Haralsgade Hackathon – Place-based climate action

Client: Integrated Urban Renewal, Technical and Environmental Administration, City of Copenhagen

Partners: New European Bauhaus

Sectors: Civic society, City Planning

Services: Co-creation, citizen participation, program design, facilitation, open innovation

Year: 2022

Haraldsgade Hackathon

As climate measures increasingly affect daily life, the local context begins to show its teeth. This can make or break a well-intentioned masterplan.

In Copenhagen, our place-based climate action approach helped leverage this understanding in Haraldsgade, a neighbourhood in the city’s northern borough.

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Lived experience

When a big, blue container in the middle of the square opened its doors wide, it naturally caught some curiosity from the passers-by.

Inside, the entire neighbourhood was made tangible through the large wooden town-model, complete with all its schools, streets, and homes.

Commuters and strollers, youth and pensioners were soon sharing and exchanging their stories, hopes, and dreams about the neighbourhood.

The persistent and recognizable presence, made it accessible to join in, even for youth and minorities otherwise lacking representation.

Local engagement

The rich dialogues added to a growing wall of insight and imagination, to illustrate local challenges and the potential solutions.

Some themes merged sustainable with liveable. This turned out to be in popular demand and began to outline the course of action.

On that basis, citizens, organisations and officials came together to sketch up specific initiatives addressing the hopes and dreams from the local community.

Tailored solutions

This diverse group identified a portfolio of possible solutions, often with novel ideas inspired by unique traits of the community, both physical and social.

Some solutions proceeded to demonstrate their real-life value with help from a designated trial-fund, while for others the local collaboration was the secret ingredient.

This meant solutions for the neighbourhood were tailored and stewarded by community members, in response to the popular requests from their own local community.

Project Facts

Haraldsgade is a mixed neighbourhood, home to 10.000 residents in private and social housing, as well as various business and industry.

This Hackathon spanned three months and was led by cirka cph with Integrated Urban Renewal in the City of Copenhagen and local organisations as partners.

Check out the method overview.

Vil du vide mere?

Do you want to learn more about this case? Get in touch with Partner, Emil Kragh at +45 6016 4290.

You can also explore more case stories. Find out more about the Technical and Environmental Administration of the City of Copenhagen on their website.