!

Skate!in!Place:!an!investigation!of!the!distinctive!qualities!of!a!place!

emerging!through!a!process!of!negotiation!in!Jarmers!Plads,!

Copenhagen.!

!

Phoebe!Rose!Aust!&!Darcy!Millar!

!

M1!Group!Project!

Spatial!Designs!and!Society,!ENSPAC!

30!ECTS!

!

!

Characters!L!71428!(including!spaces)!

SelfLproduced!images!L!9!

! 2!

Contents!

!

Abstract!p.3!

Introduction!p.4!

Review!of!the!State!of!the!Art!p.7!

! becoming!of!place!p.7!

! loose!spaces!p.8!

! place:!experiences!and!atmospheres!p.9!

! practice:!deviance!versus!acceptance!p.10!

Method!p.13!

The!Findings!p.17!

compatibility:!!skateboarding,!‘deviance’!and!the!case!of!copenhagen.p.17!

spatial!management!and!selfLregulation!p.24!

material!considerations!p.27!

place:!experiences!and!atmospheres!p.!34!

the!unique!case!of!jarmers!p.39!

Conclusion!p.42!

Bibliography!p.44!

! 3!

!

Abstract!!

!

Jarmers' Plads' (completed' in' 1997)' in' Copenhagen,' Denmark,' is' a' centrally' located' office'

forecourt'and'functioning'public'space'situated'on'the'corner'of'a'busy'traffic'intersection'at'

Hans'Christian'Andersen’s'Boulevard,'its'charming'nomenclature'belying'its'multiElaned'and'

heavily' trafficked' reality.' Perhaps' because' of' this' situation,' the' space' is' rarely' used' by'

anyone'E'that'is'apart'from'skateboarders.'In'fact,'over'the'last'twenty'years,'Jarmers'Plads'

has'evolved'into'one'of'the'most'renowned'spots'for'street'skating'in'the'city,'Denmark'and'

arguably' the'wider' region.' This' paper'will' consider' how' this' has' come' to' be,' through' the'

complexities' of' negotiations' with' other' spatial' users,' governing' bodies,' and' with' the'

architecture'itself.'!

!

Keywords:! Skateboarding;! Street! Skating;! Jarmers!Plads;! Copenhagen;! PlaceLMaking;!Actor!

Network!Theory;!Materiality;!Ethnography!

! 4!

Introduction !

In! this! paper! we! wish! to! examine! the! contradiction! that! Copenhagen! poses! to! dominant!

literature! on! skateboarders! and! public! space.!We! wish! to! examine! the! way! that! Jarmers!

Plads! in! central! Copenhagen! has! come! to! be! an! accepted! appropriated! place! for! street!

skateboarding,! and! how! this! is! indirectly! facilitated! by! the! municipality’s! commitment! to!

building!a! ‘livable! city’! (Kobenhavns!Kommune,!Metropol! for!Mennesker,! 2015)! as!well! as!

state!visions!for!mobility!and!liveability!that!have!developed!over!the!past!20!years.!!

!

We!wish! to! examine! the!way! in!which! Copenhagen! planning! practice! does! not! adhere! to!

conventional!capitalist!models!of!spaces!of!consumption,!and!how!the!notion!of!a!‘shareable!

city’!has!benefitted!skateboarders.!On!top!of!this,!looking!specifically!at!the!space!of!Jarmers!

Plads,!we!wish!to!examine!how!the!longLterm!appropriation!of!the!space!by!skateboarders!

has!come!to!shape!the!practice!of!skateboarding!within!it.!

!

We!refer! to! Jarmers!Plads!as!an!established!skate!spot,!meaning!that! it! is!known!amongst!

the! skateboarding! community! of! Copenhagen! and! further! afield,! as! evidenced! by! its!

appearance! in! the! history! of!Danish! street! skateboarding,!Dansk' Skateboarding' (2014),! as!

well! as! appearances! in! a! number! of! skateboarding! videos! and! marketing! campaigns,!

including!that!for!the!signature!‘Jarmers’!shoe!by!skate!wear!brand!Vans.!!

!

!fig'1.'The'“Jarmers”'Old'Skool.'Photo'by'Streetmachine'

!

! 5!

It! holds!all! of! the!attributes! that!Wooley!&! Johns’!2001!paper! ‘Skateboarding:! The!City! as!

Playgound’!cites!as!necessary!in!the!classification!of!a!skateboard!spot,!namely!accessibility,!

potential! for! making! tricks! or! ‘trickability’,! a! sociable! atmosphere! and! compatibility! with!

other!spatial!users!and!stakeholders!(Wooley!&!Johns!2001:223).!!

!

Jarmers!Plads’! central! location! in! the!city!of!Copenhagen!benefits!our! study,!as!Wooley!&!

Johns!note!that!such!central!skateboarding!spots:!

!

Act!as!a!focus,!a!spatial!node,!around!which!skateboarders!move.!Such!a!spot!seems!

to!be!important,!especially!for!skaters!coming!in!from!other!towns,!as!it!is!the!major!

claimed! space! which! acts! as! Skate! Headquarters,! an! informal! base! camp! where!

skaters!regroup!or!send!out!scouts!to!outlying!spaces!(2001:221).!

!

!fig.'2'Dansk'Skateboarding'spread'on'Jarmers'Plads'as'skate'spot.'

'

It!is!important!in!this!introduction!to!explain!the!terms!that!we!will!use!to!refer!to!different!

groups!of!skateboarders! in! this!paper!as!different!groups!of!skateboarders!have!their!own!

spatial!practices!and!social!norms!that!should!not!be!treated!as!synonymous.!!

!

The! group! that!we! focus! upon! are! street! skateboarders,! favouring! the! urban! terrain,! in! a!

style! that! developed! in!America! in! the! early! 1980s! (Borden!2001:176).! As! opposed! to! the!

more!institutionalised!setting!of!the!skatepark,!which!is!immobile!and!subject!to!supervision,!

! 6!

upkeep! and! opening! times,! street! skateboarding! is! selfLorganised! and! takes! place! in! the!

public! street! and! urban! environment,! so! creating! a! direct! engagement! with! the! built!

environment! (Ibid:180).! As! Borden! says,! “skaters! undertake! a! counterLhabitation! of!

habitually!uninhabited!but!nonetheless!public!spaces”!(Borden!2002:33).!

!

When!talking!spatially!about!Jarmers!Plads,!we!frequently!refer!to! it!as!a! ‘plaza’!due!to! its!

minimalist,! modern! appearance! and! location! at! the! entrance! of! a! corporate! building,! so!

functioning!as!a!transitory!space!between!the!private!building!and!the!public!street.!Many!

respondents!referred!to!the!space!as!a!‘plaza’!due!to!its!American!look!(plaza!being!a!chiefly!

North!American!term!for!public!square,! (OED,2016))!a!quality!which! initially!drew!them!to!

the!space,!as!it!mirrored!what!they!saw!in!skateboarding!magazines!and!videos!of!the!time!

from!the!USA.!!

!

The!research!aim!for!our!paper!will!broadly!be:!

an' investigation' of' the' distinctive' qualities' of' a' skate' spot' as' place,' emerging' through' a'

process'of'negotiation'in'Jarmers'Plads,'Copenhagen.!

!

In!our! investigation!we!will! identify!and!discuss!the!different!factors!that!contribute!to!the!

becoming!of!place,! such!as! the! interaction!and!compatibility!between!different!actors!and!

the!role!of!the!material!and!how!that!shapes!and!is!shaped!by!the!practice!of!skateboarding.!

In!doing!this!we!aim!to!shed!some!light!on!the!becoming!of!place!where!it!is!unplanned.!

!

In! our! analysis! of! this! skate! spot,! we! will! firstly! look! at! the! theoretical! perspectives! that!

address! the! experience! of! place,! encompassing! the! sensory! and! social! interactions! with!

Jarmers.! Following! this! we! will! look! at! the! concepts! of! placeLmaking! and! atmospheres,!

including!aspects!of!deviance,!acceptance!and!selfLgovernance!between!the!skateboarders!

and! other! spatial! figures.!We!will! then! take! into! consideration! the!materiality! of! Jarmers!

Plads,!using!an!Actor!Network!Theory!perspective!to!analyse!the!space!as!skate!spot.!!

!

These!concepts!will!be!initially!referenced!in!the!literature!review!before!undergoing!deeper!

engagement! in! the! following! analysis.! We! will! also! address! the! dominant! discourses!

identified!in!the!literature!that!directly!deal!with!skate!practice.!

! 7!

Review!of!The!State!of!the!Art!

Becoming)of)place)

!

To! begin! a! consideration! of! Jarmers! Plads! as! an! established! skate! spot,! it! is! useful! to!

establish!a!framework!for!the!different!factors!that!contribute!to!the!construction!of!this!as!

a! ‘place’! for!skateboarding.! In!his!Place:'A'short' introduction,!Tim!Cresswell! (2004)!defines!

place!as!being!created!when!space!is!inhabited!by!human!and!social!forces,!when!it!reflects!

the!persons!that!inhabit!it!and!they!can!identify!themselves!within!and!by!it!(Cresswell!2004:!

1L2).!This!most!often!happens!when!spaces!are!appropriated,!thereby!creating!a!meaningful!

location! (Cresswell! 2004:7),! which! is! a! main! act! in! the! development! of! a! street! spot! by!

skateboarders.!!

!

Cresswell! splits! his! approach! to! place! into! three! different! ‘levels’,! the! approach! that! will!

form!the!theoretical!framework!for!this!paper!is!the!social'constructionist'approach!to!place.!

Cresswell!defines!this!as:!

!

Interested! in! the! particularities! of! places! but! only! as! instances! of! more! general!

underlying! social! processes[...]Looking! at! the! social! construction! of! place! involves!

explaining! the! unique! attributes! of! a! place[...]by! showing! how! these! places! are!

instances!of!wider!processes!of!the!construction!of!place!in!general!under!conditions!

of! capitalism,! patriarchy,! heterosexism,! postcolonialism! and! a! host! of! other!

structural!conditions!(Ibid:!51).!

!

We! will! be! taking! the! social' constructivist' approach! because! of! our! focus! on! the! social!

history!and!sociability!of!Jarmers!Plads.!However,!due!to!the!fact!that!skateboarding!is!very!

much!dependant!on!the!materiality!of!the!place!L!on!the!physical!conditions!and!attributes!

of!a!particular!site,!and!the!potential!that!they!offer!for!tricks!(Wooley!&!Johns!2001;!KaziL

Tani!2015)!L!we!will!be!placing!a!greater!emphasis!on!the!materiality,!or!“unique!attributes”,!

of!Jarmers.!!The!social!forces!and!processes!that!are!formed!around!Jarmers!are,!as!we!will!

see,!intricately!bound!up!in!the!concrete!(and!in!this!case,!the!granite)!blocks!that!make!up!

the!square!at!a!basic!level.!!

!

An! important! aspect! of! thinking! about! the! concept! of! place! is! that! its! construction! (both!

material!and!social),!use!and!meaning!are!not!static!and!fixed!positions.!The!characteristics!

