today i took a bicycle ride to vesterbro via the bryggebroen over the south harbor and through the emerging neighbourhoods thereabout. while the the main thrust of my walk/ride was in vesterbro proper, the emerging post-industrial harbour ‘hoods were also interesting.

the building at the foot of the bridge (below) is known as the gemini residence. completed in 2005, these former seed silos were once part of the dansk soyakagefabrik (soybean cake factory) established circa 1909.  they encapsulate the de-industrializing feel of this part of the city - and countless other cities world wide; a grappling with that notion of ‘hipster urbanism’ and the shift to that so called creative economy.

once i passed over a few more canals and a massive railway cut, i found myself on sønder boulevard in vesterbro.  it quickly became apparent that while gentrification has had a hand, it hasn’t been too heavy: vesterbro maintains a veritably vital mix of urban action. while the meatpacking district and it inherent industry (below) is now home to clubs and crafts, they co-exist - much like the families, the drug users and alcohol abusers, the red lights, the cafe culture, the ethnic diversity, and the linear park with playgrounds, basketball nets, and seats for sipping strong beer - all intermingles.

i walked - bicycle now parked - to the boulevard’s end; a termination at a roundabout. i stopped to observe for a while on account of the fact that it was one of the first i had seen in copenhagen, and, it is a topic of much discussion where i study in halifax. of course context and construction are worlds apart, but if ever there was a model…

the boulevard itself is wonderful / recently redesigned by SLA.

as i went deeper into vesterbro, there was constantly something that pulled me further. the massive apartment with periodic interior courtyards and corner cafes / the square with a tree swing and so many sitting / the amazingly alive children’s park hidden behind a castle wall / the subdued park it flowed into / and finally, the lakes. 

this city, somehow, continues to get better.