige rum,

avid Pinder is Reader in Geography and Director of Graduate Studies at the Queen Mary University of London and was Velux Visiting Professor at Roskilde University in 2011-12. The main focus of his work is the ways in which cities and their spaces are imagined, represented, performed and contested. Underlying this are questions about the possibilities of urban society and life, and how these can be reimagined and reconstituted within and against capitalist urbanisation. This includes explorations of utopian ideas and practices from within modernist and avant-garde movements in twentiethcentury Europe. While to some utopia represents a dangerous and failed revolutionary approach, to Pinder it is a necessary and concrete way of making possible tomorrow what seems impossible today and he sees no reason why we should leave behind the thought that the world could be radically different. The following mail correspondence took place around Christmas 2013 as a recapitulation of preceding discussions about the understanding and use of utopia in present day planning. And what more appropriate than to start out by discussing why we need utopia in the first place?

avid Pinder er docent, leder af kandi datstudiet i geografi ved Queen Mary University of London og var i 2011-12 gæsteprofessor på RUC. Hans forskning fokuserer på, hvordan vores forestillinger om byen og byens rum skabes og udfordres. Herunder findes spørgsmål om de muligheder, byen skaber for samfundets og livets udfoldelse, og hvordan vi kan skabe og realisere nye forestillinger om dette inden for eller som modspil til kapitalismens urbanisering. Det omfatter bl.a. undersøgelser af teori og praksis i modernistiske og avantgardistiske utopier fra det tyvende århundredes Europa. Mens utopier for nogle står som en farlig og forfejlet revolutionær tilgang, er de for Pinder et nødvendigt og konkret middel til i morgen at muliggøre det, som forekommer umuligt i dag, og han ser ingen grund til, at vi skal opgive tanken om, at verden kunne være radikalt anderledes, end den er. Den følgende e-mail-korrespondance fandt sted omkring jul 2013 som en opsummering af forudgående diskussioner om forståelsen og brugen af utopier i vore dages planlægning. Og hvad er mere passende end at lægge ud med at diskutere, hvorfor vi overhovedet har brug for utopier?

Labeling a position as utopian is therefore frequently dismissive. It’s invariably prefixed with ‘merely’ as if there were no need to take it seriously. Proposing utopias is likely to be seen as a matter more of indulgence than of necessity. This is especially at a time when we face vast urban problems – a situation that Mike Davis terms a ‘planet of slums’ – when the world’s population is increasingly based in cities and yet finding their environments seemingly incapable of sustaining basic qualities of life and survival. So why do I claim we need utopias? The main reason lies in what I see as the critical roles they can play. Most simply, they express desire for urban worlds that are radically different and better. In seeking to give those worlds imaginative and material form, they arise from an insistence that the current situation is not inevitable and that other worlds can be imagined and constructed. They stand against the powerful mantra that “there is no alternative”, which has held sway since it was the rallying cry of Margaret Thatcher promoting neoliberal doctrine during the 1970s. They do so by embodying other values, which I believe need expressing now more than ever in an era of market fundamentalism: those of justice, democracy, equality and emancipation. Trying to imagine and work towards modes of urbanisation based on those values seems to me an essential task for those who care about cities and urban life. Utopia can be understood here more as a movement and a process than a fixed goal. This process exposes what is missing and, at the same time, what could be: the potential Planet of Slums The book is written by the American political activist and urban theorist Mike Davis (b. 1946) and first published in 2006. Davis portrays and heavily criticizes the uneven global development most evident in the growing slum districts of the world’s megacitites; favelas, pueblos jóvenes etc. In contradiction to Richard Florida, Edward Glaeser and other writers on urban political economy, Davis sees only little if any positive aspects of the way global urbanization is developing. Throughout this wellwritten and thoroughly documented book, Davis sheds a light on how the more than 1 billion people living in slums around the world are largely disconnected from industrialization

og som ønsker at gennemtrumfe en ideal samfundsorden. Når man betegner et standpunkt som utopisk, er det derfor ofte en måde at affærdige det på. Der er næsten altid et foranstillet ‘blot’, der antyder, at man ikke bør tage det alvorligt. Holdningen er, at utopier i højere grad bliver skabt for sjov end af nødvendighed. Og det i en tid, hvor vores byer står over for kolossale problemer – en situation, som Mike Davis betegner som en ‘planet of slums’ – hvor verdens befolkning i stigende grad er koncentreret i byerne og alligevel finder deres omgivelser ude af stand til at dække behovet for livskvalitet og basale fornødenheder. Så hvorfor påstår jeg, at vi har brug for utopier? Den vigtigste årsag er den rolle, de kan spille som kritik af det bestående. De afspejler en længsel efter bymiljøer, som er radikalt anderledes og bedre end dem, vi kender. Når de forsøger at give disse nye miljøer en fantasifuld og konkret form, sker det ud fra troen på, at den nuværende situation ikke er nogen selvfølgelighed, og at det er muligt at forestille sig og skabe andre verdener. Utopierne repræsenterer et modsvar til mantraet om, at der “ikke er noget alternativ”, som har været fremherskende, siden Margaret Thatcher i 1970’erne brugte det som kampråb i sit korstog for neoliberalismen. Det gør de ved at konkretisere nogle værdier, som jeg vil mene, der er mere behov for nu end nogensinde i en tid præget af kapitalistisk fundamentalisme: værdier som retfærdighed, demokrati, lighed og kvindefrigørelse. For mig at se er det at prøve at fantasere og arbejde sig frem til nye bymodeller ud fra disse

and economic growth and are to a great extend excluded from the formal economy although essential for its survival. Though Davis has been criticized for being too critical in his approach and accused of distorting facts to prove his point, most commentary praise his exceptional writing skills and his ability to bring about discussions on global injustice and uneven economic development.

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that lies within the present yet is suppressed by current social arrangements. We might think, for example, of how the Indignados and the Occupy movements in 2011 posed questions about what democracy might mean: ‘real democracy now’. Through their actions in public spaces and squares, they rejected existing structures and experimented with alternatives. Their relation to a future system was prefigurative rather than prescriptive, as they insisted on its need and sought to embody its values without proposing its precise form. Charles Jencks referred to the implosion of Pruitt-Igoe as “the day modern architecture died”, and to many utopian thinking was included in this obituary. Though you talk about utopia as a movement or process rather than a fixed state, won’t it be hard for architects and planners proposing utopian ideas to avoid being confronted with the argument that the last time they had great visions for the city – and hence society – they did not exactly deliver on their promises? Failure indeed haunts the recent past of utopian urban projects. As you say, critics often hold up the demolition of Pruitt-Igoe from 1972, as well as detonations of other post-war high-rise blocks and housing estates, as symbolizing the end of modernist architecture as well as the end of utopia. There’s frequently this elision between modernism (of a certain kind) and utopia (understood in a certain way). Alice Coleman’s book Utopia on

Pruitt-Igoe Pruitt-Igoe was a social housing project north of the center of St. Louis, Missouri. Completed in 1955 it consisted of 33 11-story apartment buildings designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who later designed the Twin Towers of World Trade Center. The project was designed to relieve inner city slum in a time where the planning authorities in St. Louis faced overcrowding and deterioration but predicted continued urban and economic growth. The buildings were never fully occupied however, and shortly after the projects’ inauguration, it fell into decay. Social unrest and vandalism spread and the tenants were increasingly protesting about the poor standards of the buildings, 72

værdier en af de vigtigste opgaver for dem, der interesserer sig for byer og byliv. Utopien skal her opfattes mere som en bevægelse og en metode end et konkret mål. En metode, der afdækker, hvad der mangler, og samtidig hvad der kunne blive virkelighed i fremtiden: det iboende potentiale, der blot er undertrykt af den nuværende samfundsopbygning. Tag f.eks. Indignado- og Occupy-bevægelserne, som i 2011 fik os til at tænke over, hvad demokrati også kunne være. Med deres happenings på gader og pladser forkastede de gældende strukturer og eksperimenterede med alternativer. De antydede et muligt fremtidig system i højere grad end at beskrive det detaljeret ved at insistere på, at der var behov for det, og forsøge at udtrykke dets værdier uden at give et bud på dets præcise udformning. Charles Jencks betegnede bortsprængningen af Pruitt-Igoe som “den dag, den moderne arkitektur døde”, og for mange gik den utopiske tankegang med modernismen i graven. Du taler om utopier som en bevægelse og en metode snarere end et mål, men vil det alligevel ikke være svært for de arkitekter og planlæggere, der står frem med deres utopiske ideer, at undgå det modargument, at de på ingen måde levede op til deres løfter sidste gang, de havde store visioner for byen – og dermed for samfundet? Det er rigtigt, at den nære fortids utopiske byprojekter har en dårlig historik. Som du også siger, ser kritikere ofte nedrivningen af Pruitt-Igoe i 1972

lack of maintenance, insufficient installations etc. As soon as in the late 1960’s the authorities started to encourage people to leave Pruitt-Igoe, and in 1971 the decision to demolish two of the buildings with explosives was taken. More buildings followed, and in 1976 the last block was demolished. Pruitt-Igoe – often illustrated by the images of the second implosion in 1972 – became a symbol of the failure of modernist architecture (to critics of modernist architecture), affordable housing schemes (to critics of affordable housing schemes), attempts to address issues of class, race and gender in urban politics and planning, and more. The web of reasons for the failure of the project is vast and complex

Trial, for example, attacked post-war architects and planners for supposedly causing social problems and crime through their utopian spatial designs of housing estates and communal spaces in the UK. In the process she found favour within the Thatcher government in the 1980s, then only too keen to attack social provision and promote privatization. However, far too much gets thrown out with these claims about the end of modernism, the end of utopia and so on. To consider prospects for utopian approaches today, I think it’s important to reassess modernist endeavours from this post-war period. Part of this is about thinking through more carefully why earlier promises didn’t materialize. Was this down to the architectural and planning schemes, or to the structural social and economic conditions through which they were planned, constructed and lived? I certainly have problems with the drive for purity and for the purging of disorder found in many modernist visions, where social improvements are to be engineered through the expert imposition of spatial forms. But as cases like Pruitt-Igoe make clear, what happened cannot be understood without addressing the material context, and in particular the catastrophic processes of urban and economic restructuring with which they were bound up. Reassessing earlier endeavours is also an opportunity to ask what might be rescued from their ruins. For me this entails revisiting extraordinary projects that were realized, yet whose ambitions are too easily and quickly forgotten.

– og sprængningen af andre af efterkrigstidens boligblokke og -bebyggelser – som udtryk for, at både den moderne arkitektur og utopien er døde. Man ser ofte, at forkastelsen af (en bestemt form for) modernisme kædes sammen med en forkastelse af utopismen (forstået på en bestemt måde). F.eks. beskyldte Alice Coleman i sin bog Utopia on Trial efterkrigstidens arkitekter og planlæggere for at være skyld i sociale problemer og kriminalitet med deres utopiske projekter til boligbebyggelser og byrum i Storbritannien. Det vandt genklang hos Thatcher-regeringen i 1980’erne, som var mere end ivrig efter at angribe velfærdssamfundet og fremme privatiseringen. Men man smider alt for meget ud med badevandet, hvis man proklamerer, at modernismen er død, utopismen er død osv. Hvis man skal vurdere udsigterne for utopismen, tror jeg, det er vigtigt at revurdere de modernistiske projekter fra denne periode. Noget af det består i nøje at overveje, hvorfor de oprindelige løfter ikke blev indfriet. Skyldtes det arkitekturen og planløsningerne eller de sociale og økonomiske betingelser, som de blev planlagt, opført og udlevet under? Selv har jeg det svært med den stræben efter ro, renlighed og regelmæssighed, som præger mange af de modernistiske visioner, hvor de sociale forbedringer skal gennemføres ved behændigt at gennemtvinge en materiel dagsorden. Men som det fremgår af tilfældet med Pruitt-Igoe, kan man ikke forstå det, der skete, uden at forholde sig til den konkrete kontekst og ikke mindst de katastrofale bymæssige og økonomiske omstrukture-

as can be seen in Chad Freidrichs’ 2011 documentary ‘The Pruitt-Igoe Myth’. The documentary has two goals. One is to inform and enhance the ongoing debate over public housing and government welfare programs. The film uses Pruitt-Igoe as a lens through which a larger story about affordable housing and the changing American city can be viewed. Another is to illustrate how conclusions are dangerously and erroneously drawn when powerful interests control debate, so that architects, developers, and public officials can learn from the complex lessons of Pruitt-Igoe.

