I could berate you with my experiences in Danish Greenspace or try to rattle off characteristics, but I think my previous blog posts can serve that purpose. Instead I'll try to communicate the concept I've been trying to understand for three weeks now.
What I've come to find is that Danish Greenspace is tightly connected to and largely defined by the identity of the Danish people. Denmark is a small country, and its civilization and land developed closely in tandem, by necessity. Land provides for and restricts human activity. Humans alter and change land to better fit their purposes. This tight relationship is evident today in the Danish psyche, in way they think and what they eat and how they play and work and exercise and relax. Danish Greenspace is a state of mind.
Maybe that sounds silly. Maybe I'm pushing too far. But I think to really understand Danish Greenspace, you need to live it. It's about the place, and the place is about the land and the people. This is a topic one could study for a lifetime, looking into psychology, geology, climate, history, government... you get the gist. If I could say I've gained one thing this semester, it is an expansion of my understanding of what "place" means. It's a concept we discuss all the time in architecture school. It's about specificity, and I now realize it's something you can't understand until you live somewhere new.
I've had a wonderful first three weeks here, and I think this course was the perfect segue into my Urban Design Studio, starting on Tuesday. A huge thank-you to Toby Musgrave, our fearless leader, and to my fellow students.
Skål!
Robin
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| Thank you Maddie Hineman (front center) for this selfie-stick gem. Instagram @maddiehiney Toby is at the back in the hat. I'm the tallest because Adam is crouching. Maria and Mitch were lost and did not make it in the picture. Sorry guys. Mckenzie is at far-left with the "most stoked" award. |
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