Differentiated decline in Danish outskirt areas: Spatial restructuring and citizen-based development in the village of Klokkerholm

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Abstract

The latest figures show that minor Danish villages and rural areas through the last 20 years have suffered from depopulation and economical decline, and it is a development that seems to accelerate. The negative consequences of this development are low house prizes, a higher unemployment rate than in the rest of the country, the exodus of young people, and a high number of vacant houses. This means a common negligence of buildings and infrastructure and, furthermore, a decay in architectonic and spatial qualities of villages and minor towns.
A general schism observed in the discussion about Danish rural development tendencies seems to be that the scope of attention is kept on a national and regional level. The consequence of this is a lack of nuances in the overall debate and a missing capability to create positive development on a local scale.
This paper doesn’t argue that the overall decline in Danish rural areas can be reverted and a general growth can be created. But it will argue that on a local level using a landscape orientated and cultural planning approach new cohesion on a spatial, architectonic as well as economic and cultural level can be created.
Throughout the studies of the Village of Klokkerholm this paper investigates how the potentials of landscape development and the commitment from local community in connection can create differentiated development in areas of decline. A development based on using landscape and citizen driven ‘dynamos’ as triggers which intends to improve everyday life by rethinking existing structures into new landscape based spaces. This paper argues that a process oriented approach in landscape urbanism (Waldheim 2006, Corner 1999) and cultural planning (Evans 2001, Bianchini 1993) is useful when operating in smaller Danish communities.
Translated title of the contributionDifferentieret tilbagegang i Udkntsdanmark
Original languageEnglish
JournalLandinspektoeren. Tidsskrift for kortlaegning og Arealforvaltning.
VolumeVol.46 (2011)
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)96-113
Number of pages18
ISSN0105-4570
Publication statusPublished - 19 Dec 2011

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