Welfare landscapes between individuality and communality: social housing in Albertslund Syd

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article proposes the concept ‘welfare landscape’ to better understand post-war social housing in the context of contemporary renewal projects. We study of the iconic 1960s housing estate Albertslund Syd near Copenhagen as a welfare landscape and ask how it relates to two core values associated with welfare: communality and individual well-being. Examining architectural plans and the ways that people have used, lived in and understood this landscape over time, we show that the welfare landscape is a dynamic and agonistic terrain in which different modes of individuality and communality are constantly(re)negotiated. Specific landscape elements are active agents in this negotiation. We conclude that Albertslund Syd’s renovation plan relies on a reductive reading of this dynamic landscape, and we call for a better understanding of the capacities of welfare landscapes to facilitate various modes of individuality and collectively over a long time span.