! 8!

of!places!are!subject!to!changes!by!forces!both!obvious,!such!as!weather,!erosion!and!users,!

to! less! ephemeral! forces! such! as! economic,! political! and! social! pressures,! which! we! will!

consider! in! our! analysis! of! spatial!materiality! and! skateboarding! practice.! The! geographer!

and! urban! design! theorist!Matthew! Carmona! (2013)! has! theorised! this! state! of! flux! as! a!

“placeLshaping! continuum”,! a! conceptual! framework! he! uses! to! analyse! the! changes!

witnessed!to!public!spaces!in!London!over!a!number!of!years.!Some!of!the!major!factors!that!

revealed! themselves! as! playing! an! important! role! in! this! shaping! process! are! “contexts,!

processes! and!power! relationships”,! broken!down! into! further! categories! including! design!

intentions!and!aspirations,!development!and!negotiation,!usage!and!consequences!of! this,!

and!finally!management!of!space!(2013:33).!Aspects!of!this!framework!will!contribute!to!our!

project’s!basic!understanding!of!how!Jarmers!as!a!place!is!made!and!the!development!of!its!

unique!practices!and!culture!that!begun!at! its! inception.! In!particular,!we!will! focus!on!the!

intentions!of!the!designer!and!planning!authority,!the!uses!and!appropriations!postLdesign,!

and!the!management!of!the!place,!both!formal!and!informal.!!

!

Loose)Spaces!

!

In!addition!to!the!theories!of!placeLshaping!and!placeLmaking,!the!concept!of!loose!space!is!

equally! relevant! to! Jarmers! Plads! and! its! context! as! a! skate! spot.! Franck! and! Stevens’!

definition!of!loose!space!is!broadly!public!spaces!that!are!the!site!of!activities!not!“originally!

intended! for! those! locations”! (Franck!&!Stevens!2007:2).!This! includes!pavements,! streets,!

plazas,! or! other! places! such! as! abandoned! factories! where! fixed! uses! no! longer! exist! or!

apply.!In!these!cases,!it!is!“through!people’s!activities![that]!spaces!become!‘loose’”!(Ibid:2).!!

!

Loose! spaces! give! the! chance! for! “encounter,! the! spontaneous! event,! the! enjoyment! of!

diversity!and!the!discovery!of!the!unexpected”,!as!opposed!to!‘tight’!spaces!that!have!their!

functions!fixed!and!decided!(Ibid:4).!In!addition!to!their!flexibility,!aspects!to!keep!in!mind!in!

the! consideration! of! loose! space! is! time,! materiality,! user! interactions! and! movement.!

Reference!is!made!to!the!affordances!of!physical!features!but!key!is!that,!

!

people![that]!create!loose!space!through!their!own!actions.!Many!urban!spaces!

possess!physical!and!social!possibilities!for!looseness,!being!open!to!appropriation,!

but!it!is!people,!through!their!own!initiative,!who!fulfil!these!possibilities!(2007:10L

11).!

! 9!

!

In!this!way,!one!can!make!the!same!point!in!the!distinction!between!purpose!built!

skateparks!and!street!spots!such!as!Jarmers.!Instead!of!being!“passive!consumers!of!preL

packaged!activities!and!experiences”!(Ibid:11),!the!skaters!who!use!Jarmers!are!using!their!

creativity!and!determination!to!“actively!fashion!public!settings!to!satisfy!their!own!basic!

needs!and[...]desires”!(Ibid:11).!!

!

Place:)experiences)and)atmospheres!

!

In!a!consideration!of!how!people!make!place!through!interactions,!practices!that!deal!with!

the! experiential! and! sensuousness! will! provide! a! key! resource! L! both! as! a! part! of! the!

methods!but!also!as!a!category!of!analysis.!The!research!projects!of!Lee!&!Ingold!(2006)!and!

Sarah! Pink! (2009)! that! aim! to! delve! into! how! people! experience! place! L! constituted! of!

“social,! sensory! and! material! contexts”! (Pink! 2009:33),! utilise! an! approach! that! mixes!

different! research! methods! including! participant! observation,! diary! making,!

autoethnography,! alongside! interviews! and! visual! methods.! This! is! especially! relevant! for!

this!project!that!aims!to!investigate!how!Jarmers!Plads!as!a!place!has!affected!those!who!use!

it.!Lee!and!Ingold’s!claim!that!“the!journeys!people!make!also!make!their!places”!(2006:68)!

gives!a!foundation!to!this!work!that!aims!to!explore!how!place!has!been!made!through!use,!

activities!and!actions.!!

!!

It! is!these!perspectives!that!have!helped!to!shed! light!on!why!some!places!are! ‘made’! in!a!

certain! way.! This! approach! assumes! that! for! a! group! of! people! to! use,! appropriate! and!

finally! claim!a!place,! that!place!would! ‘feel’!different! to! them!than! to!others!who!are! less!

familiar,!less!fond!of!it,!or!as!Ingold!would!formulate,!less!“entangled”!with!it!(Ingold!2008:!

1797).!By!asking!questions!to!our!user!interviewees!L!the!skaters,!some!of!whom!are!not!as!

familiar! to! Jarmers! as! others! L! we! can! begin! to! investigate! firstly,! the! relevance! of! place!

making!to!skateboarding!practice,!and!then!go!on!to!address!what!it!is!about!the!place!that!

has!led!to!this:!the!materiality,!the!social!history,!the!sociability!or!any!other!reasons.!!

!

Another!perspective!that!will!prove!useful!to!consider,!is!that!of!places!and!atmosphere.!Tim!

Edensor!has!investigated!this!property!in!the!context!of!industrial!ruins!(2005)!but!also!more!

‘alive’!situations!such!as!football!stadia!on!game!day!(2010).!This!approach!is!very!relevant!

for! our! study! of! Jarmers! in! its! consideration! of! the! material! in! combination! with! human!

! 10!

forces,! encompassing! the! emotional,! collective! and! spatialised! memory,! the! sensory! and!

sociability.!!

!

Practice:)deviance)versus)acceptance!

!

Skateboarding! first! emerged! in! the! late! 1960s! as! surfers! in! California! visualised! the!urban!

landscape!as!a!‘concrete!wave’!mimicking!the!practice!of!surfing!in!the!urban!environment,!

using! boards! with! wheels! as! replacement! surfboards,! and! empty! pools! as! replacement!

waves!(Borden!2001).!In!the!early!80’s!the!sport!moved!from!the!more!enclosed!space!of!the!

skate! park,! with! its! bowls! and! ramps,! and! took! a! new! form! in! the! urban! street! and!

landscape,!where!moves!and!tricks!were!adjusted!and!manipulated!to!suit!the!modern!city!

(Borden!2001:!179).!

!

Dominant! literature! on! skateboarding! has! predominantly! focused! on! the! interrelations!

between!skateboarders!as!deviant!group,!with!planning!bodies,! city! councils,! and! those! in!

power.!In!the!current!literature!they!are!frequently!positioned!as!a!problematic!‘other’!and!

an! illegitimate!user!of!public!spaces,!and!throughout!the!past!20!years! for!various!reasons!

have!been!increasingly!banned!from!public!spaces,!and!pushed!out!of!city!spaces!across!the!

world!(Nolan!2003;!Nemeth!2006;!Stratford!2001).!

!

Nolan! (2003)! and! Nemeth! (2006)! both! write! extensively! on! the! way! in! which! governing!

bodies! increasingly! alienate! and! relegate! skateboarders! from! public! spaces! through! the!

employment! of! security! guards! and! the! increased! policing! of! space,! along! with! the!

introduction!of! fines!and!skateboarding!bans,!and! the! relocation!of!groups! to!outLofLtown!

purpose! built! skate! parks.! Nemeth! highlights! the! way! that! the! media! is! decisive! in! this!

positioning!of!skateboarders!as!‘negative’!and!promoting!a!negative!public!opinion!of!them!

(Nemeth!2006).!

!

Developing! on! this! notion! cohabited! and! negotiated! space! between! spatial! users,! a! large!

number!of!authors!such!as!Stratford!(2002)!Nemeth!(2006)!and!Nolan!(2003)!have!outlined!

the!way! in!which! skateboarders! are! relocated! to! purpose! built! skate! facilities! in! order! to!

avoid!conflicts!with!other!spatial!users.!Stratford!references!how!planning!policy!in!Hobart,!

Australia,!includes!provisions!for!skateboarders,!but!in!a!restricted!and!controlled!way.!This!

is!legitimised!by!a!perceived!danger!to!other!users!due!to!the!fast!nature!of!skateboarding!as!

! 11!

an! activity,! promoting! a! belief! that! potential! conflict! with! other! users! is! unavoidable! in!

cohabited!public! spaces.! City!Officials! in! Philadelphia!used! this! similar! rhetoric! in!order! to!

ban! skateboarding! in! the! renowned! LOVE! Park! plaza.! However! this! is! discredited! by! an!

official! report! referenced!by!Nemeth! (2006)! that!concluded!skateboarding!had!a! far! lower!

risk!of!injury!level!than!the!comparable!activities!of!American!football!or!soccer,!and!not!one!

lawsuit!had!been!filed!against!the!council!for!injury!relating!to!skateboarding!in!all!the!years!

that!skateboarding!had!occurred!in!LOVE!park!(Nemeth!2006:304).!

!

At! the! same! time!as! skateboarders! are! increasingly!positioned!as! ‘deviant’,! academics! are!

very!aware!of!their!position!as!disrupters!to!hegemonic!capitalist!regulations!of!space,!and!

much!focus!is!paid!to!the!creativity!and!positive!influences!skateboarders!bring!to!areas!of!

the!city!(Vivoni!2013;!Howell!2005).!Howell,!for!example,!argues!that!skateboarders!fit!into!a!

new! economic! model! of! the! ‘creative! class’! and! so! should! be! taken! seriously! and! their!

benefits! in! creating! an! “organic! street! culture”! (2005:32)! are! something! to! be! promoted!

rather!than!deterred.!

!

Whilst! many! cities! have! began! to! provide! for! skateboarding! in! municipal! budgets,! this! is!

often! in! the! form! of! approved! skating! zones! and! stateLbuilt! skate! facilities,! and! serves! to!

justify! the! removal! of! skateboarders! from! public! spaces! in! city! centres! (Stratford! 2002;!

Nolan!2003;!Nemeth!2006).!Vivoni!argues! that! these!stateLbuilt! facilities!are!not! truly! free!

spaces! of! leisure! but! are! ascribed! play! spaces! that! socialize! users! into! some! form! of!

governance,!and!so!deserve!a!level!of!scepticism!(Vivoni!2013).!!

!

Borden!positions!urban!skateboarders!within!a!situationist!critique!of!architecture!that!aims!

to! govern! the! public! through! its! spatiality.! He! argues! that! the! urban! skateboarder!

