Superkilen is a half-mile-long urban space cutting through one of the most ethnically diverse and socially challenged neighborhoods in Denmark. The project is conceived as a giant exhibition of urban best practices—a collection of global objects representing the 60 different nationalities of the people living in the surrounding area. Superkilen is a park that embraces diversity. It functions as a world exhibition of urban furniture and everyday objects from across the globe—benches, lampposts, trash cans, and plants—essentials for any contemporary park. Future park visitors contributed to selecting these elements. Superkilen also draws inspiration from garden history, where the recreation of distant landscapes is a recurring theme. Just as Chinese gardens reference mountain ranges with miniature rocks, Japanese gardens evoke the ocean with rippled gravel, and Greek ruins appear as replicas in English gardens, Superkilen serves as a contemporary, urban reinterpretation of the universal garden.
The conceptual foundation of Superkilen divides the park into three zones, each defined by a distinct color: green, black, and red. These colored surfaces integrate with the urban furniture to create dynamic surroundings. A desire for more greenery is addressed through the strategic placement of diverse vegetation throughout the neighborhood. Trees are arranged in small islands, offering a variety of species, bloom periods, and colors—each selected to match the origins of the surrounding objects. To improve and simplify infrastructure throughout the neighborhood, existing bike paths are being reorganized, and new connections will link the area to surrounding districts. Special attention is given to the connection at Mimersgade, where residents have expressed a desire for a bus passage. This transformation is part of a larger infrastructure plan for Outer Nørrebro. Alternatives to the bus passage include traffic signals, an extended median, or speed bumps.
Market, Culture, Sports in the Red Square
As an extension of the sports and cultural activities at Nørrebrohallen, the Red Square serves as an urban extension of the hall’s internal life. The large central square provides recreational spaces where local residents can engage in physical activities and games. The colored surface extends beyond the exterior, seamlessly blending into Nørrebrohallen’s new main entrance and foyer. Facades are visually incorporated by conceptually folding the red color upward, creating a three-dimensional experience. On the large facade facing Nørrebrogade, an elevated open space acts as a grandstand where visitors can enjoy the afternoon sun.
In addition to cultural and sports facilities, the Red Square also serves as an urban marketplace, attracting visitors from Copenhagen and the suburbs every weekend. The central marketplace is located on the site of the former hockey field, where a multifunctional rubber surface allows for various activities, including ball games, markets, parades, and winter ice skating. Mobile tribunes from Nørrebrohallen can be relocated to the square for outdoor movie screenings and sports presentations. To the east, an outdoor café area complements the future main entrance, while to the north, visitors can enjoy basketball courts, parking spaces, and an outdoor fitness area.
- The Red Square is defined by streets at both ends and buildings and fences along the sides. The edges shift in and out, while the large red pattern visually unites the space—like a vast red carpet stretched between all sides.
- Features include a fitness area, Thai boxing, playgrounds, a sound system from Jamaica, a stencil of Salvador Allende, and a variety of benches (from Brazil, the UK, Iran, and Switzerland), along with classic British cast iron litter bins.
- Only red trees are planted, except for existing vegetation.
- A basketball court is located next to the parking area.
Urban Living Room in the Black Square
Mimers Plads is the heart of the Superkilen Masterplan, where locals gather around a Moroccan fountain, a Turkish bench, and under Japanese cherry trees. During weekdays, permanent tables, benches, and grill stations transform the space into an urban living room for backgammon and chess players. Bike traffic is redirected to the eastern side of the square, improving connectivity between Midgårdsgade and Hothers Plads via a new bike ramp. To the north, a small hill provides a sunny vantage point over the square.
- The square is marked by a large neon dentist sign from Doha, Qatar.
- Brazilian bar chairs beneath Chinese palm trees, a Japanese octopus playground, Bulgarian picnic tables, Argentinean BBQs, Belgian benches around cherry trees, UV (black light) lamps highlighting white surfaces, a Norwegian bike rack with a pump, and Liberian cedar trees.
- To shield from traffic at the northeastern corner, a section of the square is elevated to create a covered space.
- Unlike the Red Square’s integrated pattern, Mimers Plads features white lines running straight from north to south, curving around urban furniture instead of overlapping it. This pattern highlights the furniture rather than acting as a backdrop.
Sports and Play in the Green Park
Bauman once said, “Sport is one of the few institutions in society where people can still agree on the rules.” No matter your background, beliefs, or language, sports create common ground. For this reason, several sports facilities have been relocated to the Green Park, including an integrated basketball court within the existing hockey field. This central hub fosters social interaction among local youth from Mjølnerparken and the nearby school. The Green Park, with its soft hills and open spaces, appeals to children, young people, and families alike. It offers a green oasis for picnics, sunbathing, and relaxation while also accommodating sports tournaments, badminton matches, and outdoor workouts.
- Responding to requests from residents, the Green Park is designed to be entirely green—not only preserving but amplifying the curving landscape. Even the bike and pedestrian paths are painted green.
- At the northern entrance from Tagensvej, visitors are welcomed by a rotating neon sign from the USA, a large Italian chandelier, and a black Osborne Bull from Costa del Sol (a request from a Danish couple living in the area).
- Armenian picnic tables near Mjølnerparken, South African BBQs, a volcano-shaped sports arena for basketball and football, a Texas line-dance pavilion, an LA-style muscle beach with a high swing from Kabul, Spanish ping-pong tables, and a dedicated pavilion for children.
The Green Park seamlessly transitions into Mimers Plads at its highest point. From this vantage spot, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire Superkilen.
