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Spor10

Building a healthy community hub in Copenhagen’s former rail yard

Sector

Civic & Public

Region

Europe

Timespan

2023

Spor10 building facade. Photo courtesy: Novo Nordisk

Jernbanebyen is southern Copenhagen’s newest urban development area envisioned to evolve into a green and thriving neighborhood with long-term community impact. Gehl led the urban strategy and design concept that transformed Jernbanebyen’s former customs house — Spor10 — into a community hub, connecting people through a rich program of events.

Spor10’s grand opening was a festival of activities and exhibitions focused on healthy food and sports amidst the refurbished customs warehouses. Photo courtesy: Novo Nordisk
Spor10’s Healthy Neighbourhood Framework is a big part of Jernbanebyen’s ‘social infrastructure’, creating public life in a relatively unknown part of Copenhagen and so leveraging social cohesion and preventative health activities as a catalyst for community and sense of belonging amongst local residents. Photo courtesy: Novo Nordisk

A center for better health

To promote health and well-being, Urban Partners asked Gehl to help transform an old customs house into a community hub. 

As a strategic design partner, Gehl developed a healthy neighborhood framework that set forward a vision and spatial design concept to provide access to healthy food, invitations for physical activity, and opportunities for social connections amongst the communities in and around Jernbanebyen. Additionally, to improve access to Spor10, Gehl crafted a wayfinding strategy and a spatial design process, together with Archival Studies and Studio Atlant, to create a legible and welcoming place for all visitors.  

Since its opening in 2023, Spor10 has become a test bed for the health based approach to urbanism initiated by Gehl’s healthy neighborhood framework. As of 2024 the area has transformed into a popular gathering spot, attracting over 9,000 yearly visitors and bringing together over 75 community groups that organize events focused on sports, food, learning, culture, and creativity.

Healthy Thriving Neighborhood masterclass with Cities Changes Diabetes. Photo courtesy: Novo Nordisk
Astrid Marie Astrupgaard, Project Manager Liselott Stenfeldt, Director of Research & Development, Partner
Gehl supported in positioning our client in becoming an open and collaborative leader on urban resilience, women and climate action in the Global South. Credit: Expo City Dubai

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The Neighborhood for Generations Exhibition, that took place between June 2023 till September 2024, became a platform to showcase the winning ideas from the ideas competition. The Feed-Back Table by Schmidt Hammer Lassen & Fælleshaven was developed as a physical tool to kick-off participatory processes. Photo courtesy: Landsbyggefonden

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‘People-first’ includes you

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