Brøndby Allotment Gardens: Building Social Cohesion in Danish Peri-Urban Spaces

Abstract

AbstractAllotment gardens in Denmark are cluster garden developments where year-round residency is prohibited. Similar gardens exist in numerous countries and are especially prominent in areas with a dense urban fabric where private green space is scarce. Allotment gardens tap into Ebenezer Howard’s concept of the magnetic pull of both the town/city and the country; in some places, allotment gardens are even given the name of garden city. Although these allotment gardens are not true Garden Cities that function as stand-alone settlements with year-round residents, allotment gardens such as Brøndby Haveby, located in the greater Copenhagen metropolitan area, are private outdoor spaces that hint at the appeal of Howard’s third magnet. In Denmark, allotment gardens were originally designed to provide access to nature for city dwellers, but the purpose has changed over time to provide both recreation and important food subsidies, especially in times of crisis, such as during wars when resources are scarce and expensive. This chapter discusses Erik Mygind’s design of Brøndby Haveby as a model for gardening allotments in peri-urban spaces serving as places to cultivate land for food, to provide economic resilience for the middle classes, and to build social cohesion through communal space and shared governance.KeywordsAllotment gardensDenmarkPeri-urbanFinger PlanGarden associations