“challenges! the! notion! that! space! is! there! to! be! obeyed”! (2001:231)! and! consumes! the!

building! “while! not! engaging! in! its! productive! activity”! (2001:231).! Vivoni! asserts! that!

skateboarding! is! a! “social! enterprise! that! contests! the! normative! regulation! of! public!

exchange...skateboarding! disrupts! business! as! usual”(2013:342).! Put! most! simply,! street!

skateboarders!use!space!without!paying!for!it,!and!in!many!cases!this!is!the!reason!for!their!

rejection! from! city! centres,! which! are! increasingly! privatised! and! defined! as! spaces! of!

consumption!(Nemeth!2006;!Stratford!2002;!Nolan!2003;!Wooley!&!Johns!2001).!

!

! 12!

Our! investigation! thus! wishes! to! look! at! the! way! in! which! Copenhagen! represents! an!

alternative! to! the!norm!presented! in! the! literature!as,!aside! from!building!adequate! skate!

facilities,! the! municipality! actively! perceives! skateboarders! as! legitimate! users! of! space,!

whether!appropriated!or!planned.!

!

Whilst! we! have! detailed! so! far! that! much! of! the! literature! is! focused! on! the! perceived!

negative!view!of!skateboarding,!it!is!important!to!acknowledge!that!many!authors!recognise!

that!this!view!is!starting!to!change.!Borden!has!mentioned!how!skateboarding!is!no!longer!

perceived!as! reckless!and! rebellious!as! it!once!was,!whilst!KaziLTani,! in!her!analysis!of! the!

relationships! between! skateboarders! and! architecture,! acknowledges! skateboarding! as! an!

“inescapable! element! of! the! urban! landscape”! (2015:1)! that! is! supported! by! a! flourishing!

billionLdollar! skateboard! industry.! This! evolution! of! skateboarding! and! popular! opinion! is!

alluded!to!in!Ocean!Howell’s!study!on!skateboarding!and!gentrification!where!he!notes!that!

there!has!been!a!transition!in!the!public!opinion!of!skateboarders!from!scruffy!and!rude!in!

the!1990’s!to!new!model!citizens!(Howell!2005:!38).!!!

!

Equally,! whilst! dominant! literature! recognises! the! benefits! of! skateboarders! as! societal!

disruptors,!and!members!of!the!creative!class,!relatively!little!attention!has!been!paid!to!the!

street! skateboarders! sense!of! their!own!agency!and! relations! to!other!users!of! the! space.!

!We!therefore!aim!to!explore!the!negotiations!that!take!place!between!the!skateboarders,!

other!spatial!users,!and!governing!bodies,!taking!seriously!the!skateboarders’!sense!of!their!

own! position! as! spatial! users! and! actors.!

!

!

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! 13!

!

Method!

!

Our!close!analysis!of!skating!practice!and!skate!placeLmaking!in!Copenhagen,!Denmark!has!

lead! us! to! the! particular! site! of! Jarmers! Plads,! located! at! the! busy! intersection! of! H.C.!

Andersens!Boulevard!and!Nørre!Voldgade.!The!plaza’s!remodelling!(the!building!dates!from!

1959)! was! completed! in! 1997! by! architects! Brandt,! Hell,! Hansted! og! Holscher,! with! the!

project! being! led! by! young! architect! Eric! Brandt.! At! the! time! of! the! plaza’s! creation,! the!

building!and!land!was!owned!and!occupied!by!banking!corporation!Realkredit!Danmark!who!

wished! to! donate! the! space! to! the!City! of! Copenhagen! (eLarchitect.com:! 2014).! The!plaza!

mimics!the!spatial!properties!of!the!original!bank!building,!with!the!slabs!being!created!from!

Norwegian!Granite!from!the!same!quarry!as!the!building’s!facade,!and!the!spatial!properties!

of! the! plaza! were! dictated! by! the! original! building,! with! paving! slabs! being! laid! at! right!

angles!to!it.!The!effect!is!that!a!kind!of!footprint!or!shadow!of!the!building!is!created!in!the!

minimalist!space!that!leads!from!building!to!adjacent!Ørstedspark.!

!

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fig.'3'Site'plan'of'Jarmers'Plads,'courtesy'of'Eric'Brandt.'

! 14!

!

In! order! to! get! a! balanced! insight! of! the! history! of! Jarmers! Plads! from! its! initial! design!

through! its!occupation!by! skateboarders! to! its! current!position! today,!we! interviewed!key!

figures!in!the!spatial!and!social!history!of!the!square!including!users!both!past!and!present,!

municipal!and!planning!process!representatives!and!the!plaza’s!architect!Eric!Brandt.!

!

We!started!our! interviews!with!Eric! in!order! to!uncover! the!background!of! the!creation!of!

Jarmers!Plads!and!to!gain!an!insight!into!the!design!perspective!of!the!space,!as!well!as!his!

opinion!on!the!occupation!of!the!space!by!skateboarders.!Eric!also!proved!to!be!a!valuable!

gatekeeper!in!that!he!passed!us!on!to!another!key!figure,!Søren!Enevoldsen.!

!

We!then!held!a!series!of!interviews!with!seasoned!street!skaters,!aged!between!21L39,!all!of!

whom!had!skated!at!Jarmers!Plads!for!a!number!of!years,!and!continued!to!skate!there!at!

the! time! of! interview.!One! of! our! respondents,!Martin! Lee,!was! frequently! referred! to! in!

initial! research!as! an! important! figure,! being!heavily! invested! in! the! space!of! Jarmers! and!

having!appeared!in!a!number!of!videos!promoting!the!space!as!a!skate!spot!(see!fig.!4).!

!

!fig.'4.'Martin'Lee'featured'in'advertisement'for'Vans'and'streetmachine'in'action'at'Jarmers.''

!

Through! our! introduction! to! Eric,!we! interviewed! Søren! Enevoldsen,! architect! and! CEO!of!

SNE!Architects!who!acts!as!a!‘skateboard!expert’,!having!been!commissioned!for!the!building!

of! many! skateparks! in! Copenhagen! and! globally,! as! well! as! being! an! original! Jarmers!

skateboarder!himself.!From!his!own!website:!

!

Since!1988!Søren!has!been!a!committed!skater!himself,!and!he!still! remains!active!

and!involved!in!the!culture.!Because!of!Sørens!personal!experience,!he!understands!

! 15!

how!subtle!changes!in!surface!textures;!the!slightest!change!in!level!and,!a!variety!in!

pace!shape!how!we!understand!our!surroundings.!(SNE!Architects,!2014)!

!

Lastly,!we!also!interviewed!Lasse!Bruun!Pedersen,!city!planner!in!mobility!and!public!spaces!

for!insight!into!the!municipal!view!of!skateboarding!within!Copenhagen.!!

!

Interviews'with'skaters!

!

Structuring! the! qualitative! research! approach! when! interviewing! skaters,! two! main!

methodological! issues! are! relevant! to! address.! The! first! issue! concerns! the! researchers!

limited!knowledge!and!inability!to!fully!understand!the!life!world!of!the!skaters!due!to!the!

fact!none!of!us!are!skaters.!This!means!that!certain!terms,!such!as!trick!names!and!difficulty!

levels,!are!out!of!our!range!of!reference!and!therefore!there!is!an!implicit!knowledge!gap.!To!

address! this,!we!asked! the! interviewees! to!explain! terminology!when!necessary! and!draw!

out! maps! and! sketches! if! talking! about! particular! ‘lines’! or! ‘runs’.! This! in! fact! aided! the!

research!in!eliciting!the!embodied!knowledge!in!skating!practice!and!giving!us!access!to!the!

sometimes!conflicting!interpretations!of!that!practice!and!culture.!From!this!recognition,!the!

interview!form!should!enable!the! interviewee!to!control! the!direction!of!the!conversation.!

We!decided!that!an!informal!semiLstructured!interview!would!be!an!appropriate!technique!

for!understanding! spatial!practices,! as! it! facilitates! the! lead!of! the!participants! (K.!Dewalt,!

2011:139).!

!

The!longLtime!span!of!Jarmers!Plads!as!a!place,!and!the!multiple!generations!of!users,!means!

that! we! cannot! offer! a! complete! analysis! of! the! space! throughout! time.! However,! our!

interview!with! Eric!was! able! to! provide! us! valuable! insight! into! the! design! processes! and!

context! of! the! site,! which! we! were! able! to! supplement! with! our! interviews! with!

skateboarders! both! past! and! present.!We! are! able! to! create! a! view! of! how! the! space! is!

today,!with!considerations!of!how!it!has!developed!throughout!its!20Lyear!history,!and!how!

it!has!become!situated!in!the!contemporary!memory!for!those!we!interviewed.!

!

Equally,!whilst!we! have! aimed! to! interview! key! ‘makers’! in! the! history! of! Jarmers! Plads! L!

architects,!planners,!and!main!skateboarders,!we!have!only!interviewed!a!small!cross!section!

of! skaters! in! the! area.! We! therefore! cannot! claim! absolute! knowledge! of! the! emotional!

attachment! of! Copenhagen! skateboarders! to! Jarmers! Plads! visLaLvis! other! skateboarding!

! 16!

sites!as!a!whole.!What!we!aim!to!have!achieved!is!an!insight!into!the!history!of!the!‘Jarmers!

Crew’:!a!group!of!skateboarders!who!have!occupied!the!space!for!multiple!generations.!We!

have! also! been! able! to! gain! knowledge! on! how! negotiations! between! the! architect,! the!

building! owners,! the! municipality! and! the! users! had! contributed! to! this! continued!

appropriation!and!the! fame!of! Jarmers,!both!as!an!architectural! site,!and!worldLrenowned!

skate!spot.!

! 17!

The!Findings!

!

Compatibility:))Skateboarding,)‘Deviance’)and)The)Case)of)Copenhagen)

!

As!previously!mentioned,!skateboarders!are!generally!conceived!as!a!youth!subculture!that!

is! allied! with! deviance! in! public! spaces,! and! illegitimate! spatial! use.! Whilst! dominant!

literature!posits!skateboarders!as!‘youth’!the!respondents!that!we!dealt!with!aged!between!

21L39,!and!many!of!the!street!skateboarders!from!our!observations!in!public!space!were!at!

the!older!end!of! the! ‘youth’! spectrum.!This!differs! from!the!skatepark!demographic!which!

remains!the!domain!of!a!younger!user!group.!As!one!skateboarder!detailed,!skateparks!are!

“like! a! big! playground! where! kids! are”! whereas! street! skating! is! “the! real! deal,! it’s! the!

grownLups!place!to!go”!where!you!need!to!be!“a!little!bit!older!and!more!serious!about!it”!

!

As! a! quasi! public! /! private! space! in! the! centre! of! the! city,! Jarmers! has! the! possibility! of!

succumbing! to! the! same! spatial! discriminations! as! skateboarders! in! areas! such! as!Hobart,!

Philadelphia! and! areas! of! the! UK.! However,! as! we! have! seen,! over! it’s! 20! year! history!

skateboarders! have! never! found! themselves! evicted! from! the! space! and,! asides! from! an!

initial!conversation!between!themselves!and!the!architect,!have!never!faced!any!challenge!

to!their!appropriation!of!the!space.!As!Martin!Lee!explained:!

!

We’ve!never!been!kicked!out!of!the!spot.!It’s!always!been!ok!for!us!to!skate!there.!

