Architecture as a Means of Developing Social Exchange. Learning from a Danish Case Study of Refurbishment and Urban Transformation in a Disadvantaged Housing Area

Disadvantaged housing areas from the postwar period typically consist of relatively monotonous and monofunctional multistorey blocks and have a separate traffic system rendering the areas isolated enclaves in the urban fabric. It is argued that this spatial isolation contributes to social isolation, and current refurbishments are therefore aimed at linking the housing areas with the surrounding neighbourhoods to enable social exchange between the residents and people from the surrounding areas. Based on a case study in a Danish social housing area, this paper discusses to what extent architectural development and urban strategic transformations can contribute to enabling social exchange in disadvantaged housing areas. Do neighbours enter the disadvantaged housing area as intended? If so, how does this influence their perception of the housing area? The analysis shows that architectural development and urban transformations are interdependent in establishing a social mix in disadvantaged housing areas. It is argued that refurbishments can reduce the stigma surrounding the housing area and its residents. However, the applicability of such strategies is highly dependent on the local context of the housing area.