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It’s also about exploring unrealized potentialities, paths not taken and senses of what might have been. It doesn’t mean withholding critique but suggests deploying it without simply abandoning the utopian dimensions and impulses of past projects, the desires for change and the hopes of better ways of living. Thankfully, we’re now some distance from simplistic postmodernist rejections of modernism as a whole – a grand narrative if ever there was one – and there are now some great efforts at historical recovery, which I’d like to build on myself in future work.

ringer, som de var forbundet med. Revurderingen af fortidens eksperimenter er imidlertid også en god lejlighed til at spørge, om der er noget, der kan ‘reddes fra ruinerne’. For mig indebærer det, at man ser med friske øjne på interessante projekter, som blev realiseret, men hvis ambitioner alt for let og hurtigt blev glemt. Det handler også om at udforske uudnyttede potentialer, forspildte muligheder og forestillinger om, hvordan det kunne være blevet. Det betyder ikke, at man ikke skal være kritisk, men snarere at man skal bruge det til at uddrage noget i stedet for blot

Architecture and planning are significant in this regard given they always involve an imaginative moment, the conjuring of a world to come. Utopia is architecture’s ‘dirty secret’, states Rem Koolhaas. What might be the role of insurgent architects and planners seeking to explore and expand possibilities? I think we need all kinds of initiatives to think, to imagine and to struggle towards future possibilities. That includes imaginative and experimental thinking within institutions as well as social movements from below. I find interesting the concept proposed by the philosopher Henri Lefebvre of ‘experimental utopia’. By that he meant the use of the image and imagination, accompanied by continual criticism, to explore possibilities. It’s an interjection that opens new senses of possibility. Architecture and planning are significant in this regard given they always involve an imaginative moment, the conjuring of a world to come. Utopia is architecture’s ‘dirty secret’, states Rem Koolhaas. What might be the role of insurgent architects and planners seeking to explore and expand possibilities? How might these connect with movements from below? To what extent are efforts beholden to interests of finance, power and urban spectacle? Or can they point beyond? To pose the questions in this way is evidently to think utopia in more provisional, dialogic and reflexive terms than it is often understood. In the paper “Reconstituting the possible” from 2013 you refer to Lefebvre’s ‘total project’ as a path rather than a plan or program that ‘expressly proposes a radically different way of living’ and how ‘to change life, society, space, architecture, even the city must change’. In the affluent world, many would ask why we would want a radically different way of living? Many people are quite content with their daily life so why should they bother? From where would the urgency to (re-) introduce utopian thinking come? 74

at forkaste projekternes utopiske dimensioner og impulser, længslen efter forandring og håbet om en bedre verden. Heldigvis er der sket meget, siden postmodernisternes overforenklede afvisning af modernismen i sin helhed – om noget en stor fortælling – og der gøres gode forsøg på genopretning af historien, som jeg godt kunne tænke mig selv at bygge videre på i mit fremtidige arbejde. Jeg tror, vi har brug for mange slags initiativer til at tænke, fantasere og kæmpe os til fremtidige muligheder. Både visionær, eksperimenterende tænkning inden for institutionerne og for græsrodsbevægelser. Filosoffen Henri Lefebvre har et begreb, han kalder ‘eksperimentelle utopier’, som jeg synes er interessant. Med det mener han brugen af billeder og forestillingsevnen sammen med en løbende kritik som et middel til at udforske muligheder. Det er en tilgang, der åbner for nye perspektiver. Arkitektur og planlægning er kendetegnet ved altid at indeholde forestillinger om en fremtidig verden. Utopien er arkitekturens ‘frække hemmelighed’, som Rem Koolhaas siger. Hvilken rolle kan oprørske arkitekter og planlæggere, der gerne vil udforske og udfolde mulighederne, komme til at spille? Hvordan kan de relatere sig til græsrodsbevægelserne? Hvor afhængige er initiativerne af økonomiske, magtmæssige og bypolitiske interesser? Er de i stand til at række ud over dem? Når man stiller den slags spørgsmål, tænker man utopier i en mere provisorisk, dialogisk og refleksiv forstand end den gængse. I artiklen “Reconstituting the Possible” fra 2013 refererer du til Lefebvres ‘totale projekt’ som en

How daily life looks depends, of course, very much on one’s perspective. For a great many people even in the affluent world, things aren’t looking so great. In the UK disparities between highest and lowest earners are returning to what they were a hundred years ago. Welfare systems and public services are being privatized, outsourced or otherwise dismantled. Use of food-banks for the emergency provision of food soared by 170 percent in 2012-13, while bankers continued to reap vast bonuses, their institutions propped up by public money that has been withheld from the purposes of sustaining social services. Urban spaces are increasingly produced for the wealthy as both amenity and asset. In some places the levels of rents and property prices make it hard to see where ordinary people are supposed to live. So there are many reasons for discontent and anger, many reasons for wanting change. I think there’s also plenty of desire for change. Events in 2011 were dramatic expressions of this. The uprisings in North African and the Middle East shook delusions about an ‘end of history’, while Occupy movements posed critical questions of a structural nature about capitalism. The riots in the UK that same year were more inchoate expressions of rage but, despite the efforts of commentators and politicians to present them only as expressions of criminality, they spoke of much more. Yet at the same time, you point to real difficulties. Glimmers of change are suppressed, often violently by powers that recognize the threats. Dissatisfaction often turns inwards as frustration and disillusionment mount. It’s difficult to articulate desires for Henri Lefebvre Henri Lefebvre (1901-91) was a French marxist philosopher, urban sociologist and a leading member of the French communist party 1928-58. Through his critical writing on the conditions of modern society, he was held up as a thought leader by the student rebellions in Paris in May 1968. Lefebvre was involved with the Situationist International 1957-1961 – a group of radical avant-garde artists, intellectuals and political theorists formed around Guy Debord, Constant Nieuwenhuys, Michèle Bernstein and Asger Jorn in the mid-1950s – who were in part inspired by Lefebvre’s work on critique of the everyday life, and in turn inspired Lefebvre’s further work through their concrete work with cre-

fremgangsmåde snarere end en plan eller et program, som “udtrykkeligt foreslår en radikalt anderledes livsform”, og hvordan vi, “hvis tilværelsen skal forandre sig, må forandre samfundet, rummet og arkitekturen, ja, selv byen”. I den velstående del af verden vil mange nok spørge, hvad vi skal med en radikalt anderledes livsform? Mange mennesker er tilfredse med tilværelsen, så hvorfor ændre på noget? Hvorfra skal motivationen til at (re-)introducere utopismen komme? Hvordan tilværelsen tager sig ud, afhænger selvfølgelig meget af ens synsvinkel. Selv i den velstående del af verden ser det for mange mennesker ikke så rosenrødt ud. I Storbritannien er afstandene mellem de højeste og de laveste indkomstgrupper snart lige så store, som de var for hundrede år siden. Velfærdssystemer og offentlige ydelser bliver privatiseret, outsourcet eller helt afskaffet. Anvendelsen af fødevarebanker til nødforsyninger steg med 170 procent i 2012-13, mens bankerne høster store fortjenester, understøttet af offentlige midler, som ellers skulle have været brugt på at opretholde velfærdssystemet. Byrummene er i stigende grad noget, der skabes for den velstillede del af befolkningen som et rekreativt og økonomisk aktiv. Nogle steder gør det høje lejeniveau og de opskruede ejendomspriser det svært at se, hvor almindelige mennesker skal bo. Så der er mange gode grunde til at være utilfreds og vred, mange gode grunde til at lave om på tingene. Jeg tror også, der er en stor vilje til forandring, som de dramatiske begivenheder i 2011 viste. Opstandene i Nordafrika og Mellemøsten

ating situations and spectacle as a comprehensive critique of mid-20th century advanced capitalism. In his major work The Production of Space (La production de l’espace) from 1974, Lefebvre seeks to bridge the gap between space as a philosophical and architectural term by exploring the meaning and experience of space in art, literature, architecture and economics. By doing so, Lefebvre points to the importance of the production and use of space (as the title implies) and not capital goods as central to understanding modern society and its conditions.

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In your paper “In Defence of Utopian Urbanism” from 2002 you state that utopian urbanism can help to raise urgent issues about the taken-forgranted world, and to open up perspectives and actions on the vital question “what sort of city for what sort of society?” Is this not possible without utopia? Those asserting the need for utopias often quote a famous line from Oscar Wilde: “A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing.” He adds: “Progress is the realisation of Utopias.” It’s from his “The soul of man under socialism”, from 1891, and is usually taken as endorsing the need for utopias to enable progress, to draw humanity onwards in the search for something better. The implication is that, without utopia, without that sense of better futures on the horizon towards which we set sail, we would lose direction and historical progress. There’s no doubt that utopian visions have been very important for driving urban reform and for inspiring attempts to make cities better. Prominent examples include the utopian urban thinkers from around Wilde’s time who insisted on more collective, co-operative solutions to the problems generated by capitalist industrialisation against ideologies of the free market, and who did so much to shape urban planning and design. A dose of such idealism today would be welcome. But while I assert the need for utopias, a simple association with historical progress needs complicating. To begin with it’s important to stress that there’s nothing inherently progressive about them. They can be reactionary as well as progres76

fik forestillinger om ‘historiens afslutning’ til at vakle, mens Occupy-bevægelserne satte kritiske spørgsmålstegn af strukturel karakter ved kapitalismen. Urolighederne i Storbritannien samme år fremstod mere som tilfældige vredesudbrud, men selv om kommentatorer og politikere bagatelliserede dem som kriminalitet, var der mere i dem end som så. Men der er også nogle reelle problemer, som du påpeger. Tilløb til forandring bliver undertrykt, ofte voldeligt af regimer, der ser dem som en trussel. Utilfredsheden vendes ofte indad, når håbet afløses af frustration og desillusion. Det er svært at udtrykke trangen til forandring, når udtryksmulighederne er så begrænsede, og det er så svært at finde aktører, der kan skabe forandringen. Utopismen bliver her i højere grad en tilflugt og udvej, et rum til fantasifuld leg, uden tanke på, hvordan drømmene skal realiseres. Eller det bliver et personligt projekt, en proces af evig selvskabelse og selvopfindelse, der aktivt fremmes af vilkår, som synes hævet over enhver tvivl. Hvordan det også kan skabe reel forandring, er et svært spørgsmål. Det handler i hvert fald ikke om at introducere utopiske perspektiver udefra, for de opstår igennem øjeblikkets modsætninger og kamp og er på mange måder hele tiden til stede i folks modstand, måden de udforsker alternativer på, og forsøger at skabe andre vilkår på. I din artikel “In Defence of Utopian Urbanism” fra 2002 skriver du, at den utopiske urbanisme kan hjælpe os til at stille presserende spørgsmål om den verden, vi tager for givet, og til at åbne for nye perspektiver på det afgørende spørgsmål om, hvilken by vi ønsker os til hvilket samfund? Men kan man ikke gøre det uden utopier? Mange af utopismens fortalere citerer ofte Oscar Wilde: “Et kort over verden, der ikke omfatter Utopia, er ikke værd at ofre et blik på, for det har udeladt det ene land, som hele menneskeheden styrer imod”. Wilde tilføjer: “Fremskridtet er utopiernes virkeliggørelse”. Citatet, der stammer fra essayet “The soul of man under socialism” fra 1891, skal forstås som en erkendelse af, hvor nødvendige utopierne er for at skabe fremskridt og bringe os videre i jagten på en bedre verden. Moralen er, at uden utopien, uden den forestilling om en lysere fremtid et sted ude i horisonten at styre imod, ville vi miste vores retningssans og fornemmelse af fremskridt. Der er ingen tvivl om, at de utopiske visioner har været meget vigtige som katalysatorer for reformer af byen og som inspiration til at skabe bedre byer. Blandt de fremtrædende utopister er bl.a. nogle af Wildes samtidige, der som mod-

change when channels for its expression seem so scant and when potential agents of future transformation appear so elusive. Utopian thinking in this context might be seen more as a refuge and escape, a space for imaginative play without a sense of how change might be realized. Or it might be construed as a personal endeavor, a process of endless self-creation and self-invention that is actively encouraged under conditions that themselves remain beyond question. How it might also become transformative is a difficult question. It’s not about introducing utopian perspectives from the outside, however, for they emerge through contradictions and struggles at the time, and in many ways they are ever present as people resist, explore alternatives and seek to create conditions otherwise.

