Suburban Greenspace in Denmark

Prompt
Discuss the juxtaposition of the suburban garden as a space for personal individuality and the membership of a socio-cultural co-operative.

Suburban gardens in Denmark often provide personal space as well as space for community. For example, the suburban neighborhood in Fredensborg, designed by the architect, Jørn Utzon incorporates both aspects. The houses provide a private area for gardening, and are walled off from the rest of the houses and gardens. Although these personal spaces are a great expression of self, they are still regulated by the owners of the property. For example, if you have a house in the Fredensborg development, you can only plant ornamental plants, not edibles. The great thing about this complex is that you are able to be a part of a community greenspace as well. In Fredensborg, residents can leave their private spaces as they please, and enjoy the community space with others. For example, there is a large lawn in between the resident's homes where people can come together for activities. There is also a large patio space which incorporates the cooperative function as well.

Another great example of a suburban community which incorporates personal individuality and
cooperative function are the oval gardens in Nærum designed by landscape architect, C Th Sørensen. These oval gardens include a small house for day use, and lay near one another but are also quite spaced out.The oval design that incorporates the small house and garden follow the contour of the rolling hills that make up the landscape.On the contrary to the Fredensborg gardens, the oval gardens allow for the planting of vegetables and other edibles. But similar to Fredensborg, the ovals still have some regulation. But overall, the personal spaces allow for individual expression. The socio-cultural cooperative aspect includes the spaces in between each of the ovals. Each oval garden is contained and walled-off by hedges, but right outside the gates to these gardens are open spaces which provide paths for walking about the complex. There are also larger greenspaces within the community which bring people together.

Having a personal garden is beneficial because it allows for someone to have a sense of individuality and privacy. Having a cooperative is also beneficial because it brings people together. It's great to see two different communities incorporate these two really important aspects.