Urgent.
placemaking
Childfriendly
planning

Copenhagen | Oslo
Culture design agency
Who we are

What we do
We build culture,
create places and
design identity
© Urgent.Agency

(Sometimes the void is called:
Branding, proces design, user
involvement, story telling, program
making, change management etc.)
Space
Where we are
Culture
What we do
Strategy
What we want
Culture design
Is the missing link
We believe in value creation
bridging different fields
© Urgent.Agency

Cases: Culture, Place & Identity
© Urgent.Agency

Carlsberg Byen
Activating a neighbourhood in the making
When Carlsberg Brewery closed down its factory and moved its beer production to Fredericia, it offered up
the opportunity for a new temporary urban zone, while plans for the new Carlsberg Byen neighbourhood
were being finalized. In collaboration with Keinicke & Overgaard, Urgent.Agency produced two
prize-winning temporary installations for the citizens of Copenhagen.

© Urgent.AgencyCarlsberg Byen In use

Open Embassy
Pop-up diplomacy with the Swiss Embassy
Together with the Swiss Embassy, Urgent.Agency developed the concept for “The Open Embassy” – a rare attempt at
combining the world of diplomacy and traditional embassy practice with event-based cultural, artistic and business ex-
change. We came up with a visual identity to support this brand-new concept, as well as visual concepts and formats
that support new ways of thinking diplomacy.

© Urgent.AgencyOpen embassy Pop-up diplomacy

Shared Living
Exploring shared living
Together with SPACE10 we have collaborated to explore the future of
shared living, and put it into words and pictures in the publication IMA-
GINE – Exploring the brave new world of shared living.

© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
How do you plan
for children?
Considering the circles of life for children and their families
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
̇̇ puts empathy at the heart of planing
̇̇ is creative and looks for synergies and overlaps
̇̇
̇̇ connects stakeholders, places and everyday culture ̇
̇enables people to engage in and sustain communities
̇̇ formulates a bigger vision and tangible actions
Urgent.Placemaking

Capital ofChildren
Planning for children in LEGO’s hometown
What is a truly playful city? Presenting a radical answer to this question, Bjarke Ingels Group and Urgent.Agency
have fostered an urban vision that puts children and play squarely at the centre of urban design.

A vision with impact for Billund
How do you create a credible Capital of Children in a
6000 people town in Jutland - that makes sense to locals,
attracts talent and develops a better tourist experience?
Client: Realdania, LEGO, Billund Municipality Colab: BIG
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

Dead town center...
but some hidden
potential
Looking closer at the local qualities...
© Urgent.Agency

BOLIGOMRÅDE
ERHVERVOMRÅDE
TURISME OMRÅDE
BYMIDTE
...considering the overall
functions and plans
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
puts empathy at the
heart of planning
Urgent.Placemaking
© Urgent.Agency

“ Deep empathy for people
makes our observations
powerful sources of
inspiration. We aim to
understand why people do
what they currently do, with
the goal of understanding
what they might do in the
future.”
Tom Kelley
Designer
© Urgent.Agency

“I’ve seen another skate
track, and there were
like 20 to 30 people just
sitting around up there
behind the shed.”
Birk, 10
“Kim picks me up after
horseback riding, and I’m
wearing football clothes
underneath my riding
uniform and Mom drives
me to football.” Sebastian, 9
“It would be great if we
had a skate ramp, it would
add more life to the city,
I could can hang out with
others and
make new friends.”
Ayla, 9
... and the everyday family life
and play conditions
© Urgent.Agency

Exploring the complex
natures of childhood and play
© Urgent.Agency

“Since about 1955 children’s
free play has been
continually declining...
because adults have exerted
ever increasing control over
Children’s activities... “
Peter Gray
Psychologist

A child friendly place
is Jan Gehl’s recipy:
people, public places
and soft connectivity
before cars!

© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
La Ville Radieuse
Le Corbusier
... stuck in classic
functionalist planning
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

RESIDENTS
WORKFORCE
VISITORS
CREATING A MIXED USE CENTER
AN INTEGRATED CITY
PHASE I: RESEARCH BILLUND BYVISION 2015-07-01
VI BØR BLANDE DEM I
ET FORTÆTTET BYCEN-
TER!
© Urgent.Agency

Billund Byvision
BIG + URGENT.AGENCY
Sharing the street scapes,
increased density
© Urgent.Agency

Billund Byvision
BIG + URGENT.AGENCY
Concentration of activities - public,
private, playful urban
© Urgent.Agency

Urgent.Placemaking
is creative and looking for
synergies and overlaps

© Urgent.Agency

Business rental
Denmark
...but many still plan like this
© Urgent.Agency

Billund Byvision
BIG + URGENT.AGENCY
The synergies between town and workplace...
© Urgent.Agency

Billund Byvision
BIG + URGENT.AGENCY
... exploring green and social street scapes
© Urgent.Agency

Billund Byvision
BIG + URGENT.AGENCY
Opening and sharing the
worlds - public and private
© Urgent.Agency

