The city of Aarhus has a development plan to transform the disadvantaged Gellerup and Toveshøj area into an attractive city district. The plan involves 1) establishing a main street and ring road, 2) demolishing housing blocks and buildings, 3) creating new neighborhoods with increased housing density and types, 4) renovating existing housing, 5) attracting new jobs, and 6) building a youth city, urban park, and sports/culture campus to attract residents and visitors. The goal is to invest 1.7 billion Danish kroner, increase the population by 5000 residents by 2025, and improve measures like employment, education, security, and diversity.

1. From disadvantaged area to attractive city district
Gellerup and Toveshøj

2. Outline
• Background information about the area
• What research tells us about what works
• The concrete development plans

3. Where is Gellerup located in Aarhus?

4. Key figures
The residents:
• Number of residents: 6200
• Number of housing units: 2000
• Children and young people
under age 18 36.5%
Financing:
• Investments totalling DKK 1.7 billion in the
elements being implemented
In addition
• Renovation of existing housing stock
• Private investments
• 5000 new residents by 2025

5. Impact measurement
– eight focus areas with indicators
• Employment
• Education
• Security and well-being
• Democratic citizenship
• Health
• Culture and leisure
• A physically open city district
• A diverse population

6. Where are we now?
• In full swing with the first phase of physical
changes
• Phase 1 to be completed in 2019
• Private investors have gotten involved

7. Theoretical background
- What we know something about:
• What has led to the successful
transformation of disadvantaged
residential areas elsewhere
• The influence of the physical environment
on the social environment
2008
2014

8. To reach our goals, we must succeed in two things:
1. Retain the residents with strong socio-economic resources who
currently move away from the area.
2. Attract more new types of residents.
Attracting a larger and more diverse group of residents will change the social
dynamics and norms in the area.

9. Gehl Architects
Research shows that:
human response patterns are directly influenced by the physical environment
The housing project environment has a negative impact on residents’ sense of
ownership, belonging, security, etc.
Because few residents actively choose to settle in large-scale housing projects,
social imbalances develop. New urban infrastructure and new architecture can
interrupt this destructive mechanism.

10. Structural physical changes are crucial
modernist residential area
surrounded by three different
urban structures:
a. suburban neighborhood
b. city block structure
c. medieval town
a.
b.
c.
non-structural transformation
the modernist area remains
modernist
structural transformation
the modernist area is
transformed into something
else
BEFORE
AFTER / 1
No change in urban
structure
AFTER / 2
Change in urban
structure

11. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street
and an internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

14. 2. Stage of light rail from Aarhus C
to Braband

15. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing
blocks, five institutions and a
dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

16. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and
strongly increased density with
new types of housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

17. Neighborhoods created through a combination of physical changes and social initiatives
• hierarchy in road network, urban space and buildings
• increased density
• varied buildings
• multiple functions
• urban space with recreational areas
• human scale in buildings and associated outdoor spaces
• events, involvement, homeowners’ associations etc.
If the physical infrastructure does not encourage the development of neighborhoods, social
initiatives will have limited effect.

18. The Lottesvej neighborhood

19. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

20. Massive interior and
exterior renovation

21. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the
area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

22. Technical
Services &
Environment
office building

23. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

25. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

26. New ‘youth neighborhood’

27. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban
park
9. Sports and culture campus with approx.
800,000 visitors per year

28. The city park

29. Key elements of the plan
1. Establishment of a main street and an
internal ring road
2. Demolition of five housing blocks, five
institutions and a dormitory
3. Creation of neighborhoods and strongly
increased density with new types of
housing
4. Renovation of existing housing
5. 1000 new jobs will move to the area
6. Private development projects
7. ‘Youth city’ with 390 housing units for
young people
8. Establishment of new urban park
9. Sports and culture campus with
approx. 600,000 visitors per year

30. From disadvantaged area to
attractive neighborhoods in western
Aarhus