!

This!arguably!has!led!to!the!strong!associative!feeling!that!many!skateboarders!hold!with!the!

place,!in!a!way!that!mirrors!Ray!Oldenburg’s!concept!of!a!‘third!place’:!a!community!outside!

of!the!institutions!of!home!or!work!in!which!individuals!can!build!a!sense!of!place!and!feel!

like! a! part! of! a! social! sphere! that! is! not! dependant! on! their! home! or! work! life.! It! is! an!

“escape!or!time!out!from!life’s!duties!and!drudgeries”!(Oldenburg,!1991:21).!This! idea!was!!

supported!by!Søren!Enevoldsen,!the!architect!and!Jarmers!skateboarder,!who!remarked:!

!

It!kind!of!gave!that!feeling!that!you!had!your!spot!where!you!meet!up!and!didn’t!get!

kicked!out!or!anything,!so!it’s!just!become!this!meeting!spot,!so!that’s!what!it!means!

for!me!as!a!skater!and!I’ve!been!skating!there!my!whole!life.!

!

! 18!

This! is! a! sentiment! echoed! by! other! Jarmers! skateboarders,! including! Martin! Lee! who!

compared!the!place!to!a!home!or!a!local!bar:!

!

We!have!a! special! bond!with! the!place!because!we!know! it’s! been!going!on! for! a!

long!time.!I!think!there’s!just!so!much!history!in!it,!and!I!think!that’s!the!reason!that!I!

kept!on!skating!and!I!just!have!so!much!love!for!the!place.!It’s!not!just!the!name!it’s!

just!the!whole,!it’s!kind!of!like!a!family!to!me,!all!the!people!who!go!there.!

!

On!top!of! this!strong!social!commitment!to!the!space,!Martin!also!has!the!name! ‘Jarmers’!

tattooed!on!himself,!showing!both!an!economic!and!a!physical!dedication!to!Jarmers!Plads!

as!a!space!of!social!history.!

!

!fig.5'Martin'Lee’s'‘Jarmers’'tattoo.'Photograph'by'authors.!

!

A! point! that! makes! Copenhagen! stand! out! from! other! skating! cities,! and! arguably!

contributed! to! the! success! of! Jarmers! Plads! as! skate! spot,! is! the! municipality’s! positive!

relationship!with!skateboarding!and!acceptance!of!it!as!legitimate!public!spatial!practice.!As!

Matthias,! a! nonLJarmers! skater! who! has! been! skateboarding! in! Copenhagen! for! 6! years,!

noted:!

!

It! has! a!nice! reputation,! at! least! around!Scandinavia,! that! it! is! a! really!nice! city! to!

skate!in.!

!

! 19!

This!sentiment!was!echoed!by!Søren!who,!when!asked!the!municipality’s!attitude!towards!

skateboarders,!replied:!

!

I! think! it’s! really! positive,! it’s! really! changing,! they! don’t! see! that! it’s! just,! like,!

skateboarding.!They!wanna!make!it!broader!with!parkour!and!whatever!and!they!go!

back!and!analyse!what!works!and!what!doesn’t.!!

!

These! sentiments! show! the! user’s! awareness! of! greater! forces! that! control! the! way! that!

cities!are!used,!and! their!positive!appreciation! that! they!are!granted!a! legitimised! right! to!

the!space!and!the!city.!Equally! the!municipality!has!a!similar!stance!on!the!skateboarders,!

stating!that!

!

The!city!of!Copenhagen!has!always!been!very!interested!in!as!many!as!possible!using!

the!city!in!every!kind!of!way.!

!

This! was! the! case!when! Jarmers! Plads!was! initially! conceived,! as! Eric! Brandt,! the! space’s!

architect,!detailed!that:!!

!

At!that!time!it!was!about!digging!up!the!integrity!of!Copenhagen,!maybe!you!could!

see! that! it!was! the!beginning!of! the! change!of! the! city! for! people! rather! than! for!

cars.!

!

In! Copenhagen,! as! well! as! across! the! world,! there! is! a! growing! recognition! that!

skateboarders,!particularly!street!skateboarders,!contribute!to!society!by!forming!a!part!of!

the! newly! emerging! ‘creative! class’! (Howell,! 2005)! and! so! are! a! group! that! need! to! be!

planned!for.! In!Copenhagen,!the!municipality! is!aware!that!street!skateboarders!constitute!

an!urban!user!group!who!are!interested!in!‘being!in!the!city’!and!so!public!plazas!and!open!

spaces!are! increasingly!designed! to!accommodate! skating! interests!alongside!other! spatial!

users! in! a!model! of! spatial! coexistence.!As! Lasse!Bruun!Pedersen,! strategic!planner! in! the!

mobility!and!public!spaces!department!explained:!

!

The! second! group! [street! skateboarders]! is! very! typical! these! days.! They! are!

everywhere,! actually! sometimes!when!we! have! to! program! a! city! square,! park! or!

just!a!corridor,!and!there!are!interests!towards!skating!city!skating,!we!often!consult!

! 20!

skating!experts:!how!can!we!make!small!changes!to!the!project!so!it!would!actually!

be!better!for!the!skaters!to!be!there?!

!

As!Søren!pointed!out,!this!accommodation!of!skateboarding!in!the!public!of!life!of!

Copenhagen!serves!to!benefit!the!municipality!as:!

!

they!want!active!urban!spaces!in!order!to!get!people!away!from!their!computers!

and!they!are!looking!towards!unorganised!sports!because!it’s!just!easy,!it!doesn’t!

require!a!specific!time!schedule,!you!can!just!go!and!do!it!when!you!want.!

!

With!growing!urban!populations!and!increasing!concentrations!in!cities,!greater!strategic!

planning!needs!to!be!given!to!making!public!space!function!for!a!more!diverse!range!of!

spatial!users!to!accommodate!growing!populations!(Kobenhavn!Kommune,!Metropol!for!

Mennsker,!2015).!Skateboarding!fits!into!this!dynamic!of!multiLuse!space,!as!street!

skateboarders!often!use!public!spaces,!and!civic!areas!such!as!business!districts,!at!times!

when!they!are!empty!such!as!evenings!and!weekends!(Nolan!2003;!Nemeth!2006).!!!

!

Traditionally!the!practice!of!skateboarding!has!been!perceived!as!dangerous!to!other!spatial!

users!because! it! is! fast!and! loud!(Nemeth!2006;!Wooley!&!Johns!2001)!The!representative!

from!the!municipality!recognised!this,!and!the!somewhat!unfair!mantle!that!skateboarders!

are!given!as!he!notes:!

!

I! think!that!skaters!come!into!more!conflict!than!other!city!users!because!they!are!

fast!and!they!are!loud!and!visible,!so!they!attract!more!attention!than!say!a!person!

walking!their!dog,!but!I!think!the!people!who!are!opposed!to!them!are!less!and!less.!

!

This! view! of! conflict! is! in! line! with! the! work! of! Wooley! &! Johns! (2001)! who! found! that!

compatibility! between! skateboarders! and! other! users! was! the! main! deciding! factor! in! a!

space!becoming!a!recognised!street!spot! for!skateboarding.! Indeed!more!often!than!not! it!

was!unhappy! shop!owners!or! “crazy!old! ladies”! (Wooley!&! Johns!2001:225)! that!deterred!

skateboarders! rather! than!official! council! representatives,! the! law,!or! the! space! itself.! It! is!

thus!through!a!negotiation!with!other!spatial!users!that!a!place!for!skateboarding!is!made!or!

unmade.! In! Jarmers! Plads! however,! this! conflict! with! other! spatial! users! has! remained!

! 21!

minimal.!This!is!possibly!due!to!a!lack!of!other!users!in!the!space,!an!issue!addressed!by!both!

the!skateboarders!and!the!space’s!architect,!which!we!will!explore!in!more!detail!later.!

!

By! looking!at! the!official!planning!visions!published!by!Kobenhavns!Kommune,!we!can!see!

the! way! that! this! promotion! of! ‘flexible! street! space’! is! supportive! of! the! activity! of!

skateboarding.! In! the!document! referring! to! green!mobility! and! flexible! public! spaces,!we!

see!a!picture!of!a!skateboarder!in!the!city!placed!next!to!the!section!heading.!

!

!fig.'6'Kobenhavns'Kommune,'Handlingsplan'for'Gron'Mobilitet,'p.55,'October'2012!

!

Another! planning! document! on! ‘City! Space! and! Design! Politics’! details! the! need! for!

alternative!uses!of!street!space!in!order!to!make!better!use!of!busy!urban!spaces!as!well!as!

the! need! to! create! active! spaces! that! support! urban! activity! and! expression,! of! which!

skateboarding!is!most!definitely!a!part!(Byrum:!"Designpolitik!København"!2015)!

!

When!asked!whether!he!thought!the!municipality!was!supportive!of!skateboarding!at!the!

time!of!their!first!appropriation!of!Jarmers!Plads!in!1997,!the!municipal!representative!Lasse!

replied:!

!

I!don’t!think!that!it!would!have!been!a!problem!at!that!time,!because!the!city!of!

Copenhagen!has!always!been!very!interested!in!as!many!people!as!possible!using!

the!city!in!every!kind!of!way,!and!it’s!been!more!and!more!pronounced!over!the!

years!and!today!we!always!work!in!a!style!where!groups!of!people!using!every!part!

of!the!city!is!possible.!

!

Kobenhavn!Kommune’s!publication!‘Metropol!for!Mennesker’!outlines!the!way!in!which!the!

city!plans! to! create!a!diverse!urban! life! in!order! to! create!a! socially! sustainable! city.! They!

detail!that:!

! 22!

!

a!diverse!urban!life! is!an!important!part!of!a!socially!sustainable!city.! It! is!common!

urban!space,!we!meet!other!people.!A!short!chat!on!a!bench!or!just!eye!contact!and!

a! smile! gives! quality! of! life! and! increases! tolerance! and! understanding! for! each!

other.!(Metropol!for!Mennesker,!2015:5,!translated!by!authors)!

!

This! greater! tolerance! detailed! here!may! have! contributed! to! the! common! acceptance! of!

skateboarders! in! public! spaces! and! the! Municipality’s! view! that! those! opposed! to!

skateboarders! are! less! and! less.! Equally! the! pages! of! the! publication! include! images! of!

cohabited!space!of!skateboarders!in!the!same!area!as!people!sitting!and!chatting,!and!even!

a!mother!with!her!baby,!showing!an!institutional!acceptance!of!skateboarding!as!legitimate!

spatial!use!that!can!cohabit!space!with!other!users.!!

!

!fig.'7'Kobenhavns'Kommune,'Metropol'for'Mennesker:'2009'

!

! 23!

!fig.'8'‘An'urban'space'that'merges'an'existing'culture'house'with'a'new'form'of'movement’'Kobenhavns'Kommune,'Byrum'

Designpolitik,'2015)!

!

