What is ImperfectCity?

The vision is to bridge two very different worlds - young people’s mental health and brutalist architecture. In other words, it addresses some of Aarhus Municipality’s complex challenges across employment, health, and culture.

The project is led by the Magistrate for Social Affairs and Employment of Aarhus Municipality in close collaboration with 12 Danish partners. It is supported by the European Urban Initiative (EUI), which includes 13 other visionary and socially-oriented urban development projects across Europe.

Wicked problems

Aarhus Municipality has identified seven “wicked” problems that require new thinking. Youth mental health is one of the major challenges. More and more young people are experiencing psychological difficulties, which can manifest as anxiety, loneliness, and depression. The key question is how we can help them find their way into positive communities - both in the workplace and during leisure time.

Reusing concrete buildings

Another significant challenge is how to develop urban areas while preserving existing buildings. Brutalist architecture from the 1960s and 1970s is often destined for demolition, including one of Aarhus’ notable concrete buildings - the former School of Journalism in Skejby from 1972.

With a donation of DKK 95 million from the Nordea Foundation, KulturhusBunkeren is being transformed into a modern community house for residents and businesses in the Margrethebjerg district. This is where ImperfectCity finds its home.

Enriching communities

ImperfectCity is about developing the imperfect community, and KulturhusBunkeren, in all its imperfection, provides spacious and rustic surroundings for diverse people to meet in creative and rewarding communities.

With Aarhus Municipality’s Magistrate for Social Affairs and Employment as project owner and coordinator, the 12 Danish partners share the vision of developing an innovative and scalable project, ImperfectCity, that can be replicated in other neighborhoods, other cities, and other countries.

Urban challenges

The European Urban Initiative, established and funded by the EU, challenges conventional approaches to urban development. In Aarhus, we are testing one model, while 13 other European cities implement other innovative projects that include people, businesses, and architecture.

For this reason, ImperfectCity is not just about Aarhus - it is about citizens across the EU, about the European community, and about building on our shared history, cultural heritage, architecture, and democracies to address today’s urban challenges.