Publication

Housing Urban Masses Around a Green Yard. Typological comparison of modern examples in Copenhagen and Stockholm

Chiara Monterumisi
2020
Poster talk
Abstract

Since the aftermath of the II world-war till recent years, Nordic countries have looked as inspiring social and architectural models to the rest of Europe. Nevertheless, very few attentions have been addressed towards the first bases of their developments, particularly the operations of the Twenties and of the first half of the Thirties. These residential interventions – which retained a certain continuity with the tradition of the city – were rapidly overshadowed by the ferment of functionalist ideas moved, though belatedly, northwards. Yet, these first spatial answers to modern demand are still under-investigated. Beside widening the historical focus, the present contribution pursues to morpho-typologically compare how Copenhagen and Stockholm tackled the evil of land speculation and the segregation of previous tenement buildings. This was possible thanks to a favourable political and cultural milieu, that consisted in the progressive outset of social democracies and housing cooperatives. The 1920s-1930s served as years of groundwork for translating in improved spatial terms the pressing social question. An evidence of this was a 3-day event of exclusively Nordic resonance, the Nordisk Byggnadsdag (1927), which gathered exponents of the countries discussing the housing issue in formal, social, economic and technical terms. As illustrated by the examples of the Nordic conference, housing urban masses around a green yard was the key to create new spatial and social relations among individuals. This also entails a valid counterbalance of the minimum dwellings’ size of which standards, in turn, were significantly improved. These estates, differing in size, formation and density, have in common the employment of the large courtyard block model, albeit with distinguishing variations in the shape of the perimeter and the singly or in groups arrangement. A selection of cases studies – whose concrete qualities are still appreciable nowadays by inhabitants – aims to demonstrate the significant reformation operated with respect to previous high-dense urban blocks.

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Related concepts (47)
Housing association
In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, non-profit making organisations that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budget surplus is used to maintain existing housing and to help finance new homes and it cannot be used for personal benefit of directors or shareholders. Although independent, they are regulated by the state and commonly receive public funding. They are now the United Kingdom's major providers of new housing for rent, while many also run shared ownership schemes to help those who cannot afford to buy a home outright.
Housing
Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing is a basic human need, and it plays a critical role in shaping the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it is a home or some kind of physical structure for dwelling, lodging or shelter and it includes a range of options from apartments and houses to temporary shelters and emergency accommodations.
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or Norden; lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland; and the autonomous region of Åland. The Nordic countries have much in common in their way of life, history, religion and social structure. They have a long history of political unions and other close relations but do not form a singular entity today.
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