As!the!municipal!representative!pointed!out,!this!was!something!that!could!be!achieved!by!

paying! attention! to! the! needs! of! all! users,! and! in! the! case! of! skateboarding,! by! taking! it!

seriously,!talking!to!experts!and!providing!skateboarders!with!enough!space!so!that!they!do!

not!pose!a!threat!to!other!users:!

!

we!program!it![new!public!spaces]!so!the!skaters!won’t!fight!with!the!other!kind!of!

users!too!much!for!space,!so!I!mean!if!a!skateboarder!is!performing!a!trick!and!the!

landing!spot!is!too!short,!the!conflict!is!much!greater!because!then!they!have!to!stop!

on!very!short!space!and!everything!becomes!hectic,!people!can’t!pass!when!they!are!

skating,! if!we!give! them!a!proper! landing!spot! it!means!people!can!pass!still!when!

they!are!skating!there.!!

!

The!images!show!that!rather!than!being!banned!or!deviant,!skateboarding! is!accepted!and!

normalised!as!a!legitimate!use!of!Copenhagen’s!public!spaces.!It! is!actively!catered!for!and!

represented! in! official! Kobenhavns! Kommune! documents,! albeit! in! a! context! where! it!

actively!coexists!with!other!spatial!users.!

! 24!

!

Spatial)Management)and)SelfDRegulation!

!

The!subject!of!deviance!and!acceptance!of!skating!leads!on!to!a!consideration!of!the!practice!

of!management!of! space,!one!of! the! factors! identified! in! the! literature! review!as!a!crucial!

factor!in!the!process!of!placeLmaking!(Carmona!2013).!So!far!we!have!primarily!looked!at!the!

management! of! placeLmaking! practices! from! a! topLdown! configuration,! i.e! that! the!

management!of!place!operates!by!some!form!of!legitimated!and!official!authority.!However,!

through!our! interviews,!especially!with!the!users,! it!became!apparent!that!the!authority!at!

work!at! Jarmers!Plads! is! in! fact!more!complex! than! the!binary! relationship! implied!by! this!

conventional!topLdown!management.!!

!

It! was! established! by! Mads,! a! Copenhagen! skateboarder! on! the! fringes! of! the! ‘Jarmers!

Crew’,! and!other! interviewees! that!Martin! Lee!was! viewed!as! some!kind!of!protector!and!

central!figure!at!Jarmers.!As!Mads!explains,!“I!just!think!he!cares!about!the!place[...]It’s!like!

his! second! home.”! His! ‘duties’! extend! to! moving! on! those! other! users! who! were! not!

welcome! at! the! spot,! a! group! ranging! from! other! street! sport! users! such! as! BMXers! and!

scooters,! to!“sketchy!dudes”!who! looked! like! they!may!try!and!steal! the!copper! lights!and!

who!Martin! would! “make! go! away”! according! to!Mads.! It! was! also! remarked! that! when!

Jarmers! is! less! inhabited! by! the! skaters,! such! as! when! the! new! Fælledparken! skatepark!

opened,!homeless!sleepers!moved! in!only!to!move!away!again!when!the!skaters!returned.!

The!skateboarders!saw!this!as!a!legitimising!aspect!of!their!appropriation!of!the!place,!acting!

as!a!deterrent!to!homeless!people!and!“sketchy!dudes”.!!

!

Martin!himself!acknowledges!this!role!he!plays,!referring!to!the!“responsibility”!he!feels!to!

preserve!the!spot!as!it!is.!This!is!explained!partly!by!the!desire!to!pass!on!the!square!to!the!

next!generation!of!skaters!L!“so!that!they!have!the!same!love!as!we!do”!L!but!also!due!to!the!

aesthetic! pleasure! that! he! gets! from! the! design:! “I! like! the! way! the! plaza! looks”! and! a!

sensitivity!towards!the!designer:!“it's!because!the!architect!was!so!sensitive!about!his!plaza!

and!we!don’t!want!to!ruin!it!for!him,!we!just!want!to!be!able!to!be!there!and!skate!it.”!!

!

The!dual!motivation!for!preserving!and!protecting!Jarmers! is! therefore!an!example!of!selfL

governance.! There! are! no! signs! and! warnings! or! other! forms! of! topLdown! governance,!

prescribing!what!is!allowed!or!prohibited!at!the!square!as!seen!in!other!contexts!mentioned!

! 25!

earlier.! Instead,! what! has! emerged! at! Jarmers! is! a! case! of! selfLregulation:! it! is! the! users!

themselves!that!are!aware!of!their!actions!and!others!that!they!consider!deviant,!and!act!on!

them! to! either! allow!or! prohibit.! This! situation! is! acknowledged!by! the! skaters! as! unique.!

Mads!says!that!there!are!other!spots! in!Copenhagen!that!are!perhaps!similar! in!a!material!

way! to! Jarmers! but! that! are! protected! by! guards:! “maybe!why! it’s! so! unique,! that! you’re!

actually!able!to!skate!without!getting!kicked!out.”!!

!

The!desire!to!keep!Jarmers!free!of!graffiti,!crime!and!rubbish,!and!thus!be!seen!as!positive!

spatial! users,! is! so! strong! that! according! to!Martin,! one!of! the! crew! in! fact! has! asked! the!

municipality! to! provide! bins! so! that! they! can! dispose! of! trash! properly.! Judging! from! the!

summer!photos!(see!below),!this!would!mainly!entail!bottles,!cans!and!the!odd!pizza!box.!!

!

!fig.'9.'Fredagsbar'at'Jarmers'Plads.'Photo'courtesy'of'Søren'Enevoldsen'

The!data!collected!in!interviews!with!the!skaters,!particularly!with!Martin!Lee!and!Søren!as!

they!are! from!an!older! generation,! suggests! that! to! some!degree,! the! skaters! internalised!

! 26!

the! earlier! stereotypes! of! their! subculture! as! deviant! and,! by! selfLregulating,! actively!

distanced!themselves!from!this!image.!This!leads!on!to!the!much!debated!power!of!society’s!

structures! to! instil! a! selfLdisciplining! mode! of! consciousness.! !In! Foucault’s! work! on!

panopticism!he!asserts!that!it!is!through!the!“affected!consciousness”!of!being!watched!that!

we!discipline!our!own!methods!of!behaviour,!thus!arriving!at!selfLregulation!(Foucault!1995).!!

!

The!regulation!of!space!that!we!have!observed!at!Jarmers!is!therefore!an!example!of!what!

Foucault! refers! to! as! the! “new! political! anatomy”,! where! what! is! at! stake! is! not! “the!

relations!of!sovereignty!but!the!relations!of!discipline”!(Foucault:!208).!In!this!conception,!it!

is!not!the!state!attempting!to!force!society!into!a!rigid!hierarchy!but!the!much!more!oblique!

conditioning!and!enforcement!of!social!norms!and!habits!of!production.!In!Foucault’s!theory!

of!the!panopticon,! it! is!a!physical!space!(the!prison)! in!which!the!affected!consciousness! is!

produced.! In! the! case! of! the! Jarmers! skaters,! it! is! the! cultural! zeitgeist! that! has! arguably!

produced! this! mode! of! discipline! and! selfLregulation! through! a! reaction! to! a! discourse!

fuelled! by! the! media! –! just! as! Nolan! observed! skaters! in! Hobart! trying! to! “adopt! the!

performance!of!a! ‘good’!skater”! (Nolan!2003:324).!Martin,!when!explaining!his!experience!

of! the! changing! attitude! to! skating,! says! that! before,! the! impression! people! had!were! of!

skaters!as!borderline!criminals:!

!

I! think! it’s! because! we! are! afraid! of! getting! kicked! out.! Because! they! are!

probably!going! to! say! ‘ok! it’s! the! skaters!who!hang!out,! they!are!probably!

the!ones!doing!all!the!graffiti’!and!if!that!happens!then!they!could!basically!

call! the!police! and! say!we!are!not! allowed! to!be! there! and!put! signs!up.! I!

think!that’s!what!we!are!afraid!of.!

!

Then!later,!explicitly!referencing!the!role!of!the!media:!

!

But!back! then! they! thought! that!all! skaters!were!criminals[...]so! they!were!

afraid!! of!us!being!at!the!street!spots[...]I!think!it’s!just!that!it’s!all!more!in!

the!media[sic].!!!!!!

!

Tied! to! the! possible! internalisation! of! the! deviance! discourse,! skating! has!more! generally!

shifted! from! a! fringe,! subcultural! activity! to! holding! a! much! more! mainstream! position,!

considered! a! ‘sport’! with! the! associated! health! benefits! widely! acknowledged! and!

! 27!

celebrated.!As!already!demonstrated,!this!is!echoed!by!Lasse,!the!municipality!city!planner,!

and! Eric! Brandt,!who!both! referenced! the!process! of! the! last! 20! years! towards! building! a!

lively!city!for!people,!a!vision!that!clearly!includes!skating.!

!

There!is!perhaps!a!troubling!consequence!of!allowing!a!group!to!selfLregulate!a!space!L!there!

are!still! forms!of!power!working!through!and!between!the!everyday! interactions! that! take!

place.! In! this! way,! the! skaters! have! been! able! to! preserve! Jarmers! as! a! place! for! them,!

specifically! skaters! not! other! street! sport! users,! and! specifically! those! skaters!who! can!be!

identified!and!identify!themselves!as!Jarmers'skaters,!a!point!that!Martin!alludes!to!when!he!

says! in! reference! to! other! skaters! that,! “it! doesn’t! matter! if! we! don’t! like! them.! They!

basically!don’t!come!up!there[...]skaters!know!when!they!are!uninvited.”!

!

Material)Considerations!

!

We! have! hoped! to! have! shown! you! how! the! social! practice! of! space,! placeLmaking! and!

spaceLmaking!affects! the!creation!of!a!renowned!skate!spot,!and!now!we!wish!to!move! in!

closer!to!analyse!how!it!is!that!the!materiality!of!the!space,!the!physical!makeLup,!the!blocks,!

the! surface! textures,! all! affect! and! are! been! affected! by! the! skateboarding! practice! that!

happens!here.!To!do! this!we!will!use! the!concept!of!Actor!Network!Theory! (ANT),! to! take!

seriously!the!material!surfaces!as!actors!in!the!socioLspatial!practice!of!Jarmers!Plads.!

!

ANT! networks! are! constantly! in! a! state! of! making! and! remaking! (Latour! 2005),! just! as!

skateboarders! are! constantly!making! and! remaking! the! site! through! their! development! of!

new! tricks! and! the! diversity! of! the! skaters! there.! Each! new! skateboarder! creates! a! ‘new’!

Jarmers!Plads!as!they!add!to!the!skateboarding!practice!and!the!social!history!of!the!place!L!

through!making!new!tricks!and!contributing!to!the!embedded!memory!of!the!place.!This!was!

evidenced! in! the! way! that! skateboarders! could! eloquently! recall! various! tricks! and! feats!

performed!at!the!place!by!a!variety!of!skaters!over!a!long!time!frame.!!

!

Borden! notes! how! skateboarding! is! dependent! on! the! materiality! of! the! modern! city,!

requiring! the! smoothed! paved! surfaces! and! stretches! of! concrete! to! create! an! “objectL

spaceLobjectLspace”! relationship! “born! from! a! fragmentation! of! objects! within! a!

homogenous! space”! (2002:39).! He! notes! that,! “for! the! skateboarder,! the! primary!