Utopia Thomas More (1478-1535) published his novel on a fictional island society in 1516 in Latin. More constructed the name for his island from the greek words Outopia (meaning ‘no place’) and Eutopia (meaning ‘good place’) – a subtle double meaning which is in the heart of utopian thinking: The ideal is (yet) nowhere to be found. More’s original title De optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia literally translates into "Of a republic's best state and of the new island Utopia”, and indicates More’s ambition of describing his vision for a perfect society. In Utopia there is no private property and in its organization the country is otherwise easily likened with later times’ welfare society: Free

hospital care, right to divorce and other freedom rights including some equal rights genders in-between – but perhaps more with communism or state socialism: All people wear the same clothes and are fed the same food in community halls while mind control, surveillance and what we would today call nudging (measures to encourage people into behaving as wanted by making it almost impossible not to) are all around. As a curiosity the utopians have slaves (from other countries or prisoners) to support them in their household. Considerations for the common good prevails over individual interests and war is avoided.

The question whether More’s work should primarily be understood as his actual dreams of a perfect society, a satiric text aimed at contemporary England or as an ironic commentary (as More in passages is so doublefaced that the actual meaning is hard to tell) remains an open one. Nevertheless, the basic intellectual drill of imagining an ideal state not possible within the framework of existing society – and the name, More made up for it – has had a huge influence on radical thinking about societal change.

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sive; there are utopias of the right as well as the left. They can be exclusionary, patriarchal and racist as well as inclusionary and based on equality. There are utopias of urban elites and businesses coalitions as well as social movements. This is hardly surprising since utopias arise out of the material circumstances of the time and are shaped by those conditions. However, this is one of the reasons why I think utopia is a significant critical concept for addressing urban and architectural questions. It invites us to ask about the visions that are in play today, and the interests and values that they embody. What kind of city for what kind of society do they imagine and seek to construct? One of the most powerful urban visions today is that of cities conducive for business. In this view cities must be tailored to the needs of international capital and investors in terms of their property arrangements, their tax systems, their governmental priorities and so on. This is seen as a requirement to compete internationally and to attract the investment that is required for sustaining a decent living environment. In a world of capitalist globalisation, we are told there is no serious alternative. This is the kind of rhetoric that was used by Mayor Bloomberg in New York who referred to that city as a ‘high-end’ and ‘luxury’ product, and who insisted that it “needs to think like a private company.” When the wealth flows to those with the most already, this is depicted as necessary for it to trickle down to others.. It’s valuable to address the utopian dimensions of such a vision and even to see it as a utopia: a neoliberal utopia in which the key to well-being and prosperity is the market. Viewing it that way helps to estrange its assumptions and supposed inevitability, and to highlight its partiality. It also gives urgency to articulating alternatives based on different values, around 78

svar til ideologien om det frie marked insisterede på mere kollektive, kooperative løsninger på den kapitalistiske industrialiserings problemer, og som kom til at få så stor betydning for byplanlægningen og arkitekturen. Sådan en dosis idealisme kunne vi godt bruge i dag. Men selvom jeg understreger behovet for utopier, er der en association, der skal demonteres. Det er vigtigt at understrege, at utopier ikke nødvendigvis er forbundet med fremskridt. De kan lige så vel være reaktionære som progressive; der er både højreorienterede og venstreorienterede utopier. Utopier kan være ekskluderende, patriarkale og racistiske såvel som inkluderende og baseret på lighed. Der er utopier for byernes eliter og virksomhedsorganisationer såvel som for samfundsbevægelser. Det er der ikke noget overraskende i, eftersom utopierne er produkter af de gældende fysiske omstændigheder og formet af disse vilkår. Men det er netop en af grundende til, at jeg anser utopien for at være et vigtigt værktøj til at behandle urbane og arkitektoniske emner kritisk. Den giver os mulighed for at spørge, hvilke visioner, der er i spil, og hvilke interesser og værdier de repræsenterer. Hvilken by og hvilket samfund er det, de drømmer om og stræber efter? I dag er en af de mest magtfulde byvisioner den om byen som motor for økonomisk vækst. Ifølge den skal byerne tilpasses den internationale kapital og de internationale investorers behov – det gælder deres ejendomsmarkeder, deres skattesystemer, deres politiske prioriteter osv. Det anses for nødvendigt, hvis man skal kunne konkurrere internationalt og tiltrække de investeringer, der skal til for at opretholde en acceptabel levestandard. I en verden præget af globaliseret kapitalisme får vi at vide, at der ikke er noget seriøst alternativ. Det var den slags retorik, New Yorks borgmester, Michael Bloomberg, brugte, da han betegnede byen som en luksusvare og insisterede på, at den skulle ‘tænke som en privat virksomhed’. Når de, der allerede har mest, får mere, bliver det fremstillet som nødvendigt, for at der kan falde noget af til de andre. Det kan være værdifuldt at rette sig imod den utopiske dimension af sådan en forestilling, og ligefrem betragte den som en utopi: en neoliberal utopi, hvor markedet er nøglen til velvære og velstand. At se på det på den måde hjælper til at skabe afstand til de antagelser og den forestilling om selvfølgelighed, der ligger bag, og i stedet sætte fokus på den forudindtagethed, der ligger bag. Det øger også vigtigheden af at formulere alternativer, som baserer sig på nogle andre værdier, og som kan danne grundlag for igangsættelsen af andre projekter. Det er dog ikke det samme som at pege præcis

which different projects can be mobilized. That is not the same as pinpointing exactly where one wants to go, however, and in my view the significance of utopias lies less in providing a direct route map for where humanity should land than in questioning the co-ordinates of the map itself. In this way I want to hold on to a sense of utopias as impossible. By that I don’t mean disconnected from any plausibility, even though there’s also a place and value for genuinely fantastical visions. Rather, I mean impossible under the current organization of society and space. Utopias are about challenging that organization and its definitions of what is possible and impossible, about shattering existing parameters. Referring to utopias as impossible is therefore not to accept that as an inherent condition but is to ask, what is it about the current conditions that makes them so? Why is it meant to be unrealistic to propose decent housing for all, for example, or full and meaningful employment, or an urbanism that puts the needs of people above those of profit? Why, even after the recent capitalist crisis, are the smallest adjustments of the economic order deemed impossible, let alone prospects of urbanisation beyond capitalism? What is inconceivable about an urbanism that is no longer based around private property, or that emphasises not drudgery and toil but the pleasures and joys of living? By addressing the impossible in relation the possible, it then pushes the boundaries of the latter. This becomes more than wishful thinking when it is based in present material conditions and tendencies, within which are found the outlines and possibilities of other worlds in the making. Visions of the City In this book, published in 2005 with the subtitle “Utopianism, Power and Politics in Twentieth-Century Urbanism”, David Pinder gives an extensive account of utopian urbanism in the 20th century. The main focus of the book is attempts to imagine cities differently, and to change radically their spaces and social relations. Pinder revisits Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities and Le Corbusier and CIAM’s modernist visions before turning to the Situationists with a main focus on Constant’s provocative vision of New Babylon. Depicting the tension between the city as emancipatory and apocalyptic, the book sheds a light on also the darker sides of especially

på, hvor vi gerne vil hen, og i min optik ligger utopiernes vigtighed i højere grad i at beskrive, hvordan vi kommer derhen, end i at diskutere, hvor det præcist er. Det er i den sammenhæng, jeg ønsker at holde fast i tanken om, at utopier er umulige. Med det mener jeg ikke totalt usandsynlige, selv om der også er plads til og brug for deciderede fantasier. Nej, jeg mener umulige under den aktuelle organisering af samfundet og rummet. Utopier skal udfordre måden at organisere tingene på, og stille spørgsmål ved, hvad der er muligt og umuligt. Når man betegner utopier som umulige, skal man derfor ikke acceptere det som et grundvilkår, men i stedet spørge, hvad det er ved udformningen af vores byer og samfund, der gør dem umulige. Hvorfor skal det f.eks. være urealistisk at foreslå ordentlige boliger til alle eller fast, meningsfuldt arbejde eller en byudvikling, der prioriterer menneskets behov højere end profittens? Hvorfor bliver selv den mindste justering af det økonomiske system – selv efter den nylige økonomiske krise – regnet for at være umulig, for slet ikke at tale om visionen om en byudvikling, der ikke er baseret på kapitalisme? Hvad utænkeligt er der ved en byudvikling, der ikke længere baserer sig på den private ejendomsret og ikke er præget af slid og slæb, men fornøjelser og livsglæde? Ved at tage fat i det umulige og relatere det til det mulige kan utopien rykke grænserne for, hvad der er muligt. Den bliver noget andet og mere end dagdrømmeri, når den har rod i de gældende fysiske omstændigheder og tendenser, hvorfra mulighederne og konturerne af andre fremtidige verdener tegner sig.

modernist visions of the city and the often overlooked aspects of surveillance, social control and spatial order as a way to discipline and regulate human behavior. In the final chapter, Pinder discusses the future of utopian thinking and concludes that “(for) all the risks associated with utopianism, its dreaming of alternatives remains indispensable in enabling critiques of human geography. It is vital of being a ‘partisan of possibilities’.”

Put your money where your mouth is with this disclosing app. By ranking approximately 150 international companies supplying nearly 2000 brands, the app gives you the opportunity to chose whether you want to support one manufacturer or the other based on their efforts on 22 criteria regarding the environment. Climate Counts helps you determine if companies have measured their footprint, reduced their impact on global warming, supported progressive climate legislation or publicly disclosed their climate actions clearly and comprehensively.

Break up the family by bringing this to the next party attended by your climate skeptical uncle and argue him to a melting pole after your own choice. The Skeptical Science App is filled with well-organized arguments to get out of any argumentation cul-de-sac and strike back. Organized under the Shine Technologies

SKEPTICAL SCIENCE

want to know more about and instantly see how it perform on issues like nutrition, pollution, fair trade, energy efficiency, resource conservation and more. Like on GoodGuides website you can set up your own filters to focus on the issues you care for the most. GoodGuide’s database is created by a science team at UC Berkeley rating products and companies on their health, environmental and social performance. As of today, there are only products available in the US in the database.

POLLUTION aMobileFuture

Check the air pollution on the street before you go out for a cigarette break. The app gives you realtime information about air quality, electromagnetic pollution, water pollution and pollution and emission to soil on an interactive map with visualization of pollution sources at your specific location. The app lacks information about threshold

Climate Counts

Get access to GoodGuides online database by scanning the barcode of a product you

GoodGuide

GOODGUIDE

not humble when they claim to be able to solve the world’s food waste problems, but also those of obesity, alienation, health and guilty conscience about overeating. It requires a quite extended network of users around you, though.

four headlines “It’s not happening”, “It’s not us”, “It’s not bad” and “It’s too hard” you will find a list of often used arguments against climate change like “Greenland has only lost a tiny fraction of its ice mass” with an extended version helping you to understand from where the skeptic has his wicked argumentation together with a suggestion to your answer like “Greenland’s ice loss i accelerating and will add metres of sea level rise in upcoming centuries”

– accompanied by an often quite extensive account of the scientific background for the argument. Remember to pass on the gravy before the conversation gets out of control. the whole world), organizer – and phone. Depending on your choice of apps and available services from companies and institutions in your area, you can extend and customize the list almost indefinitely. Of course your choice of apps is as important for supporting your personal brand as it is to actually help you with your daily chores. To make the impression that you make an effort in greening up your life – and perhaps actually help you doing it – here are some suggestions for appropriate apps. Most of them are or will soon be available for Android too.

LEFTOVERSWAP Greased Watermelon

For those concerned about food waste. Post it to the community if you got some spare food, and let someone hungry drop by and pick it up. Or the other way around: Check out what’s available in your neighborhood before you run out and buy something yourself. The developers of the app are

values for the specific pollutants, so you need some basic information about this yourself for the information to be really useful.

CLIMATE COUNTS

Having built up your self confidence with the previous apps, here is the time to tear it down again. Calculate the carbon emission on your next flight to Paris. Business or pleasure doesn’t matter in this game; either way your emissions are approximately ten times higher when going by plane than taking the train. As this excess emission is free, however, the plane is often the cheapest. International Civil Aviation Organization

CARBON EMISSIONS CALCULATOR

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

hile Apple is only rarely (if ever) associated with anything ‘green’, if you want to use environmental arguments when trying to convince your boss your finance your irrational craving for the latest iPhone, there are actually a few ways of going about it and still retain the ability to look yourself in the eyes afterwards. The most and probably only trustworthy one is how many other devices you can actually replace with one. Depending on your imagination you could probably build quite an extensive list, but just keeping to the most obvious ones, you could at least include watch, alarm clock, calculator, camera, ebook reader, voice recorder, compass, GPS (including maps of

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PROJECT PRESENTATION

SIGNE FILSKOV & HEIDI JACOBSGAARD SCHØBEL A diamond in the rough, a chunk of pack ice or an indefinable futuristic entity. Seattle Central Library, which carries Rem Koolhaas’ signature, is located in downtown Seattle, where the steel and glass construction stands out among the neighboring buildings. An icon for the city. During the first year the library was open it had 2.3 million visitors and generated an estimated 16 million dollars’ worth of activity in the surrounding area. Thus, the library joins a tradition for aesthetically appealing cutting-edge libraries that generate capital for a city and promote its brand in the competition among cities. The library, which was completed in 2004, reflects a new approach to library architecture as well as an approach to library functions that was innovative for its time.