“CULTURAL PLANNING IS THE STRATEGIC AND INTEGRATED
PLANNING AND USE OF CULTURAL RESOURCES IN URBAN
AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT”
COLIN MERCER
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
Urgent.placemaking
Connects stakeholders,
places and everyday
culture

“One of the most important things about
the creative city is a creative bureaucracy.
What one needs is to move from laws, rules
and regulations to frameworks, guidelines,
principles. It’s allowing for individual
creativity, not treating him like a child. It’s
a different way of running a city. It’s about
getting beyond the silo-thinking.”
Charles Landry
Cultural planner
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

Erhvervsaktører
Business stakeholders
Billund Kommune
Billund Municipality
The LEGO Group
LEGO Koncernen
Turisme aktører
Tourism stakeholders
Andre nøgleaktører
Other key actors
OFFENTLIG AKTØRER
PUBLIC STAKEHOLDERS
PRIVATE AKTØRER
PRIVATE
STAKEHOLDERS
CIVILSAMFUND
ASSOCIATIONS
AND COMMUNITY
Billund Kommunes forvaltninger
Billund Municipality administrations
BillundSkolen
Billund School
International School of Billund
International School of Billund
Børneinstitutioner
Day care institutions
Regionale vidensinstitu-
tioner
Regional knowledge
institutions
Billund Idrætscenter
Billund Sports Center
Foreninger
Associations
Ex-pat miljøer
Ex-pat communities
Græsrødder
Grassroots
LEGOLAND
LEGOLAND
The LEGO Group
LEGO Koncernen
Lalandia
Lalandia
Lokale virksomheder
Local companies
Internationale
virksomheder
International
companies
Hoteller
Hotels
Butikker
Shops
Andre
Other
Andre
Other
Andre
Other
Mapping local stakeholders Dialog with partners - with power
.. form strategic ties between
stakeholders
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
START-UP HOUSE
START-UP HOUSE
2020 2021 2022 2022+2017 2018 2019
BYLIVSBOOSTER
URBAN LIFE BOOSTER
Kick start til Billunds byliv!
Kick start til Billunds byliv!
BILLUND ÅBEN BY
BILLUND OPEN UP
Liv til Billunds facader!
Life to Billunds facades!
LEGEBY BILLUND
PLAY BILLUND
Kreativitet i byen!
Creativity in the city!
BIENNALE FOR BYLEG
URBAN PLAY BIENNALE
Innovative, børnevenlig byrum!
Innovative, childfriendly city!
BIENNALE FOR BYLEG
URBAN PLAY BIENNALE
Innovative, børnevenlig byrum!
Innovative, childfriendly city!
LÆRINGSBYEN
URBAN CLASSROOM
Skoler bruger Billund for alvor
Billund for learning!
32
KIDSTARTER
KIDSTARTER
Børns ideer til virkelighed!
Kids ideas alive!
+
...
+
...
KULTURHANDLINGSPLAN
CULTURAL ACTION PLAN
BYUDVIKLING
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
LEGO HOUSE
LEGO HOUSE
PLAY USER LAB
NYT KREATIVT BYRUM
LEGENDE FACADER
PLAYFUL FACADES
LEGO HOUSE PLADSER
LEGO HOUSE PLADSER
LEGO CAMPUS BYRUM
LEGO CAMPUS URBAN SPACE
BILLUND MAKERS LAB
BILLLUND MAKERS LAB
INDKIG I LEGOLAND
LEGOLAND VISUAL OPENINGS
INDKIG TIL LEGO ARBEJDE
LEGO WORK PLACES VIEWS
PLAYLINE PART 1
PLAYLINE PART 1
PLAYLINE PART 2
PLAYLINE PART 2
BØRNENES LABYRINT
CHILDRENS’ LABYRINTH
CO-WORKING HOTEL
NEW CO-WORKING HOTEL
LEGO’S PEOPLE HOUSE
LEGO’S PEOPLE HOUSE NYE HOTELLER
NEW HOTELS
NYE BOLIGER
NEW HOUSING
GRØNT LÆRINGSRUM
GREEN CLASSROOM
Bil-
lund
ud-
vilk-
ing
over
tid
Strategic cultural
planning program...

Urgent.Placemaking
enables people to
engage in and sustain
communities
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

The human experience

Langeng
Albertslund
Gård
København

Langeng
Albertslund
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

Shared Living Scenario
Urgent.Agency
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
TangibleImagined
Nation City
Family
Neighborhood
NetworkGlobal community
Building
Tribe
World
Scale of community
Exploring the mid-range

© Urgent.Agency
Urgent placemaking considers scale
Context
Community
Place

© Urgent.Agency
offers a bigger vision
and tangible actions
Urgent.Placemaking

LEGOHOUSE
BIG
the first steps...
© Urgent.Agency

Regen Village
EFFEKT
© Urgent.Agency

© Urgent.Agency
Urgent.Placemaking
̇̇ puts empathy at the heart of planing
̇̇ is creative and looks for synergies and overlaps
̇̇
̇̇ connects stakeholders, places and everyday culture ̇
̇enables people to engage in and sustain communities
̇̇ formulates a bigger vision and tangible actions