! 28!

relationships!are!not!with!his!fellow!man,!but!with!the!earth!beneath!his!feet,!concrete!and!

all”!(Borden!2002:39).!!

!

ANT! rests!on! the!notion! that!all! actors!within!a!network!have!an!equal!amount!of!agency!

and!should!be!considered!equal!within!a!particular!framework.!This!means!treating!seriously!

the!material! artefacts! involved! in! a! social! network.! In! the! case! of! Jarmers! Plads! and! the!

practice!of! skateboarding,! this!means! that! the!material! surfaces,! the! granite!benches,! the!

wax!smeared!on!the!ledges,!the!wood!of!the!skateboards,!the!rubber!of!the!sole!of!the!shoe!

are!equal!actors!in!their!creation!of!a!social!network,!in!this!case!the!act!of!‘skateboarding’.!

They!all!hold!the!network!together.! In!skateboarding! it! is! integral! to!acknowledge!the!role!

that!material!surfaces!have!as:!!

!

[the]! equipped! body! [of! the! skater],! attentive! to!microLproperties! of! grounds! and!

surfaces,! sensitive! to! the! slightest! accidents! or! modulations! of! the! asphalt,! has!

developed!a!kind!of!‘molecular!perception’!of!the!texture!of!the!cities!(During'2009:'

83!in!KaziLTani!2015:3)!

!

This! is! recognised! by! the! skateboarders! in! the! area! who! are! aware! that! the! material!

roughness!of!Jarmers!Plads!is!what!makes!it!unique:!

!

It!was!really!hard!at!the!beginning!to!skate!it,!because!the!granite!is!really!rough!and!

that’s!why!a!lot!of!people!don’t!go!there!to!skate!because!the!ground!is!really!rough!

too!and!your!board!gets!fucked!up!in!a!week.!

!

Borden!describes!the!skateboard!as!being!a!toolLinLhand,!used!to!encounter!and!perform!the!

space!and!mediate!the!bodily!negotiation!of! terrain! (1998:10),!whilst!KaziLTani!asserts!that!

skateboarding! requires! a! mastery! of! boardLasLtool,! to! understand! its! physical! and!

mechanical! properties! including! elasticity,! speed,! strength,! mass,! weight,! friction! and!

materials!(2015:9).!

!

In! line! with! ANT,! the! board! whilst! present! at! hand! is! acknowledged! for! its! capacity! as! a!

facilitator! of! agency! and!performance!only!once! it! becomes! “fucked!up”.! This! also!plays! a!

major! part! in! determining! the! social! makeup! of! the! place! as! the! frequent! destruction! of!

! 29!

skateboards!and!shoes!due!to!the!roughness!of!the!material!space!means!that!an!income!or!

economy!is!necessary!to!be!able!to!skateboard!there.!!

!

The!materiality!of!the!space!in!regards!to!skateboard!practice!also!seems!to!have!an!effect!

on!the!social!sphere!that!is!created!within!the!space.!The!sheer!height!of!the!curbs!require!a!

skill!and!strength!that!needs!to!be!built!up,!this!means!that!younger!skateboarders!who!do!

not!yet!possess!the!strength!to!propel!themselves!to!the!height!of!the!curbs!are!excluded!to!

the!background!and!to!the!role!of!spectators.! It! is!repeatedly!mentioned!that!the!difficulty!

level!in!Jarmers!as!skate!spot!is!what!makes!it!unique,!as!only!those!with!the!strength,!skill!

and!knowledge!of! the!space!are!able! to!skate! it!and!so!a! level!of! talent! is! set! through! the!

materiality!of!the!space.!This!also!restricts!the!skaters!to!predominantly!older!skateboarders!

as!Martin!pointed!out:!

!! !

Because!it’s!so!hard!to!skate!it,!if!you!are!a!young!kid!you!can’t!skate!on!those!curbs,!

they!are!too!high!

!

It! is! also! the! subtle!management! of! the!materiality! of! the! space!which! creates! interLuser!

politics!between!different!urban!sporting!groups.!In!order!to!be!able!to!skate!curbs!such!as!

those!as!Jarmers!a!layer!of!wax!needs!to!be!applied!to!the!surface!in!order!to!minimize!the!

friction!between!the!surface!of! the!material!object!of! the!curb!and! the!wooden!surface!of!

the! skateboard! or! metal! trucks.! This! is! a! managed! amount! in! order! to! achieve! optimum!

skateability! and! is! dependant! on! the! weight,! size! and! material! of! the! skateboard.! Other!

urban!sports!such!as!rollerblading!and!BMXing!use!the!same!setup!of!objectLatLhand!in!the!

form!of!rollerblades!or!a!BMX!bike,!but!due!to!different!materials!and!weight!they!require!a!

different! amount! of! wax! on! the! surface,! which! renders! the! space! unskatable! for!

skateboarders.!As!one!skater!described:!

!

Rollerskaters,! bikes! and! all! of! that,! they! used! to!wax! the! curbs! really! bad! so! you!

couldn’t!skate!them!so!you!had!to!take!the!wax!off!and!it!was!still!slippery.!

!

Equally!the!additional!weight!of!the!bikes!on!the!sharp!edges!of!the!curbs!at!Jarmers!led!to!

chipping! which! could! have! led! to! the! space! to! the! space! becoming! unskatable! for!

skateboarders!and!so!the!other!users!of!BMXers!and!rollerbladers!were! ‘kickedLout’!of! the!

spot!by!the!skateboarders,!who!made!it!clear!these!specific!groups!were!not!welcome.!

! 30!

!

On!top!of!this,!the!roughness!of!the!curbs!means!that!the!friction!level! is!high!and!so!kit! is!

worn! through!quickly,! requiring!a!high!economic! income!to! replace!equipment!once! it!has!

become! worn! through.! One! skater! described! it! as! being! really! expensive! to! skate! there,!

saying!that!one!trick!at!Jarmers!gives!the!equivalent!wear!of!doing!50!at!a!skatepark.!This!can!

be! seen!visually!by! the!worn! through! skate! shoes! that!are! slung!over! the!communications!

wires!hanging!over!the!square,!both!marking!the!area!as!a!place!to!skate!and!making!use!of!

the!broken!shoes.!

!

!fig.'10.'Worn'out'skate'shoes'hanging'above'Jarmers'Plads.'Photograph'by'Authors.'

'

This!material!roughness!and!its!effects!on!skateboarding!tools!was!attributed!as!a!possible!

reason!for!many!skaters!not!choosing!to!skate!at!Jarmers!Plads!L!because! it!becomes!both!

difficult!and!expensive!L!but!can!also!be!seen!as!a!possible!reason!for!the!loyalty!it’s!patrons!

pay!to!it!as!they!have!to!be!both!physically!and!economically!dedicated!to!the!space!in!order!

to!continue!to!skate!there.!When!asked!if!you!had!to!be!wealthy!to!skate!at!Jarmers,!Martin!

Lee!responded:!

!

Or! get! sponsored.! It’s! really! expensive! to! skate! there!because!whenever! you!do!a!

trick!it’s!the!equivalent!of!doing!50!tricks!at!a!skatepark.!It!goes!really!fast.!

! 31!

!

Again!this!material!element!of!the!space!raises!the!talent!level!of!those!skating!at!Jarmers!as!

they! are! often! associated! with! sponsored! skatersL! talented! skateboarders! who! are!

supported!economically!by!skate!brands! in!order!to!generate!exposure.!On!top!of!this,! the!

materiality! also! raises! the! age! demographic! in! the! space! as! for! nonLsponsored! skaters! an!

economic! income! is! necessary!to! replace!worn! through! kit.! The! age!demographic!of! those!

we! interviewed! ranged! from! 21! to! 39! and! all! save! for! one!was! gainfully! employed.!Many!

skateboarders! from! Jarmers! are! employed! at! ‘streetmachine’,! a! local! skate! shop! which!

affiliates!itself!with!the!space!(see!fig.4).!

!

As!well! as! the!wearing! down! of! the! boards,! after! 20! years! of! use! the! sharp! edges! of! the!

blocks!at!Jarmers!Plads!are!wearing!themselves,!becoming!smooth!and!rounded!(see!fig.!11).!

Far!from!being!seen!as!a!negative!aspect!by!the!skaters!this!is!explained!as!necessary!and!as!

increasing!the!skateability!of!the!space.!As!Mads!detailed:!

!

It![the!curb]!has!been!skated!a!lot!so!it’s!kind!of!rounded!and!it!makes!it!way!easier!

to!skate.!It!takes,!I!don’t!know,!a!couple!of!years!or!more!of!really!heavy!skating!to!

get!it!the!way!that!it’s!really!really!good.!You!need!to!break!it!in.!

!

This! shows! the! longevity! and! investment! on! of! the! skateboarders! to! build! a! ‘skate! spot’!

through! the! physical! yet! subtle!manipulation! of! the! space! over! time! and! use.! In! another!

instance! of! this!manipulation,! skateboarders!moved! slabs! of! concrete! together! with! their!

skateboards!to!make!a!smoother!transition!spot!from!floor!to!curb!at!the!edge!of!one!of!the!

main! blocks! that! were! skated.! As! KaziLTani! details! in! her! analysis! of! skateboarders’!

relationships!with!architecture:!

!

Skaters!have!always!tried!to!improve!their!spots,! in!order!to!extend!their!skateable!

possibilities!and!make!the!spots!evolve!simultaneously!along!their!personal!practice!

and!the!development!of!their!own!skills!(2015:16).!

!

! 32!

!fig.'11'The'rounded'edges'of'the'‘curbs’'at'Jarmers'Plads.'Photograph'by'Authors.'

!fig.12'The'paving'slabs'that'have'been'pushing'together'to'make'a'smoother'transition'from'floor'to'curb.''

!

! 33!

This!physical!manipulation!of!the!material!by!the!users!falls!in!line!with!architectural!theories!

that!architecture!and!space!is!made!through!its!subsequent!use!(Borden!2001).!Thus!in!order!

to!understand!a!place!like!Jarmers!Plads!we!need!to!pay!attention!to!the!user!manipulations!

of!the!space,!and!their!importance!to!the!creation!of!place!in!the!modern!city.!As!Jeremy!Till!

argues! in! ‘Architecture! Depends’! (2013),! buildings! designed! by! architects! depend! on! their!

human!use!by!society,!and!so!we!need! to! take!seriously! these!uses!and! the!meanings!and!

uses!that!they!create!from!them.!This!is!echoed!by!Borden!who!notes!that!the!spatial!quality!

of!architecture!is!not!designed!or!represented,!rather!it!is,!as!Lefebvre!asserts,!lived!(Borden!

2001).!!

!

Equally,! just! as! the! materiality! of! the! space! of! Jarmers! Plads! immediately! affects!

skateboarding!practice!by!creating!a!difficulty! level!which!must!be!overcome!with!strength!

and! skill,! the! terrain! can! also! develop! a! recognised! style! of! skateboarding! that! can! be!

identified!and!traced!back!to!Jarmers!Plads’!physical!terrain.!As!Søren!explained:!

