Urban Social Initiatives and Co-Creation

As part of the 2014 fall semester study programme, Studio Design and Social Innovation, from Aarhus School of Architecture, collaborated with DemokraCity on a community initiative project to revitalize TILST, a town located on the outskirts of Aarhus, Denmark.
Demokracity focuses on urban social initiatives and co-creation design projects that encourage citizens’ community involvement, commitment, and collaboration.
Initiated by the Aarhus City Council, “NEW ANGLES ON TILST” aims at involving residents and local stakeholders directly in the development and planning of the neighbourhoods in close interaction with municipal staff and architects.
Located approximately 10 km west of Aarhus, Tilst is a suburban area with large city blocks and traditional residential areas. The area has an unofficial reputation as a dormitory town and is known to have problems with misdemeanour crimes and vandalism due to social class segregation.
This paper will describe how interventions in Tilst, in collaboration with local residents, help devise social initiatives that aim at improving the local community identity. The project is concerned with examining the potentials of a place, and with initiating a new use and story for the site, thereby building a new identity and creating value for the area.