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA Architects: OMA + LMN Consultants: Arup, Bruce Mau Design, Davis Langdon, Dewhurst Macfarlane, Front, HKA, Hoffman Client: Seattle Public Library Project area: 38,300 sqm Project year: 1999-2004 Photos: Philippe Reault & OMA

he building sits on a sloping site by one of Seattle’s main thoroughfares. It consists of nine staggered horizontal levels with different functions: five main levels and four intermediate levels. Each of the five main levels is dedicated to a specific purpose such as parking and administration. The four intermediate levels, which have a vaguer programming, include the “Living Room”, the “Mixing Chamber”, and the “Reading Room”. These rooms serve as interfaces between the floors and between information and interaction. This is where the librarians are stationed, ready to provide information and inspiration, and it is a space for work/study, play and interaction in general. The third floor is programmed as an urban living room – a place to relax and meet, across social intentions. The spacious room is decorated with soft rugs, easy chairs, study spaces and low bookcases with fiction books. The open-space environment has a view of the city through a 50-meter-tall sloping glass wall. The “Mixing Chamber”, which occupies the building’s fifth floor, is an IT section where library users can search for information across media formats and request help and advice from librarians. This space features darker, harder materials, and some areas resemble a more traditional reading room. On the second floor from the top one finds the “Reading Room,” which offers a view of Puget Sound and the surrounding mountains.

H T

ON C I E H T

N O IE C

THE ICON

The Books Spiral forms the core of the library and features more than 800,000 non-fiction books arranged according to Dewey’s classic decimal system. It is distributed over four floors, tied together by a ramp that provides access to the library’s quieter zones. The stairs in the center of the spiral can be used as a shortcut between the levels. Together, the staggered levels define the facetted shape of the building, and the steel and glass construction forms as a shell around the staggered interior floors. The building was designed to match its environment, and each side of the building responds in its own unique way to the library’s urban setting. “At a moment when libraries are perceived to be under threat from a shrinking public realm on one side and digitization on the other, the Seattle Central Library creates a civic space for the circulation of knowledge in all media and an innovative organizing system for an ever-growing physical collection – the Books Spiral.” (OMA) In an effort to counteract the drop in the number of library users, Seattle Central Library aims to redefine the library institution from a place that is mainly dedicated to studying and books to a multi-purpose space with room for different types of visits with access to all types of media, both new and old. More ‘information store’ than an awe-inspiring space for knowledge acquisition, the library welcomes people into this urban living room. With its mix of café, store, easy chairs and select elements of the library collection, the “Living Room” deliberately aims for an unconventional combination of functions. In this functional mix, Dorte Skot-Hansen sees associations to the classic public square, which also invites a wide 84

range of different uses. The “Living Room” provides a fluid transition between the city and the library, simultaneously drawing the city into the library and making the library a part of the urban space. Like an unusual hybrid between library and urban space, Seattle Central Library is a good example of a new type of libraries that emphasize multi-purpose solutions and user-friendliness. According to Maria Gomez-Guillamon Werner, this multi-functional programming has its limitations, however, and she points out that the multiprogram approach, the mix of functions, does not always provide the qualities and the dynamics that were the original intention. Despite the goal of redefining the library genre and creating a multi-purpose facility with room for studying and socializing, for play, literature, media and people, Dorte Skot-Hansen does not think that the intention of creating a new type of library has been fully accomplished. “The huge rooms, the pop-art-inspired interiors, and, not least, the unique steel and glass exterior indisputably make the library stand out. In that sense, the library is definitely worth a visit by virtue of its architecture and interior design, but neither the functions nor the communication and presentation approach is particularly innovative.” In Dorte Skot-Hansen’s opinion, the backbone of the library – the Books Spiral – and the use of Dewey’s classic system to organize the more than 800,000 non-fiction books in the collection make the library seem more like a traditional information system than a contemporary source of inspiration and experiences. Nan Dahlkild agrees with Dorte Skot-Hansen in this assessment when he points to the Books Spiral as arguably the library’s most problematic feature. He comments, “The books

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are displayed in a very compact arrangement, almost like stacks, and the pale green light that looks so good in architecture photos is not conducive to reading. Consequently, few people actually settle in to read. Here’s a need for some Scandinavian user-friendliness.” That some of the library’s intentions are not fully accomplished, however, does not take away from the building’s landmark status, and with its iconic expression it has helped put Seattle on the world map, generated economic growth, and promoted Seattle’s brand as a progressive city. Nan Dahlkild says, “Just as Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao served as an international example of spectacular museum architecture and made people talk about the ‘Bilbao effect,’ Rem Koolhaas’ library building in Seattle has become an icon of millennium library architecture. They are both examples of architecture by international star architects that aim to build identity and branding in the competition among cities and regions while simultaneously promoting economic and social growth and development.”

Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey (1851-1931) American librarian who created the “Dewey Decimal Classification”. Dewey also co-founded the American Library Association in 1876 and later served as the association’s president. In 1887 he founded the world’s first school for librarians. Dewey Decimal Classification Dewey Decimal Classification is a system used by libraries to classify non-fiction works. At the age of 21, Dewey invented the system that would transform library classification methods completely, and which took libraries in a much more user-friendly direction. Before his system was introduced, each library had its own method of organization. Dewey’s system made it easier for library users to find the material they were interested in. The classification relies on ten main categories.

The main categories of Dewey Decimal Classification: 000 Computers, information and general reference 100 Philosophy and psychology 200 Religion 300 Social sciences 400 Language 500 Science and mathematics 600 Technology 700 Arts and recreation 800 Literature 900 History and geography

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PROJECT PRESENTATION

THE IDEA

SHOPPING FOR KNOWLEDGE SIGNE FILSKOV & HEIDI JACOBSGAARD SCHØBEL

“The Idea Stores in Tower Hamlets in London’s East End have expanded the library concept. The libraries in this area literally appear as a small chain of information stores,” says Nan Dahlkild. With a groundbreaking new library concept, the Idea Store Strategy has transformed the libraries of Tower Hamlets. From being known as some of the worst in London, they are now among the most successful in the UK. Today, Tower Hamlets has five Idea Stores: Idea Store Bow, 2002, Bisset Adams Idea Store Chrisp Street, 2004, Adjaye Idea Store Whitechapel, 2005, Adjaye Idea Store Canary Wharf, 2006, Dearle & Henderson Idea Store Watney Market, 2013, Bisset Adams

he Idea Store Strategy was based on the most comprehensive library user survey ever carried out in the UK. The large-scale survey process that began in early 1998 revealed that people wanted to be able to combine their library visits with other activities, including shopping. That led to the decision to place all the Idea Stores adjacent to shopping facilities. Other desires uncovered in the survey included improved service levels, longer opening hours, education support, information services, exhibitions, and media and internet access. In 1998, the council of Tower Hamlets decided on a strategy to place library and adult education facilities together in reflection of the findings of the user survey. This strategy led to the opening of the first Idea Store in May 2002, and since then, the council has continued to develop the successful strategy. The implementation of the strategy is reflected in the architect-designed Idea Stores. From library to store The Idea Store Strategy has a strong focus on service and recognizability as means of attracting more users. The strategy indicates a new approach to library branding. Dorte Skot-Hansen, explains that the five Idea Stores in Tower Hamlets are tied together by a common logo, a consistent

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use of typefaces and color schemes, and identical uniforms for the staff .“The interior is like a mix between a Starbucks and a bookstore with large top-ten lists and screens advertising special offers, and the ‘customers’ are met by a highly service-minded staff. This is a brand-new library concept which is strongly inspired by a commercial mindset that aims to make the users feel more comfortable about entering what may seem like a chain store for information, learning and education.” The effort to attract more users seems to have worked. “Idea Store Strategy 2009” refers to a survey, which found that 56.6 percent of the local population uses Tower Hamlets’ Idea Stores compared to a national average of 48,5 percent. Part of the explanation for the high user rates stems from the location of the Idea Stores. All five Idea Stores are carefully planned in the context of their urban environment and located close to major shopping facilities in order to represent them as places to simply ‘stop by’. The survey also found that Tower Hamlets’ Idea Stores have succeeded in attracting users across age groups and ethnical backgrounds. This is partly due to a deliberate strategy of making sure the staff that reflects the local demographics in order to make the place seem less alien, as people speak the same language and maybe even know each other already. Based on user surveys, the Idea Stores include 88

a range of services that go beyond the traditional library model, including adult education, career support, leisure pursuits, childcare, music etc. The latest Idea Store Strategy expands the concept further to include health and employment issues, and the Idea Stores now offer a wide range of services. “It’s not just a library but also a place that builds citizenship. Including additional functions, such as health and employment counseling, makes the library more attractive and draws more people in. There is also a potential for stimulating and appealing to new users, including users with ethnic minority backgrounds, to make them active library users and thus a more active and integrated part of the community,” says Maria Gomez Guillamon Werner. Tower Hamlets’ Idea Stores represent a very ambitious attempt at combining the classic library functions with public service functions. That is an interesting development for one of our oldest cultural institutions, which points to entirely new ways of using the library.

IDEA STORE WATNEY MARKET As the latest in the new generation of Idea Stores, Idea Store Watney Market is conceived as a ‘marketplace of information’, and it expands the Idea Store Strategy to include services aimed specifically at health and employment issues. Idea Store Watney Market is a highly visible and accessible community center. The ground floor features a range of facilities including an integrated One Stop Shop, employment counseling and health services. An eye-catching green staircase invites visitors to go to the upper floors, which offer library services for children, youth and adults.

Location: London, UK Architects: Bisset Adams Architects in charge: Paulo Ribeiro, Neil Hughes Landscape architect: Mott MacDonald Main contractor: Geoffrey Osborne Structural engineer: Mott MacDonald Interior design: Bisset Adams Project area: 1,300 sqm Year: 2013

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URBAN METABOLISM DISORDER AUSTIN TROY

The flight of people and businesses towards the world’s expanding megacities creates constipation, congestion and an increased demand for scarce resources. In his personal essay Austin Troy, an expert on urban environmental management, argues that any city with a high energy metabolism – that is, any city that needs large amounts of energy in order to function – will be at a serious competitive disadvantage in the future. He points to a potentially more sustainable way out of this epidemic of urban obesity, for instance environmentally sustainable housing projects like Hammarby Sjöstad in Sweden.

t was the late spring of 1979 and third grade was coming to a close at Brentwood Elemen tary in Los Angeles. Summer vacation was about to begin. The days were getting longer. I had a new ten speed Schwinn bicycle. Life was good. Nonetheless, at recess each day I was beginning to notice that something odd was happening just across the street at the filling station. Lines of cars waiting for gasoline mysteriously sprouted and steadily grew at this normally sleepy locale until at one point they wrapped around the block. As a nine year old, I didn’t have the faintest understanding of what caused this – how it related to political upheaval in Iran, price controls in America or OPEC production quotas. And frankly, it didn’t matter much to me, because it had little impact on my daily life; after all, I rode my new bike to school and the other places I cared to go – the baseball card store and my friends’ houses – were all within easy walking distance. But beyond my tiny world, the impacts were momentous. Even though predicted shortfalls in oil supply were modest, just the threat of not being able to fill up whenever needed sent Californians into an irrational frenzy that resulted in hoarding, multi-hour wait times and physical attacks in the gas lines, including one against a pregnant woman. Why were all these adults acting so crazy? It’s not surprising to me that the 1979 panic

began in Southern California well before spreading east. As the motherland of urban automobiledependency, residents of this area knew in their bones just how crippling the lack of fuel could be to their way of life. Even though the actual shortages were modest, the fears were real. In Los Angeles, there simply was no substitute for internal combustion. Looking back on that experience, it strikes me that energy is something we don’t notice until there’s a crisis. When these crises happen, they can fundamentally change our behaviors – even our whole outlook. When the crisis abates, so too does our attention to the issue. In the years following the 1979 oil crisis, price controls were lifted, oil production dramatically increased and prices fell as supplies burgeoned. Cars and houses got bigger. People turned up their thermostats in winter. Commuters drove ever longer distances. Energy slowly drifted out of public consciousness. Fast forward to 2008. After gradually rising for a few years, oil prices suddenly skyrocketed to over $150 a barrel. Only this time it wasn’t due to revolutions, price controls or embargoes. Rather, far more frighteningly, it was caused by a simple supply and demand imbalance. A red hot global economy was demanding far more fossil fuels than producers could supply. Some would say this was due to insufficient investment in production capacity. Others would contend that we were 91

