Cycling through Copenhagen in the Summer of 2015 is a constant distraction (and no, I’m not talking about this – or this). There are, it seems, newly finished parks, plazas and public amenities spotted throughout the town – and when you go to check them out on Google map, they’re often not there! Or under construction.
.
.
On the upper right of the map above, for instance, you can see the Nørreport Station area (explored in a previous post) under construction – as is the area labelled “Israels Plads”(or Israel’s Square – map here). But on the way from Nørrebro down Frederiksborggade, it was the Torvehallerne that demanded I pull over, rack my bike and explore.
.
.
These glass-and-steel market halls by Hans Peter Hagen, surrounded by hundreds of diners on picnic benches, wouldn’t have been here a few years ago either (the proposal to build them in a somewhat dysfunctional public space barely survived the financial crisis of 2008 before proceeding and becoming the culinary hotspot of Copenhagen). I’m sure the food is good – but the people-watching is even better. (I know it’s such a cliche, but gosh, so many of those Danes really are so blonde.)
.
.
But by no means all, and indeed the country is, not without some anxiety, becoming more multicultural as immigrants and refugees arrive from non-blonde places. That’s apparent on the other part of this urban renewal project – the active playground of Israels Plad (designed by COBE, website here).
.
.
Although a little too gray and hard-edged to my taste, the plaza is nonetheless immensely appealing to kids who get to romp, climb, kick and throw some serious ball – with instruction and programming provided, I presume, by the City:
.
In another part of the square, an open market:
.
And in another, a decorative stream to splash in:
.
… that cascades down to the lake in a traditional Copenhagen park:
.
All this in the middle of the city, with abundant transit nearby, bike routes on every side, parking underneath, surrounded by dense and tasteful architecture:
Wow. I spent 5 months there in 2012 and it already looks so different. There’s so much to learn from there.