!

Tokyo! skaters! L! they! have! a! certain! really! fast! style! because! they! have! a! weird!

terrain.!Or!in!Lyon!that’s!kind!of!a!new!style!as!well.!And!you!can!tell!where!people!

are! from!and! I! think! that’s!way!more! interesting! than! just! learning!everything!at!a!

skatepark.!

!

Fitting! in! with! this! recognisable! ‘style’! of! geographically! developed! skateboarding,! the!

roughness! and! flatness! of! Jarmers! means! that! tricks! need! to! be! done! fast! and! clean.! As!

Søren!went!on!to!detail:!

!

There’s!a!lot!of!flat!ground!and!it’s!kind!of!rough!so!you!can’t!slide!out!your!trick!so!

you!have!to!do!your!tricks!right!and!it’s!easier!if!you!have!a!bit!more!speed!so!that!

kind!of!defines!Jarmers.!The!skaters!there!do!their!tricks!clean!because!you!have!to!

get!all!the!way!around!or!they!tend!to!put!on!speed!so!there’s!a!few!skaters!who!got!

defined!by!that.!

!

From!this!we!can!see!the!way!that,!by! taking!surfaces!seriously!we!reveal!how!materiality!

both!shapes!the!space!as!a!renowned!skating!spot,!and! is!shaped!by!skateboarders.! It! is!a!

reflexive! relationship! of! user! and! space! that! arguably! can! only! evolve! out! of! unplanned!

! 34!

space.!Materiality! should! thus!be! taken! seriously!because! it! can! shape!a! skateboard! style,!

and!has!a!great!affect!on!the!social!network!that!evolves!there.!

!

Place:)Experiences,)Senses)&)Atmospheres!

!

In! a! similar! vein! to! the! ANT! approach! to!materiality! and! skateboarding,! perspectives! that!

deal!with!experiences!and!senses!are!useful! in!further!analysing!how'Jarmers!Plads! is!used!

by!skaters.!As!Jones!(2012)!and!others!(de!Botton!2007;!Sennett!1994)!have!acknowledged,!

there! has! been! an! increasing! awareness! among! social! scientists! of! the! importance! of! the!

sensory!in!the!construction!of!place.!Jones!(645)!explains!that!“the!senses!sit!at!the!blurred!

boundary!between!body!and!environment”,!and!therefore!can!be!seen!“as!a!key!mechanism!

through! which! power! acts! on! the! body! of! the! individual.”! As! the! senses! occupy! a! key!

position!in!the!body’s!mediation!of!external!stimuli!L!“act[ing]!as!the!interface!between!self!

and!environment”!(ibid.)! L!the!motivation!for!researching!this!topic! in!order!to!add!further!

comprehension!of!urban!landscapes!and!their!impact!is!clear.!!

!

The! research!projects!of! Lee!&! Ingold! (2006)! and!Sarah!Pink! (2009)! aim! to!delve! into! this!

interface!to!explore!how!people!experience!place,!utilising!mixed!approaches!that!draw!on!

different! research!methods! including! diary!making,! autoethnography,! and! visual!methods!

such!as!mapping,!and!show!the!potential!and!the!value!of!being!able!to!analyse!place!in!this!

way,!especially!relevant!for!this!project!that!aims!to!investigate!how!Jarmers!Plads!as!a!place!

has! affected! those!who! use! it.!Much! of! the! research! has! been! on! the! experiences! of! the!

mundane!and!the!everyday,!such!as!walking,!but!the!theoretical!basis!for!this!can!be!applied!

to!the!study!of!more! ‘active’!actions!as!with!skating!or!cycling!(Larsen!2013).!Duff’s! (2010)!

assertion! that! “to!walk! is! to!be!affected!by!place! and! to! simultaneously! contribute! to! the!

ongoing!coLconstitution!of!self!and!place”!is!central!to!this,!as!is!the!notion!that!“the!vehicle!

for!being! inLplace! is!the!body”!(Casey!2001).!The! implication!of!these!statements! is!that! in!

order! to!develop!an!understanding!of!how!a!place!affects!users!and! is! in! turn!affected!by!

them,!we!must!pay!attention!to!the!body!and!the!senses!in!that!place.!Indeed,!skating!has!

been!defined!as!concerned!with!the!“development!of!a!sensuous!enjoyment!of!the!object”!

(Borden,!2002:!42).!As!Borden!references!from!a!street!skater,!the!practice!is!a!“total!focus!

of! mind,! body! and! environment”! that! results! in! the! “production!of! superLarchitectural!

space”!and!the!creation!of!new!sets!of!bodily!and!social!experiences!(Ibid.:!40L41).!

!

! 35!

A! number! of! our! userLinterviewees! intimated! that! Jarmers! Plads! has! a! particular! “vibe”!

attached!to!it,!which!is!one!of!the!main!draws!of!the!place.!Martin!Lee,!when!asked!about!

other!skate!spots! in!Copenhagen,!answered!that!“Jarmers!doesn’t! look!that!cool!on!videos!

[compared!to!the!Nansensgade!spot],!it’s!just!a!small!place!and!there’s!only!two!curbs!that!

you! skate! all! the! time,! so! it’s! more! the! vibe! that’s! going! on! there.”! This! feeling! or!

atmosphere!is!partly!explained!by!the!centrality!of!the!square!and!its!audience!of!passers!by.!

Martin!again,! “it’s! so! close! to!everything,! it’s! in! the! centre!of! the! city! and! there’s! a! lot!of!

people!to!look!at,!it’s!a!nice!place!to!hang!out.”!!

!

This! attribute! is,! however,! only! half! the! story.! A! major! reason! why! some! of! the! skaters!

interviewed!hang!out!at!Jarmers!and!identify!with!it!has!less!to!do!with!the!physical!space!or!

the! location,! but! more! the! other! people! who! coLinhabit! Jarmers,! forming! the! social!

community!that!has!been!prevalent!at!the!site!since!its!inception.!Martin!attributes!his!early!

experiences!of!Jarmers!to!the!City!Fellaz!crew!that!he!was!just!becoming!a!member!of.!This!

collection!of!skaters!who!formed!a!commercial!outfit!were!based!at!Jarmers!Plads,!meaning!

that!Martin!was!instructed!to!meet!at!the!square!in!order!to!film!or!move!somewhere!else!

ensemble,!with!the!result!that!“we!just!skated!there!all!the!time.”!!

!

!

! 36!

!figs.'13E14.'Social'drinking'at'Jarmers'Plads'in'the'summer.'Photos'courtesy'of'Søren'Enevoldsen.'

!

However,!other!skaters!that!did!not!establish!this!connection!with!Jarmers,!either!through!

City!Fellaz!or!the!nearby!skate!shop,!Street!Machine,!where!a!number!of!the!Jarmers!skaters!

work,! do! not! recognise! the! particular! atmosphere! or! “vibe”.! While! Matthias! skates! at!

Jarmers,!for!him!the!spot!does!not!hold!any!special!value:!“I!wouldn’t!say!that!it!stands!out!

particularly!from!a!lot!of!other!places.!At!least!not!to!me,![it!does]!maybe!to!others!with!the!

history! to! it.”! So! for! skaters! who! do! not! develop! an! attachment! to! Jarmers! through!

sustained!use!of! it,! the!experience!of!being! there! is! completely!different.!While! they!may!

still!skate!the!spot!in!the!same!way,!using!the!same!paths!and!runs!as!the!other!skaters,!they!

lack! access! to! the! social! history! of! the! place,! as! alluded! to! by! the! quotation! above,! and!

therefore! the! atmosphere! and! experience.! In! this! way,! there! is! a! clear! distinction! made!

between!the!physical'experience!of!being!in!place,!and!the!more!profound!experience!that!

draws!on!emotions!and!memory.!!

!

Tim!Edensor!has!researched!this!mode!of!experience!in!his!work!on!football!fans!and!stadia.!

He!makes!the!distinction!between!the!“solid!material!characteristics!of!place”!and!the!“more!

immaterial! quality! of! atmosphere”! that! if! lost,! by! change,! is! often!mourned! as! if! a! death!

(Edensor!2010:!11).!Drawing!on!Conradson!and!Latham!(2007),!Edensor!defines!atmosphere!

as!the!“energetic!outcome!of!encounters!between!bodies!in!particular!places”,!emphasising!

! 37!

that! it! is! people! coming! together! in! certain! spatial' configurations! that! are! the! central!

ingredients!for!the!creation!of!atmosphere.!This!notion!is!confirmed!in!our!data,!with!Martin!

saying!that!it!was!the!people!using!Jarmers!while!the!skate!park!at!Fælledparken!was!closed!

for! refurbishment! that! “definitely! helped! create! the! life”.! Mads! also! acknowledges! the!

importance! of! the! spatial! configuration! in! saying! that! if! Jarmers!was! to! be! altered! in! any!

serious!way,!the!skate!practice!and!culture!“would!die”,!echoing!Edensor’s!claim.!!!!

!

In!Edensor’s!football!case,!the!atmosphere!is!“sensual!and!embodied”!and!produced!by!fans!

that!are!not!“passively!immersed”!but!actively!contributing!“by!how!they!interact!with!space!

and!practice!fanship”!(Edensor!2010:!12).!In!the!case!of!Jarmers,!it!is!the!skaters’!sociability!

and! their! interaction!with!each!other!and!other!groups! that!are!not!part!of! the! crew! that!

actively! produces! the! atmospheres! present.! This! interaction! in' and! with' place! is!

communicated! visually! through! the! following! series! of! diagrams! of! Jarmers! drawn! by! the!

users!(figs.15L18).!The!skaters!were!asked!to!map!out!the!plaza,!displaying!the!paths!of!the!

runs!they!take!and!any!other!important!features!to!them.!This!exercise!demonstrated!their!

collective!memory!of!the!space,!and!what!was!the!striking!outcome!is!the!similarity!of!the!

drawings.!They!all!know!the!space!well!and!all!show!broadly!the!same!routes.!This!embodied!

knowledge! emphasises! Edensor’s! argument! that! atmospheres! are! produced! by! an! active!

interaction!in!and!with!the!space.!!!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

! 38!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

figs'15E18.'Maps'of'Jarmers'Plads'and'its'skateboarding'routes,'drawn'by'

respondents.'

! 39!

The)Unique)Case)of)Jarmers)Plads)

)

We!have!tried!to!show!how!the!unique!relationship!and!sociability!on!site!at!Jarmers!Plads!!

has!helped!to!establish!it!as!a!renowned!and!loved!skate!spot!in!the!centre!of!Copenhagen.!

It! is! important!also!to!take!a!step!back!and!explore!the!way!that!key!stakeholders!and!the!

circumstances! of! Jarmers! Plads! creation! have! played! into! setting! a! stage! for! this!

skateboarding!community!to!perform.!We!have!identified!the!municipal!codes!and!rules!that!

support!skateboarders!as!legitimate!user!groups!in!the!city!of!Copenhagen.!We!feel!it!is!also!

important! to! address! the! unique! circumstances! in! which! Jarmers! Plads! was! built,! and! so!

address!the!unplanned!and!social!circumstances!that!led!to!its!becoming!a!renowned!skate!

spot.!!