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beginning to reach the physical limits to global oil production rates. While a massive global recession led to subsequent price declines, the fundamental imbalance between growth in supply and demand remains and will become only more apparent as economic recovery continues. This view that fundamental imbalances in the growth rates of supply and demand portend a future of more expensive energy (a view whose evidence I cover extensively in my book), is now subscribed to by such mainstream organizations as the International Energy Agency and the United States military. And if this viewpoint is valid, it has tremendous implications for cities. I have yet to see a place where the icons of urban energy use come together on a grander and more poetic scale than around the interchange for Interstates 5 and 210 and Highway 14 in the city of Sylmar, just outside of Los Angeles. For those who love sightseeing acre upon acre of reinforced concrete and steel, this is the place to be. Here,

terms of neighborhoods, individual municipalities, counties or whole metropolitan areas? In the 1960s, inventor and sanitary engineer Abel Wolman, coined the term ‘urban metabolism’ to describe the flows of matter and energy in an urban system.1 A generation later, I argue that the time has come for us to talk seriously about urban energy metabolism. Urban energy metabolism describes the differing rates at which cities consume energy. Any number of factors can cause this metabolism to vary, from climate, to access to water, to quality of the building stock, to industrial use, to the linked issues of transportation and urban form. Having a high energy metabolism is like having a high metabolism for food. Take, as an example, former speed eating champion Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas, who although only 98 pounds, can eat 35 bratwursts in 10 minutes. She can consume pounds of food in a matter of minutes without gaining a single one herself. But her insanely high metabolism is only a good thing in the context of

the I-5 expands to up to fifteen lanes in width to accommodate the massive amounts of car and truck traffic that these interchanges generate. Running every which way around these ribbons of concrete are dozens of high-tension transmission lines supported by a forest of massive steel pylons, which carry enough electricity to support 3 million people. To one side of I-5 is the Sylmar electrical converter station, a 35-acre knot of concrete and pulse-valve semiconductors. Adjacent is the energy-hungry Los Angeles Filtration Plant – the largest direct filtration plant in the United States – which makes 600 million gallons per day of water drinkable. Until you visit a place like this, it’s hard to appreciate just how hungry cities are for energy. And it’s far harder to appreciate what makes a city energy-efficient. Most people have a pretty good idea of what makes a building efficient or inefficient – leaky windows, insulation gaps, old furnaces. But, while a building manager may keep track of building energy use, there’s nobody whose role it is to monitor overall urban energy use. Further, while the boundaries of a building are obvious, the same can’t be said for an urban system. For instance, should urban energy efficiency be defined in 92

cheap and abundant food. If food suddenly were made scarce and expensive, that high metabolism becomes a liability. In this context, a slow metabolism is a competitive advantage because it means being able to do more with less. Many American cities have metabolisms like those of competitive eaters – they are structurally constrained to require a huge amount of energy per capita to meet their basic functions. From an economic perspective, none of this has mattered while energy has been cheap. But, as I discuss in my book, there are a lot of good reasons why it’s unwise to assume that it will remain so. Energy conservation has long been thought of as an environmental virtue. But as energy becomes more expensive in the long-term, urban energy metabolism will become ever more critical to our economic well-being and success. This is a particularly important issue for the United States because it has some of the world’s highest metabolism cities and because Americans are among the highest per capita consumers of energy, with the typical American using twice the energy of a British person, six times that of a Chinese person and eleven times that of a Salvadoran.2 There is a whole branch of economics that addresses the reasons why industries and firms

Sylmar LA

Nowhere the icons of urban energy use come together on a grander and more poetic scale than around the interchange for Interstates 5 and 210 in Sylmar

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choose one location over another – reasons ranging from wages, to access to natural resources, to transportation routes, to workforce education, to taxation, to pre-existing clusters of firms and industries. As energy gets more expensive, urban energy metabolism will rank increasingly high on that list, and cities with a high energy metabolism will find themselves with a significant competitive disadvantage. One reason for this is that in the new world of high energy prices, residents of high-metabolism cities will require compensation for their increased energy-related expenses, such as transportation, heating and cooling, waste processing and water supply. Phillip Schneider is a Principal for Deloitte Consulting’s Location Strategy and Site Selection Team and someone who helps firms choose locations. He believes that firms in cities with long commutes will likely have to increase wages to compensate workers for increased transportation costs as energy gets more expensive: “It does stand to reason that cities that are more compact that have mass transportation should do better.” Higher wages may sound like a good thing, but in this context it’s a liability. Employees in the high-metabolism city are no better off than employees earning less in a lowmetabolism city because the former must spend the additional income on transportation costs, and meanwhile the costs for the employer have gone up (some of this compensation would also be accounted for by lowered housing values which, although good for those buying a home for the first time, is disastrous for existing homeowners and highly destabilizing for a regional economy). Practices like locating corporate headquarters in suburban or exurban areas may become unsustainable. According to Schneider, such facilities would either be relocated or “there will have to be a transportation solution to get people out there once gas prices are high.” Consequently, “cities in America that have good mass transit system, they stand to be winners when it comes to condensed activities, like headquarters.” European cities, by contrast, are better prepared “because they never got rid of their mass transportation and they stopped urban sprawl.” Schneider believes, however, that there is plenty of opportunity for cities to adapt. Those that are currently inefficient “won’t give up and go away. The price of fuel will stimulate workarounds.” I agree that they will try. But the question is can they afford to wait until prices rise? Recent experience shows that waiting can be costly. In Rio Vista, CA, at the intersection of Park Place 94

and Hearth Lane, not far from the banks of the lazy Sacramento River, is the ironically named “Hearth and Home at Liberty,” an upscale 855 home subdivision that was never built. Today, long after ground was first broken on this project, only 13 lonely model homes sit vacant within an otherwise empty forty block street grid, complete with pavement, underground utilities, street lights, fire hydrants, sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, a parking lot – and now tumbleweeds. Hearth and Home was just about the furthest frontier reached by the San Francisco Bay Area’s red hot housing market. Located about an hour and forty minute drive in typical rush hour traffic from downtown San Francisco, this bedroom community offers an example of energy metabolism gone to its extreme. Once a small rural town, Rio Vista’s population exploded as developers built subdivisions such as the 250 unit “Homecoming” and the 2,000 unit “Trilogy.” However, by the time “Hearth and Home” broke ground in 2005, that frontier had become an inhospitable place for new developments. Between 2005 and 2009, median home prices there dropped by almost 45 percent and by the end of that period, nearly every home for sale in town was a short sale or a foreclosure. With population dropping and property taxes plummeting, Rio Vista came close to declaring bankruptcy in 2009. Rio Vista’s situation is by no means unusual for the ‘exurbs’ – that is, commuter communities located beyond the traditional suburban fringe. It and other satellite towns epitomized a phenomenon known as ‘drive ‘til you qualify,’ which means if you couldn’t afford a home of a certain size and quality in a particular area, you moved outward to where land values were lower. The United States is today littered with the remnants of this trend in the form of so-called ‘zombie subdivisions’ – distant exurban housing developments where empty lots grow weeds and unfinished houses deteriorate as they await foreclosure sales. Some of these developments are half built. Some have just been platted. Many were planned for thousands and today are occupied by only a few dozen homeowners. Few states have a greater zombie problem than Florida, where a white-hot real estate market fueled by speculation and loose credit led to massive overbuilding of distant exurban housing. Here, in developments like Antillean Isles, over 30 miles south of Miami, lots that were supposed to contain large up-market homes today contain only sub-tropical weeds. In nearby Enclave at Black Point Marina, which was foreclosed upon by the lenders in 2008, there are 40 partially built homes, 180 empty lots and no residents. Throughout

Miami’s far-flung southern suburbs, homes lost on average half their value in just a year, a decline so extreme that brand new four-bedroom homes are frequently available for around $100,000.3 Most people would probably blame this on the collapse of the mortgage market and subsequent global recession starting in 2008. But they’d only be half right. If we examine where abandonments and mass foreclosures are happening, it becomes evident that they’re disproportionately found in the outer suburbs and exurbs – the most recently built parts of the American housing frontier. Several studies have looked at the geographic distribution of housing price declines. A 2008 study by economist Joe Cortright looking at the geographic variation in housing price declines found that although prices were declining almost everywhere as of 2008, the magnitude of the declines was considerably greater for neighborhoods that were distant from an urban core. It attributed these geographic differences in price

homes that are close in or with access to public transit systems… If energy prices continue their upward climb homeowners are going to be unable to afford the big homes they have been demanding for the last two decades.”5 None of this proves exactly how rising energy prices will affect the economies of high- versus low-metabolism cities. But it does suggest that the layout of metropolitan areas will begin to matter more as energy becomes more expensive. As John Norquist, President of the Congress on New Urbanism and former mayor of Milwaukee told me, “If you look at the difference between Europe and the US in terms of energy consumption, it’s almost all accounted for with human settlement pattern and the availability of transit… We’re completely in favor of energy-efficient lightbulbs. Building materials, green building, using insulation appropriately, thermal windows – these things are all spreading and being used like crazy. But human settlement is the one big

Few states have a greater zombie problem than Florida, where a white-hot real estate market fueled by speculation and loose credit led to massive overbuilding of distant exurban housing declines to the steep rise in fuel prices during that time, for the period from 2004 to 2008 saw gas prices go from their all-time inflation-adjusted low in 1999 to their all time high in 2008. In other words, cheap gas fueled the expansion of the housing frontier into distant satellite communities like Rio Vista by making multi-hour commutes economically feasible. These areas therefore were the most vulnerable part of the housing market to rising gasoline prices.4 Another 2010 study from the Federal Reserve Board found that gas prices had a significant effect on suburban housing construction; a 10 percent increase in gas prices resulted in a 10 percent decrease in construction in distant suburbs relative to central cities, meaning that the run-up in prices just between February and June 2008 would have been enough to reduce construction by one third in these far-flung areas. At least some in the mortgage finance world anticipated this kind of effect of rising gasoline prices well before they took their toll. A 2006 article from a mortgage industry trade publication predicted that “there is a possibility that homebuyers will find the price/commute trade-off is no longer feasible. This could drive down the price of housing in farflung suburbs and put an additional premium on

thing that could be done that would really change things – the one big thing that hasn’t been popularly embraced.” Places like Hearth and Home at Rio Vista pushed the outer limits on a certain type of settlement pattern. Maybe this settlement pattern is inherently unsustainable, or maybe we just built too much of it. Whatever the reason, though, there are some lessons to be learned in those lonely, weed-choked streets. There are also many lessons to be learned in the master planned Stockholm neighborhood of Hammarby Sjöstad. If Rio Vista has an antithesis somewhere in the world, this it is. As I descend from the light rail car at Sikla Kaj station, situated in the middle of a street populated with far more pedestrians and cyclists than cars, I look up to see rows of diverse-looking modernist buildings of six and seven stories, amply fenestrated, adorned with sleek metal balconies, and surrounded by gorgeous landscaping. Along the ground floor of each building is a wide array of retail, from markets, to toy stores, to restaurants. My hunch that there are no vacancies anywhere is fulfilled when I look in the window of a real estate agent and see almost every listing marked 95

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as “SÅLD.” As I walk into a side street, the buildings open up into stunningly landscaped courtyards with beautiful water features, including large fountain arrays, constructed wetlands and networks of small decorative stormwater canals. Hammarby Sjöstad, first dreamed up in 1990 and occupied starting in 2000, is no ordinary urban redevelopment project. If it were, it wouldn’t be drawing the nearly 13,000 ‘eco-visitors’ a year who come to learn from its innovations, including the Vice President of China, the Governor of Maryland and myriad Cabinet Ministers, mayors, business leaders from around the world. It’s widely seen as Sweden’s flagship example of sustainable urban infill redevelopment. And with Sweden’s incredible record in this area, that’s saying a lot. Its size (11,000 units at completion and 30 developers) allows it big economies of scale in infrastructure provision. SymbioCity is a trademark for environmentally synergistic urban development, established in 2008 by the Swedish

tion points at each apartment block. As a result of the efficiency attained, Hammarby residents get a 50 percent discount on their waste collection bills. Wasterwater is transported to a nearby treatment plant (that provides service for almost a million people), which in turn uses a methane digester to create energy-rich ‘biogas,’ most of which goes to power Stockholm’s bus fleet, but some of which comes back to Hammarby as cooking gas. The remaining sludge from the process is used to create nutrient-rich soil. The heat in the wastewater is also extracted by heat pumps in a separate plant to further add to the district heating network and to heat tap water. After the heat extraction, the resulting wastewater is cold and so is used to feed a district cooling network that serves offices and retail (including grocery refrigeration) in the development. Solar rooftop hot water panels are found on most roofs and satisfy nearly half of the development’s demands. Although most of the energy savings for this development come from the centralization and

