Abstract
This paper explores the lived space of entrepreneurial urbanism in Ørestad, a 1990s mega-project still under development on the edge of Copenhagen. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, interactive map-making and critical discourse analysis, it shows that imaginaries of urban competition, place branding and cosmopolitanism have only superficially been internalized by residents as part of their lived space in Ørestad, even revealing contradictory everyday practices and experiences. Rather than the cosmopolitan metropole and connected city space it was conceived to become, the district is experienced as a disconnected housing satellite without much street life, as a stepping stone to something better by reducing home to exchange value, and as an area with a community based in opposition. A sense of place identity and place attachment does exist for many Ørestaders but it is born out of ‘do-it-yourself mentality’ and reaction to a sense of ephemerality. The lived space of entrepreneurial urbanism in Ørestad can only partly be understood by what the district is, but much more by what it is not – i.e. by what it lacks from the perspective of its residents.
Highlights
Urban governance is increasingly entrepreneurial, manifested in the production of mega-projects and architectural landmarks, reflected in processes of gentrification, commercialization and reimagation (Harvey, 1989; Vanolo, 2008; Rolnik, 2013; Spierings, 2013)
A contemporary mega-project under development, is a prominent expression of the city of Copenhagen participating in a global move towards entrepreneurial urbanism, including a focus on Large Urban Developments (LUDs) (Harvey, 1989; Rolnik, 2013; Richner & Olesen 2019; Eizenberg 2019)
For instance, experienced having been tricked by what the area was supposed to become, with the newer development not fulfilling the promises of the grand vision. As he put it: “you’ve fooled a whole lot of residents, just look at that, all of those apartments are for sale, and that is because they had a view all the way to Roskilde, and they build that black satan [pointing to building blocking his view], and that’s a scam”. This quote hints to a common perception that the development at this stage is more noticeably driven by a profit incentive, resulting in densely packed box-like structures planned without much concern for street life, amenities or continuity - irrevo cably soiling the sense that it was to be unique and visionary
Summary
Urban governance is increasingly entrepreneurial, manifested in the production of mega-projects and architectural landmarks, reflected in processes of gentrification, commercialization and reimagation (Harvey, 1989; Vanolo, 2008; Rolnik, 2013; Spierings, 2013). For the analysis of place-person relationships in Ørestad, this article takes inspiration from Lalli’s urban identity scale (1992) to empirically analyse and pierce into how residents make sense of space and partici pate in (re)producing imaginaries of urban competition, place branding and cosmopolitanism. This operationalization does not furnish us with the theoretical devices needed to grasp the complexity of space as a product of ideology, history and power. The aim is to analyse the placeperson relationships of ‘Ørestaders’, by unraveling if and how their lived space is (in)consistent with and contradicts assumptions, motives and values underlying Ørestad as a tool in the production of entrepreneurial urbanism
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