!

During!the!competition!phase!of!the!plot!that!was!to!become!Jarmers!Plads,!the!main!brief!

from! the! client! was! to! build! something! that! gave! back! to! the! city.! Eric! –! the! architect! –!

acknowledged!the!difficulty!of!building!a!public!square!in!the!middle!of!a!traffic!archipelago!

and!directly!adjacent!to!a!beautiful!and!historic!city!park.!As!he!detailed:!

!

Our!reading!of!this!space!was!that!it!was!in!the!middle!of!hell,!in!the!traffic!orgy!of!

Copenhagen!where!everything!is!fingers!over!your!eyes!and!you!won’t!feel!relaxed!

in!that!area,!you!will!not!stay.! If!you!want!to!stay!then!you!go!10!steps!to!Ørsteds!

Park,!away!from!all!of!this,!you!can!not!beat!it!so!if!you’re!there!with!a!friend!for!a!

talk!you!go!there.!

!

The! fact! that! the!square!was!noise! filled!and!surrounded!by! fast! traffic!may!be!one!of! the!

reasons! that! skateboarding! has! flourished! in! the! area,! because! the! noise! and! speed! that!

they!create!blends!in!perfectly!with!the!surrounding.!As!Eric!mentioned:!“So!what!we!saw!is!

that!cars!were!running!80!kms!around!us,!and!we!felt,!heard,!that!it!was!filled!with!noises”!

This! undesirability! as! a! space! of! tranquillity! leant! to! the! spaces! minimal! design! and!

particularly! to! the!design!of! the!benches!or! curbs,! that!were!deliberately! designed! to!not!

look!like!a!bench,!and!so!not!look!sad!when!not!in!use,!but!to!look!like!a!sculptural!granite!

element.!In!Eric’s!words:!

!

We! didn’t! want! to! introduce! elements! for! recreation,! at! least! we! didn’t! want! to!

introduce! elements! for! recreation! that! were! elements! for! recreation…we! were!

! 40!

aware!that!nobody!would!stay!there.!If!you!put!an!installation!in!that!is!used!that!is!

great,!but!what!we!were!afraid!of!was!that!there!would!be!no!people.!

!

This!preLempting!of!nonLuse!of!the!square!fits!into!the!‘loose!space’!framework!(Franck!and!

Stevens!2007).!Importantly,!for!a!space!to!become!loose!“people!themselves!must!recognise!

the!possibilities!inherent!in!it!and!make!use!of!those!possibilities!for!their!own!ends”!(Franck!

&! Stevens:! 2).! While! other! factors! such! as! accessibility,! freedom! of! choice! and! physical!

elements!that!occupants!can!appropriate!are!also!central!in!the!emergence!of!loose!space,!it!

is!the!recognition!and!appropriation!by!users!that!is!the!essential!catalyst.!!

!

The! materiality! and! design! of! Jarmers! as! a! loose! space! is! of! the! utmost! relevance! to! its!

subsequent! use! as! a! skate! spot,! as! physical! form! corresponds! to! potential! for! skating!

(Borden,!2001).!Franck!and!Stevens,!referring!to!Whyte’s!work!on!public!space!in!New!York,!

note! that!physical! installations! intended! for!one! thing!can!easily!be!used! for!another,!and!

that! the! “physical! qualities! of! urban! public! spaces! can! frame!opportunities! for! expression!

and!social!engagement”!(2007:8).!AS!mentioned!above,!in!the!case!of!Jarmers,!the!minimally!

designed!granite!benches!(see!fig.19)!have!afforded!the!potential!for!skating!tricks,!as!well!

as!the!intended!use!of!sitting.!By!using!the!concept!of!loose!space!we!are!thus!able!to!also!

reinforce!an!understanding!of!the!importance!of!the!materiality!of!place.!

!

!fig.19.'the'Norweigan'granite'benches.'Photograph'by'authors.!

! 41!

The! concept! of! loose! space! also! serves! to! reiterate! that! it! is! in! the! interrelation! between!

users,!activities!and!physical!elements!that!a!place!such!as!Jarmers!becomes!what! it! is.!On!

the! basis! of! this,! skating! can! be! seen! as! a! coLcreator! of! the! looseness! and! therefore! the!

character!of! Jarmers!Plads.!The! interesting!analytical!angle! then!becomes!how!skating!has!

and! is! contributing! to! the! making! of! Jarmers! Plads! and! what! this! effect! entails! in! the!

understanding!and!concept!of!the!square.!Franck!and!Stevens!addresses!skateboarding!and!

its!role!in!this!form!of!placeLmaking!through!(inter)action:!!

!

Skateboarding!illustrates!how!looseness!of!space!is!both!produced!and!experienced!

through! action.! Mundane! features! (...)! do! not! change! physically! when! they! are!

skated! upon.! What! is! loosened! is! the! user’s! understanding! of! how! the! physical!

environment!can!be!combined!with!“body,! image,! thought!and!action”!to!produce!

new!spatial!experiences!(2007:14).!

!

As! what! is! produced! through! this! action! is! not! new! materiality! but! rather! “new! spatial!

experiences”,!time!becomes!an!important!factor!to!consider!in!the!analysis!of!space.!Time!is!

relevant! because! the! looseness! of! a! space! is! not! a! permanent! nor! a! static! condition.! The!

looseness! of! space! evolves! over! time! depending! on! the! activities! conducted! (Franck! &!

Stevens!2007:16).!In!the!case!of!Jarmers!Plads,!skating!has!been!identified!as!a!contributor!

to!the!development!of!the!looseness!of!the!square.!This!means!that!the!history!of!the!space!

in!terms!of!the!users!and!activities!performed!is!crucial!in!understanding!why!Jarmers!Plads!

has!become!a!significant!skating!spot!in!Denmark!over!the!last!20!years.!!

!

This! leads! onto! the! question! of! whether! Jarmers! Plads! continues! to! be! a! loose! space! or!

whether,!by! its!appropriation!and!management!by!the!skaters,! it!has! in!fact!become!more!

‘tight’!with!less!potential!for!generating!the!“rich!variety!of!activities”!that!it!once!afforded!

(Ibid:2).!The!concrete,!or!“mundane”,!features!of!Jarmers!may!have!not!changed!drastically!

as! a! result! of! the! skating,! but! the! “new! spatial! experiences”! produced!may! have! in! turn!

generated! a! new! set! of! functions;! functions! “wellLmanaged”! by! the! skaters! themselves!

(Ibid:14).!The!consideration!of! loose!space! in! the!context!of! Jarmers!Plads! feeds!back! into!

the! earlier! discussion! of!management! and! regulation,! and! so! placing! further! emphasis! on!

the! importance! of! this! issue! in! the! process! of! placeLshaping! through! negotiation.!

! 42!

!

Conclusion!

!

This!paper!has! investigated!how!Jarmers!Plads! in!central!Copenhagen,!has!become!a!place!

for!skateboarding;!a!‘street!spot’!that!has!developed!into!a!mecca'of!sorts!for!skaters!both!

domestically! and! abroad.! Through! interviews! with! key! figures! in! the! selfLstyled! Jarmers!

‘crew’!we!have!explored!the!origins!of!this!social!phenomenon,!as!well!as!shed!light!on!the!

material!conditions!of!the!square!that!have!enabled!a!soLcalled!‘leftover’!space!to!become!

such! a! hub! of! activity.! By! asking! the! other! end! of! the! ‘top! down,! bottom! up’! spectrum,!

namely!the!city!planner!and!the!square’s!architect,!we!were!able!to!gain!an!insight!into!how!

the!design!process!and!management!frameworks!have!been!able!to!support!the!growth!of!

such!a!group!of!users,!that!in!other!contexts,!such!as!Philadelphia,!have!been!rejected.!This!

acceptance! both! complements! the! municipal! goals! for! creating! a! liveable! city! and!

encouraging!greater!mobility,!but!also!has!promoted!Copenhagen!as!a!great!city!to!skate!in,!

not!just!in!Copenhagen!but!around!the!world,!with!such!competitions!as!CPH!PRO!bringing!

world!class!skaters!to!the!city.!Jarmers!Plads!therefore!represents!an!outcome!of!the!vision!

of! Copenhagen’s! approach! to! city! planning:! building! a! lively! city! for! people! defined! by!

architecture!that!facilitates!urban!life,!including!skateboarding.!

!

One! key! lesson! that! Jarmers! displays! to! city! planners! is! the! potential! of! ‘underLdesigning’!

and! planning! spaces.! The! rich! culture! of! skating! explored! in! this! paper! to! some! degree!

hinges!on!the!minimal!design!of! the!plaza!and!the! lack!of!any!functions! imposed!from!the!

topLdown.!If!Jarmers!had!been!cluttered!with!more!street!furniture!or!playground!features!

the! space! to!make! ‘runs’!would!not!be!as!available.! Jarmers!also! indicates! the!benefits!of!

designing! urban! street! elements! that! are! multiLfunctional.! A! bench! that! has! more!

affordances!than!for!simply!sitting!creates!flexible!places!with!the!potential!for!a!rich!variety!

of!activities.!As!seen!in!this!case,!the!aesthetic!slabs!of!granite!are!simultaneously!used!for!

sitting,! grinding,! sleeping,! socialising,! storing! belongings,! leaning! bikes,! sunbathing! and! so!

on.!As!we!gathered!from!the!interview!with!Eric,!the!designer,!the!reason!for!creating!such!

an! open! place! was! due! to! its! context! as! a! leftover! space.! The! consequent! use! and!

appropriation!would!suggest!that!these!design!principles!could!be!taken!into!other!contexts!

and!instead!of!prescribing!functions!to!spaces,!design!them!to!be!open!and!flexible!enough!

to!allow!them!to!develop!organically.!!

!

! 43!

Despite!this!positivity!to!appropriated!spaces!such!as!Jarmers,!there!are!complexities!to!the!

case!that!demand!attention.!The!subject!of!selfLregulation!by!the!skaters!has!some!troubling!

consequences!such!as! the!management!of!space,!kicking!out! those!deemed!unsatisfactory!

or! deviant.! By! allowing! certain! groups! to! inhabit! and! claim! space,! this! shuts! down! the!

opportunity!to!other!groups!who!might!wish!to!make!use!of!a!public!space.!As!we!have!seen!

at!Jarmers,!cohabitation!is!a!difficult!condition!to!achieve!even!in!a!city!that!promotes!it.!!

!

We!have!shown!how!the!square!has!not!only!shaped!the!dynamic!of!the!city,!by!encouraging!

a! streetLskating! scene! that,! as! Ocean! Howell! would! depict,! brings! in! skateboard! industry!

capital!and!helped!to!establish!a!‘creative!class’!but!also,!by!taking!the!material!elements!of!

the!square!seriously,!has!shaped!a!unique!skateboarding!practice!and!social!network.!!

!

! 44!

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