Trade Council, supported by a network of Swedish building and supply professionals, and based on the concept that one infrastructure system’s trash is another’s treasure. Hammarby follows the SymbioCity model by creating synergies amongst all elements of its infrastructure. As Stellan Fryxell of Tengbon Architects, one of the designers of the project, told me: “It’s about coordinated infrastructure and master planning. It takes more than a group of green buildings to make a green area.” Hammarby Sjöstad achieves these synergies through what its developers refer to as an ‘ecocycle.’ Crucial to this concept is the re-purposing waste to serve other infrastructural needs. As Hammarby’s Information Offer, Erik Freudenthal, said, “In Sweden we don’t look at garbage as garbage but as a resource.” Each building has an array of pneumatic tubes that suck away different types of waste for different purposes through an underground network of tubes. One tube takes combustible waste to a combined heat and power plant that in turn feeds a district heating system for the development. This fuel provides most of its heat requirement. Another takes food and organic waste to a compost facility that makes fertilizer, much of which is used for onsite landscaping. And a third takes recyclables to a sorting facility. For big and bulky waste, there are centralized collec96

coordination of infrastructure, the design of the individual housing units adds to the savings through features like triple-glazed windows, heavy-duty insulation, low-flush toilets and lowenergy lighting fixtures. Some individual housing units also have their own on-demand ventilation and heat exchange systems that even further cut down on energy needs. Interestingly, these higher-efficiency building materials and components really don’t add much to the cost of construction. The large construction company Skanska estimated that it only cost 4 percent more to build in Hammarby. But Lars Gärde of ByggVesta, one of the block developers, was even more optimistic. “As a private developer I would say that it doesn’t add a Kronor extra to build a building that consumes 50 percent less than the official norm. When we constructed the low energy buildings, we would say that the money that we save from an investment point of view when we take out the radiators from the apartments exactly corresponds to the extra amount we paid for the heat exchanger on the roof, the better insulated walls and the low emission windows, more or less. But many developers say it should cost extra. Look at the price of low-energy windows. It cost the same to get U values [lower U values are higher efficiency] of 1.2 or 1.3 two or

Lyndon B Johnson and N Central Expy LA

Interestingly, higher-efficiency building materials don't add much to the cost of construction

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three years ago as it does now to get windows at 0.9 because the industry is focused today just on low energy. One of the important factors from the city was increased requirements. Because as soon as they do that, the industry starts to change. They develop new products and you get the price going down on the new low-energy produce.” The developers’ goal was initially for each housing unit to have half the environmental impact of standard Swedish housing of the 1990s era. While a recent audit found that the development has not yet met this ambitious goal, it’s generally close, with water consumption rates ranging between 55 and 60 percent of the baseline, and non-renewable energy consumption ranging between 53 and 70 percent of the baseline, depending on apartment block. The key to Hammarby’s success, though, is that by putting the infrastructure in the background, residents can dramatically cut their environmental footprint without even knowing they’re doing it. Despite all the fancy infrastructure and green credentials, however, what really draws residents there – and there are almost no vacancies currently – are more practical attributes: aesthetics, design, location. While walking through a courtyard garden, I spoke to a web programmer named Sebastian, who was out playing with his four year old son. Sebastian, who has lived in Hammarby for five years, used to live in a suburb, 12 miles outside of Stockholm. When I ask him if the environmental attributes of the development were one of the things that attracted him, his answer was “not at all.” Rather, what drew him and his family was the availability of nicely-built, well-located rental apartments in the otherwise very tight Stockholm housing market. What he likes most about the development is the fact that he can get to his work or other activities in the central city easily by train, bicycle or bus. And he also likes the fact that it’s a great place for kids, with its minimal car traffic and ample open space. The design attributes that make it appealing to families are evident the moment you set foot in Hammarby, and they clearly dispel the myth that ‘green construction’ is necessarily un-aesthetic. Courtyards, patios and balconies are constructed to maximize social interaction and sense of common ownership. Because each courtyard is distinct in its design, they don’t look or feel master planned or antiseptic, but rather seem to belong to surrounding housing units. Furthermore, the retail areas, located on the main street, add to the sense of neighborhood vitality by providing additional nearby destinations and opportunities for walking – unlike in some residential developments 98

which become ghost towns during the work day. But the single most important asset that this development has in its favor – both in terms of environmental and real estate value – is its location: less than two miles as the crow flies from downtown Stockholm, just across a narrow channel from the densely populated Södermalm Island and a little over one mile to a major metro station. Commuters can be in downtown Stockholm in under 20 minutes through a variety of modes: a free ferry that runs every 15 minutes, bicycling using Stockholm’s excellent system of dedicated lanes, bus or the Tvärbanan light rail line which runs right through the center of the development and offers a quick transfer to the metro at Gullmarsplan Station. Currently, only about 21 percent of Hammarby residents use a car for daily commuting, as opposed to about 35 percent for greater Stockholm. Over one third use light rail and a quarter use the ferry – many with their bicycles. The energy benefits of this are enormous: it is estimated that Hammarby residents emit less than half the carbon dioxide of others from greater Stockholm.6 Further, many Hammarby residents get the benefits of cars without owning one as there are three car sharing services in Hammarby for non-work activities, totaling about 550 members and 35 cars. As a former waterfront industrial brownfields site, this project illustrates just how vital good location is to the environmental performance of development. Hammarby’s greatest value – like with so many urban infill projects today – is that it took woefully under-utilized land in the urban core and brought a large a number of residents to it who otherwise might have lived and shopped in the suburbs. And rather than simply maximizing density, it did this in a way that found an ideal balance between density, livability and aesthetics. Thousands of other infill developments in central cities around the world have undertaken projects with similar aims. But few have achieved such success at such large scale. Freudenthal attributes the success of Hammarby’s implementation to several factors. First was the active cooperation between the private and public sectors: “The key success was because of the integrated planning, or Symbiocity. It’s to take both the public and private stakeholders sitting around the same table and saying how can we make this new area as sustainable as possible before the master plan? And what kind of technology and scale are we going to have?” However, a collaborative spirit alone was not sufficient. The city needed to take a leadership role in setting strict environmental ground rules at the outset,

to be followed by everyone: “In the first area they built, they [city government] asked the developers to participate. When they found out that they had this environmental program, they said ‘we can’t do it.’ But the politicians said if you would like to build there you have to follow it. And they complied. And now, to them, it’s nothing, because they’ve done it. It wasn’t such a big thing to do this even though they said we can’t do it. I think to succeed with this you have to have the political will. And then you need to commit the developer in some way or another.” Finally, perhaps the most important ingredient to success was the fact that the city had owned the land for generations. Having exclusive say in what was to happen with this extraordinarily well located piece of land gave the city enormous bargaining power. “The City of Stockholm owns quite a lot of land in attractive locations, so the city can really influence and set these programs. If you’re invited [as a developer], it’s for the city to set the standards.” In other words, the city of Stockholm

As I write this, we’re nearing the American holiday of Thanksgiving. And that’s a good time to appreciate our energy wealth and all the things it allows: guests arriving to dinner by car; furnaces heating the house; pecans shipped from California and Cabernet Franc from France; electric lights in the dining room and kitchen appliances that allow us to make dinner for fifteen without servants. In fact, without fossil fuels, our lifestyles would probably be a lot more like those of the Pilgrims who celebrated the first American Thanksgiving, almost four hundred years ago. When they settled Plymouth, the industrial revolution was still nearly 150 years away. The fastest forms of transport at the time were no better than those of the Roman Empire, 1,500 years earlier. All of the food at the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621 was grown, hunted, fished or gathered locally, and not because it was fashionable to eat local. In fact, the lack of ground transportation alternatives meant that with the exception of a few manufactured goods brought from Europe, everything had to

The key to Hammarby Sjöstad's success is that by putting the infrastructure in the background, residents can dramatically cut their environmental footprint today is reaping huge benefits on its decision to buy large amount of centrally-located land in the earlier part of the 20th century. Of course not all the political and economic factors that made Hammarby’s success feasible would necessarily be palatable to many of those outside of Scandinavia. Vacancies in Hammarby are near zero not only because of its desirability, but also because rental housing is in short supply in Stockholm. The real estate sector is highly regulated and there is a nationwide system of rent control which, many economists believe, stifles new construction and keeps supply limited. In fact, there is currently a waiting list for rental housing in most of Sweden. Nonetheless, Hammarby Sjöstad has certainly provided an inspiration to those thousands of yearly visitors, and it seems highly unlikely that there aren’t many innovative infill developments around the world that got their inspiration from this neighborhood in Stockholm. I’ve got a lot of things to be thankful for – a great family, a wonderful community, a full pantry … and the list goes on. I don’t like to admit it, but I’m also thankful for cheap energy.

be local – fiber, building materials, heating fuel and even the tallow that allowed for the minimal indoor lighting of the time. Put simply, the Pilgrims and most others of their time were energy poor. They had miniscule amounts of energy at their disposal compared to what we have today, possessing only the technology to harvest energy from running water, wind, biomass and muscles (human and draft animal). In twenty first century America, twenty minutes of minimum wage purchased one gallon of gasoline, a fuel that contains enough potential energy to do the work equivalent to 200 hours of a preindustrial farmhand’s labor. By comparison, a Pilgrim farmer using draft animals could harness in an entire fifty-hour week’s work the amount of energy contained in just one measly gallon of gasoline. The history of lighting is particularly illustrative. According to a study by economist William Nordhaus, the typical tallow candle, used by many of the Pilgrims, required lots of work to make and it produced little light. In fact, they required about 190 times more work per unit of light emitted than a modern incandescent light (that number is 900 for a compact fluorescent bulb). That means that to make enough candles to produce the same amount of light produced by a 99

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75 watt incandescent bulb shining for an hour, five hours of physical labor would be required. By comparison, the average modern American requires less than a second’s worth of work to obtain the same amount of light. If fossil fuels aren’t something to be thankful for, I don’t know what is.7 But we haven’t been thankful or even aware as a society. Rather, as the fossil fuel age has progressed, we’ve increasingly taken cheap and abundant energy for granted. While there’s little chance humanity will go back to the energy poverty of the Pilgrims, the question is whether energy will continue to be as abundant and cheap as it has been for so long. There is no guarantee that energy prices will rise significantly. Highly efficient cars may be invented that use minimal amounts of energy. Newly discovered deposits of fossil fuels may make energy prices fall in the long term. The problem is that we as a society have largely been assuming these optimistic outcomes, while the facts currently point to a high probability of the opposite. Based on this, building cities that are adapted to using less energy just seems like basic common sense. And even if we learn how to make unlimited costless energy from sand, the investment made in this resiliency will not be in vain, for cities that are energy efficient are, I believe, also better places to live. Even if a two-hour commute were to cost nothing for fuel, it still takes two hours. Even if natural gas were costless, a drafty house is still less pleasant or reliable. Whether we frame the goal in terms of quality of life, economic development or energy-efficiency, I think the result will fundamentally be the same. Good cities are good places to live. But they take work. Article for Twentyfirst based on excerpts from The Very Hungry City (Yale University Press, 2012) Used by permission of Yale University Press December 2013 Notes 1 Christopher Kennedy, John Cuddihy and Joshua Engel-Ya: “The Changing Metabolism of Cities,” Journal of Industrial Ecology 11, no. 2 (2007), Halla R. Sahely, Shauna Dudding, and Christopher A. Kennedy: “Estimating the Urban Metabolism of Canadian Cities: Greater Toronto Area Case Study,” Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 30, no. 2 (2003), Peter Newman: “Sustainability and Cities: Extending the Metabolism Model,” Landscape and Urban Planning 44, no. 4 (1999), Abel Wolman, “The Metabolism of Cities,” Scientific American 213, no. 3 (1965). Put simply, urban metabolism looks at the inputs of resources and energy relative to the outputs of productivity and waste. When compared on a per-person basis, it provides a way for comparing the efficiency of cities to each other. 2 International Energy Agency (IEA) Statistics Division. 100

2007. Energy Balances of OECD Countries (2008 edition) and Energy Balances of Non-OECD Countries (2007 edition). Paris: IEA. Available at http://data.iea.org/ieastore/ default.asp. 3 Matthew Haggman: “Housing Crisis Turns South Dade Suburbs into Ghost Towns,” Miami Herald 2009. The $100,000 figure based on a quotation in the article from Ronald Shuffield, president of Wooten Maxwell Brokerage. 4 Joe Cortright: “Driven to the Brink: How the Gas Price Spike Popped the Housing Bubble and Devalued the Suburbs” (CEOs for Cities, 2008). 5 The 2010 Federal Reserve study cited is Raven Molloy and Hui Shan: “The Effect of Gasoline Prices on Household Location,” ed. Federal Reserve Board Division of Research and Statistics and Monetary Affairs (Washington, DC: 2010). Note that this paper finds less of an impact of gasoline prices in the long-term on suburban relative to urban housing prices. However, this is mostly consistent with Cortright’s results because it is a longer-term study, and in the longer-term, supply adjustments can attenuate price reductions. That is, reductions in suburban construction constrain the supply, which serves to limit the loss in value relative to more urban areas. Consistent with this, they found that metropolitan areas without the supply-constraining response did experience greater suburban price reductions relative to urban. Whether gas prices are found to reduce construction levels or prices in the suburbs, the interpretation of the results is largely the same: demand has gone down. The quotation at the end of the paragraph is from Glenn Setzer: “What Do High Gas Prices Mean for the Housing Market?,” Mortgage News Daily 2006. 6 K. Brick: “Report Summary – Follow up of Environmental Impact in Hammarby Sjostad: Sickla Udde, Sickla Kaj, and Proppen,” Grontmij AB (2008). 7 “Energy slave” figures come from a variety of sources including Stephen Vickers Boyden: Western Civilization in Biological Perspective: Patterns in Biohistory (Oxford and New York: Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press, 1987), Michael S. Common and Sigrid Stagl: Ecological Economics: An Introduction (Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), Richard Heinberg: The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, 2nd ed. (Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 2005). The Nordhaus article is William Nordhaus: “Do Real-Output and Real-Wage Measures Capture Reality? The Histroy of Lighting Suggests Not,” in The Economics of New Goods: Studies in Income and Wealth V. 58, ed. Timothy F. Bresnahan and Robert J. Gordon (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997). American energy slave equivalence comes from Boyden, p. 196, while the figure on minimum wage equivalence comes from Heinberg, p. 272.

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WISDOM ON WHEELS

PROJECT PRESENTATION

WISDOM ON WHEELS SIGNE FILSKOV & HEIDI JACOBSGAARD SCHØBEL The Book Bus is an initiative that was launched in 2007 with the purpose of making the world of books accessible to children in the Third World and inspiring them to read. In cooperation with various NGOs, the project has activities in Zambia, Malawi and Ecuador, among other places. The buses provide access to books and art materials and are operated by volunteers who also act as storytellers in order to inspire children to read. In addition, there are workshops and book clubs for parents aimed at promoting the interest in reading. The Book Bus project is endorsed by and cooperates with the countries’ respective departments of education. In addition, the book bus has partner schools that they work closely with. The collaboration with local partners helps the Book Bus target those most in need and also ensures local tie-in and support.

Locations: Zambia, Malawi, India and Ecuador Exterior graphics: Sir Quentin Blake Project year: 2007Local partners: Zambia: Chipembele Foundation and UNHCR, Malawi: Fisherman’s Rest, Ecuador: Ecuador Tierra Viva

The mobile library covers 32 rural towns in Kiruna in northern Sweden where it visits schools, preschool facilities and other local stops. The book bus contains traditional library functions such as bookcases and reading nooks but stands out as a mobile library with a special emphasis on digital media such as online content, music, film and computer games. The bus was custom-designed by the Muungano design firm with the dual purpose of distributing knowledge and serving as a cultural meeting place. At the back of the bus there is a space for small lecture and film events. The colorful illustrations on the exterior of the bus make it stand out as it travels through the landscape, and the custom-designed interior optimizes the functions of this mobile library. The interior is designed as one coherent element and appears almost as a single piece of furniture. For

example, a bookcase can turn into a seat to be used while reading or listening to music. The bookcases extend through most of the bus, optimizing the storage space for books. The bookcases are made of aluminum with white powder-coating, and in many regards they resemble conventional bookcases. The seats seem more innovative and enable many different sitting positions as well as lying down. They are made of MDF with laminate and upholstered with textile in shades of blue and green. Location: Kiruna, Sweden Designers: Peter Thuvander and Martin Hedenström, Muungano design Exterior graphics: Fredrik Forsberg, They graphics Project year: 2006-2008 Photos: Clive Tompsett

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THE WITTY CRITIC

Through decades, Michael Sorkin has maintained a position as an architect who persistently criticizes his own profession by insisting on discussing its social, economic and political preconditions and impact while at the same time running his own practice, thus exposing himself to the possible backfire of this own criticism. Sorkin manages through his exceptional writing skills, a never failing self-reflexion and an accurate sense of humor. The majority of essays, comments and Michael Sorkin: All Over the Map, 320 pages Verso 2011

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

“The freedom to make and remake ourselves is, I want to argue, one of the most precious yet most neglected of our human rights. How best then to exercise that right?” With this question, David Harvey sets out to explore whether urbanization has made us into better people and contributed to human well-being. He does this by looking at the relation between capital accumulation and urban development and linking it to class struggle. Harvey’s agenda is to investigate and suggest how cities can be organized in more socially just and ecologically sane ways, hence reinvigorating Lefebvre’s expression of ‘The Right to the City’ asking to whom this right belongs and how it can be exercised.

David Harvey: Rebel City, 208 pages Verso 2012

As an alternative to the critical voices on how urban development increases inequality, scorch the Earth and wrecks the economy, turn to the Harvard economist Edward Glaeser. He sets out to prove the point he makes in the book’s subtitle: “How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier and happier”. Where David Harvey sees inequality and injustice, Glaeser sees

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID

Edward Glaeser: Triumph of the City, 352 pages Penguin Books 2011

“Our nation’s top 100 metropolitan areas sit on only 12 percent of the nation’s land mass but are home to twothirds of our population and generate 75 percent of our national GDP” is Katz’ and Bradley’s introductory argument that a national economy is really a network of metropolitan economies, and hence we should to a great extend understand the world in terms of urban interests and not national ones. “The Next Economy”, the authors call this reversed hierarchy, based

UPSIDE DOWN

DESIGNING THE WORLD’S SECOND HOME

berg and his supporters considered their regime a pragmatic one where rather than pursuing a political ideology, it was about ‘getting things done’, Brash reveals how this was in fact reinforcing class interests through the logics of investment, transforming the city into a destination for the Transnational Capitalist Class. Brash has interviewed almost all of the top officers in Bloomberg ’s administration, and though obviously not a strong supporter of the Bloomberg Way, he paints a loyal picture of the former NYC mayor and his staff, making the logic behind their actions and decisions the more comprehensible – also in a context much wider than that of New York City.

Julian Brash: Bloomberg’s New York, 342 pages University of Georgia Press, 2011

opportunities for prosperity: “Cities aren’t full of poor people because cities make people poor, but because cities attract poor people with the prospect of improving their lot in life”, Glaeser says. Through historical accounts of the rise and fall of mainly American cities, Glaeser is an advocate for liberal economics, less regulation (of companies and the building industry) and law & order. Glaeser celebrates Michael Bloomberg and his approach to urban governance, and regards Haussmann’s reshaping of Paris as a “unified urban masterpiece”. To Glaeser there is no doubt that strategic urban governance is the solution to the global urban problems, that continued (green) growth is possible and that it will eventually trickle down and make us all wealthy, healthy and happy.

Bruce Katz & Jennifer Bradley: The Metropolitan Revolution, 276 pages Brookings Institution Press 2013

on their work in the Brookings Institutions Metropolitan Policy Program. The book is centered around case studies from New York City, Denver, Ohio and Houston and makes the argument that it is pragmatic leaders who through urban governance “are fixing our broken politics and fragile economy”. It is a revolution happening, the authors claim, and by learning from the best cases and acknowledging that “the metropolitan revolution is like our era: Crowd sourced rather than close sourced, entrepreneurial rather than bureaucratic, networked rather than hierarchical”, we can all benefit from it.

BOOKS ON CITIES

lot of recent literature focuses on the urban environment. From the begin ning of this century within both architecture, sociology, geography, economy and politics there is an evident turn towards the urban as the scene for inspiration and investigation. Below are a couple of books from recent years which from different perspectives and with different political outsets address the urban question(s). Surprisingly none of them without referring to Jane Jacobs…

With Michael Bloomberg as the central figure – the very personification of neoliberal governance – Brash portrays contemporary class struggle in the world’s global cities with New York City as an example. With his background as CEO, Bloomberg claimed to run the city as a business and that it should be branded as a luxury good to attract the right ‘customers’. While Bloom

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rants collected in this book have previously been published in Architectural Record and Harvard Design Magazine while Sorkin has been director of the Graduate Program of Urban Design at City College of New York. Sorkin’s comments reach far and wide: The Bloomberg administration, architectural critics and the Pritzker Prize are heckled, Jane Jacobs and Buckminster Fuller praised. There are few surprises, but in contrast an exemplary consistency in Sorkin’s comments. They are dedicated to his students, but should be read by anyone who are interested beyond the formal aspects of architecture.

TWENTYFIRST NOTER

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ETHICS AND AESTHETICS

ESSAY

ETHICS AND AESTHETICS JOHNNY SVENDBORG ANDERSEN

Connections At first thought, we may associate physical welfare design with high-quality hospitals, schools and other important public-sector buildings. Welfare design, however, should also be seen to include all the shared objects, landscapes, urban spaces and buildings that frame people’s lives. Clearly, if these are not shaped with care and artistic quality, the design will hardly promote welfare, and it is crucial to understand that the ‘welfare’ aspect lies not only in the qualities of the individual building or structure but also in its program and organization and in its meeting with the environment, the people who use it, and the people who simply pass by the facility. The ‘welfare’ quality also stems from the space between the buildings. From the streets and urban spaces, the landscape and the meetings between people that it facilitates. Ignoring this fact means ignoring the basic physical contexts that condition human connections.

Since March 2013, Johnny Svendborg Andersen (born 1967) is the President of The Academy Council, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ executing body and adviser to the Danish state on matters within the arts. After receiving his MA in Architecture (1993), he worked at Henning Larsen Architects and 3XN before starting his own studio (2007). Since 1996, he has been an assistant professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. Photo: Hans Bærholm 106

Value creation Generally, it should be one of our fundamental ambitions to move art and architecture up on the agenda to ensure that they contribute to the community, improve our welfare society and remain relevant and valuable to people. In the headlong rush for profit in the 2000s, too much Danish architecture was reduced to a form of populist diagrammatic architecture. The architect’s easily decoded formula not only served as a condensed form of communication aimed at laypeople but was eventually, in all its reduced banality, constructed as a diagram that failed to unfold the nuances and facets that true architecture contains. Facets that we should rightly

Sammenhænge Umiddelbart tænker vi det fysiske velfærdsdesign som værende de gode sygehuse, skoler og andre større fælles bygninger, finansieret af det offentlige, til alles benyttelse. Men velfærdsdesign bør også forstås som alle de fælles objekter, landskab, byrum og bygninger, som er rammerne omkring menneskers liv. Og her er det klart, at hvis ikke disse formes nænsomt og med en kunstnerisk kvalitet, er det så som så med velfærden i designet.. Det er nemlig vigtigt at forstå, at ‘velfærden’ i designet ikke kun ligger i det enkelte bygningsværks kvaliteter, men også i dets programmering, organisering, dets møde med det omgivende, dets møde med de mennesker, som befolker det, og de mennesker, som blot passerer det. ‘Velfærden i designet’ ligger også imellem bygningerne. I gaderummene, i landskabet og i den måde, hvorpå mennesker kan mødes her. Overser vi dette, overser vi de basale fysiske sammenhænge, der er udgangspunkt for menneskelige sammenhænge. Værdiskabelse Det bør generelt set være en grundlæggende ambition at opprioritere kunsten og arkitekturen, så den bidrager til fællesskabet, løfter velfærdssamfundet, bliver vedkommende og værdiskabende for mennesker. I 0’ernes hæsblæsende profitsøgen reduceredes alt for stor en del af bygningskunsten i Danmark til en form for populistisk diagramarkitektur. Arkitektens letforståelige formel var ikke blot kondenseret formidling til lægfolk, men endte, i al sin reducerede banalitet, med at blive bygget som et diagram, der aldrig udfoldede de nuancer og 107

ETHICS AND AESTHETICS

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demand from the built environment that forms the setting for our lives. After the 2000s, we now have an opportunity to rethink the future role of architecture in Denmark. Perhaps it is now time for a revival of qualities such as empathy, contextual understanding, and reflected practice? And time for us to benefit, once again, from the architects’ ability to act as innovative designers of future context and connections. Among other conditions, architectural value creation requires us to trust the architects’ capacity for holistic thinking and their ability to shape the spaces of everyday life in a new format that is driven by respect for the established order as well as the courage to shift boundaries and expand systems. To accomplish that, do we need specific initiatives such as an architecture policy, new educational approaches or changes in rules and regulations? Two aspects To address this issue, we might first turn to two aspects of architectural creation in order to draw on the architects’ key competencies to achieve a much higher degree of value creation in the built environment. These aspects might be labeled, respectively, a new focus on the artistic aspects of architecture and a new focus on architectural ethics. The artistic aspects of architecture: In Denmark, architects ideally receive high-level training in understanding and designing architectural wholes based on a profound understanding of a given building’s context, content and, not least, potential; a potential that can be unfolded to enrich the life for the intended users of the building. This thoughtful holistic understanding and perceptive insistence on creating a new meaningful beauty can be traced all the way back to the founding of the Academy in 1754, which in 1814 was named “The Royal Danish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture” – the same Academy of which I am currently the president. Architectural ethics: It could be argued, for example, that architecture at its best offers a source of resistance and a meaningful response to society’s celebration of the superficial and superfluous, and that there is a special significance in the call for architecture to spring from an ethical understanding as a form of applied art, where it is not merely a celebration of the lowest common denominator but truly enriches its environment. Along with today’s growing emphasis on factbased and measurable aspects and knowl108

facetter, som egentlig bygningskunst indeholder. Facetter, som vi med rette bør afkræve de fysiske rammer, der omgiver vort liv. Efter 0’erne har vi nu chancen for at gentænke arkitekturens rolle i fremtidens Danmark. Måske er det netop nu, at argumenter som indfølt forståelse, kontekstuel fornemmelse og reflekteret praksis kan få en genkomst? Og vi kan igen udnytte arkitekternes evner som nyskabende formgivere af fremtidige sammenhænge. Den bygningskunstneriske værdiskabelse opstår ikke uden tillid til, at arkitekterne kan tænke i helheder, kan forme hverdagens rum i en ny sammenhæng med både respekt for det bestående og modet til at flytte grænser og udvide helhederne. Er det konkrete tiltag som arkitekturpolitik, nye undervisningsformer eller deciderede regelog lov-ændringer, som skal til? To delaspekter Man kan starte med at rette blikket mod to delaspekter af arkitektonisk tilblivelse og hermed søge at udnytte arkitekternes spidskompetencer til at opnå en langt større værdiskabelse i det byggede miljø. Disse delaspekter kunne kaldes: ny fokus på bygningskunst og ny fokus på bygningsetik. Det bygningskunstneriske: I Danmark uddannes arkitekter ideelt set til, på højeste niveau, at forstå og formgive arkitektoniske helheder ud fra en dyb forståelse af en given bygnings kontekst, indhold og ikke mindst det potentiale, som kan udfoldes og berige livet for de mennesker, som den givne bygning skabes for. Det er denne eftertænksomme helhedstænkning og nænsomme insisteren på at skabe en ny meningsfuld skønhed, der faktisk kan spores helt tilbage til Akademiets grundlæggelse i 1754, som i 1814 døbtes: “Det kongelige danske Skildre-, Bildhugger- og BygningsAcademie” – det samme Akademi, som jeg i dag er præsident for. Det bygningsetiske: Man kan eksempelvis mene, at netop arkitekturen, når den er bedst, kan være en modstand- og meningsgivende reaktion på samfundets fejring af det overfladiske og unødvendige, og at der er en særlig pointe i, at arkitekturen bør undfanges i en etisk forståelse som kunstnerisk brugskunst, og ikke blot hylde den laveste fællesnævner, men faktisk berige sin omverden. Samtidig med tidens voksende fokus på det faktuelle, målbare og den videnbaserede formgivning er etik og æstetik stadig det essentielle grundlag for bygningskunsten, det gælder også, når vi taler om velfærdsdesign.

edge-based design, ethics and aesthetics continue to form the essential basis for architecture, also in relation to welfare design. Arne, Eliel and Rem Arne Jacobsen prosaically explained how he often faced several possible technical and functional solutions when he embarked on the design of a building, but that most of these options would lack the aesthetic quality, the quality that leverages it, and which shapes true architecture. The Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen said that he always shaped a thing in relation to its larger context. A chair within a room, a room within a building, a building within a city and a city within a city plan. To the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the key is to always consider what architecture can be and, regardless of form, to rethink what makes it meaningful. These statements embrace the ethical context and the artistic quest as the two key aspects of producing value-creating architecture. Essentially, the aesthetic-artistic and the responsible-ethical aspects may perhaps be considered the focus and key competence of Danish architects. In fact, these qualities are often the cause of admiration when Danish architecture is viewed from abroad, and of course we may continue to promote and invoke these, the finest of the architect’s skills. By articulating, understanding, encouraging, demanding time for and, not least, providing the conditions for an ethical and artistic approach to architecture we can achieve meaningful, artistically gifted architecture. Education So, how can we encourage and create better conditions for an ethical and artistic approach to architecture? One example might be to address the entire educational food chain and put architecture on the agenda in primary and lower secondary school. We make a virtue of promoting independent, abstract and challenging thinking in our schools, but why not also promote and encourage an early understanding of architecture? From the early years, the children encounter creative subjects such as art and design, so perhaps we should include the role of architecture in the curriculum from the early years of primary school? In architecture schools, too, we need to address the full scope and role of the discipline, which includes teaching all the aspects of architecture, both in theoretical and concrete terms. Theory and practice are each other’s conditions, also in architecture education. If we think about

Arne, Eliel og Rem Arne Jacobsen udtalte nøgternt, at når han begyndte at formgive et hus, lå der ofte flere mulige løsninger, både teknisk og funktionelt, men at de fleste løsninger savnede det æstetiske aspekt, det aspekt, som løfter det, og som skaber den egentlige arkitektur. Den finske arkitekt Eliel Saarinen sagde, at han altid formede en ting i forhold til dens større kontekst. En stol i et rum, et rum i et hus, et hus i en by og en by og i en byplan. Den hollandske arkitekt Rem Koolhaas mener, at det handler om konstant at tænke over, hvad arkitektur kan være, og uanset sin form altid gentænke det meningsgivende. Disse udsagn favner netop den etiske sammenhæng og det kunstnerisk søgende som de to vigtige aspekter i skabelsen af den værdiskabende bygningskunst. Grundlæggende kan man muligvis antage, at det æstetisk-kunstneriske og det ansvarligtetiske er de to aspekter, som udgør danske arkitekters fokus og spidskompetencer. Det er i øvrigt ofte dette, som skaber de beundrende blikke, når udlandet ser på dansk arkitektur, og vi kan selvfølgelig stadig blive endnu bedre til at fremelske og gøre brug af netop disse, arkitekternes fornemste evner. Ved at italesætte, forstå, opfordre til, kræve tid til og ikke mindst skabe konkrete betingelser for den etiske og kunstneriske tilgang til arkitekturen opnår vi den meningsfulde, kunstnerisk begavede arkitektur. Undervisning Hvordan opfordrer man så til – og skaber bedre betingelser for – den etiske og kunstneriske tilgang til arkitekturen? Et eksempel kunne være at kigge på hele fødekæden inden for vores uddannelsessystem og simpelthen sætte arkitektur på skoleskemaet i folkeskolen. Der gøres en dyd ud af at lære vore børn at tænke selvstændigt, abstrakt og udfordrende, men hvorfor ikke også fremme forståelsen for arkitekturen tidligt? Allerede i de små klasser stifter børnene bekendtskab med kreative fag og formgivning, måske vi skulle introducere arkitekturens betydning allerede på skoleskemaet i grundskolen? Også på selve arkitektuddannelserne er det vigtigt at forstå fagets fulde bredde og betydning, hvilket blandt andet vil sige undervisning i alle fagets facetter, både teoretisk og konkret. Teori og praksis er hinandens forudsætninger, også i arkitekturundervisningen. Hvis vi tænker efter, så er det jo trods alt de færreste grimme byggerier udført i dårlige materialer og klodsede detaljer 109

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it, after all, few ugly buildings made of low-grade materials with clumsy detailing offer an innovative and qualitative improvement of people’s everyday lives… On the other hand, it is similarly rare for a beautifully proportioned building to improve the world by virtue of its beauty alone… During a debate in the Academy Council about whether the school of architecture in Copenhagen is turning its back on practice, architect Carsten Hoff commented, “But if a painter doesn’t know anything about colors, she won’t create qualitative art…”

Tidens ambition Uden de kvalitativt formede omgivelser bliver alting mindre betydende; det ligegyldige og det ureflekterede begrænser os og skaber ekskluderende distance i stedet for inkluderende sammenhæng. Det er derfor vigtigt, at vi insisterer på at skabe de rette forudsætninger, for at arkitekter og billedkunstnere kan sætte mere kvalitative, etisk funderede værker af langt mere blivende kvalitet i verden. Værker, som ikke kun er det enkelte hus, men værker, som forholder sig til sammenhænge, kommenterer og selv skaber sammenhænge. I 50’erne oplevede vi faktisk den offentlige bygherres ambitiøse insisteren på tidløs kvalitet. Kvalitet med et etisk samfundsansvar, og en arkitektur, der skulle bygges for at skabe det ideelle samfund… Hvis man overordnet kan sige, at arkitektur er sin tids ambition, udtrykt i form og rum, så bør vi gribe chancen for at gøre det meningsfuldt, både etisk og æstetisk. Det kræver en skærpet fokus, en styrket italesættelse og større anerkendelse af etik og kvalitativ bygningskunst i undervisning, formidling, planlægning og byggeri. Velfærdsdesign er både etik og æstetik.

The ambition of our time Without a qualitatively designed environment, everything becomes less meaningful; we are limited by the uninvolved and the unreflected, which engenders an exclusive distance rather than an inclusive connection. Therefore we should insist on ensuring the right conditions for architects and artists to create more qualitative and ethically based works of a much more lasting quality. Works that are not limited to the individual building, but which relate to contexts by commenting on them and generating connections. The 1950s actually saw public clients who insisted, ambitiously, on timeless quality. Quality with a sense of ethical social responsibility and architecture aimed at building the ideal society… If we agree that architecture, generally speaking, reflects the ambition of its time expressed in form and space, we should seize the opportunity to make it meaningful in both ethical and aesthetic terms. That requires a clearer focus, improved articulation and a greater appreciation of ethics and qualitative architecture in education, communication, planning and construction. Welfare design is both ethics and aesthetics.

som, innovativt, udgør en kvalitativ forbedring af menneskers liv og hverdag… Omvendt er det ligeledes umådeligt sjældent, at det smukt proportionerede bygningsværk kan forbedre verden alene ved sin skønhed… Under en diskussion i rådet om, hvorvidt arkitektuddannelsen i København er ved at vende ryggen til praksis, sagde arkitekten Carsten Hoff: “Jamen, hvis en kunstmaler intet ved om farver, skaber hun jo slet ikke kvalitativ billedkunst…”

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CONTRIBUTORS / BIDRAGSYDERE

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Kristian N. Delica assistant professor, PhD at the Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change at Roskilde University.

Signe Filskov Assistant Editor. M.Sc. in Geography and Planning.

Malene Freudendal-Pedersen Associate professor, PhD at the Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change at Roskilde University.

Ib Kjeldsmark Illustrator. Educated at ESAG Pentegram Paris.

Lars Trier Mogensen Editor-at-large. MA in Political Science, also weekly radio host and political commentator.

Bjarke Møller Writer and author, former editor-in-chief at the Danish weekly Mandag Morgen.

Jesper Pagh Editor-at-large. Architect, PhD-scholar, Roskilde University.

Heidi Jacobsgaard Schøbel Intern, architect student.

Asbjørn Skou Visual artist based in Copenhagen. Graduated from the Academy of Art in Bremen, Germany.

Johnny Svendborg President of the Academy Council, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts. CEO, founder and owner of Svendborg Architects.

Austin Troy PhD and associate professor at University of Colorado, College of Architecture and Planning.

Sanne Wall-Gremstrup Editor-in-chief, M.Sc. in Economics, CEO, The Danish Architectural Press.