In the latest issue of Scan Magazine you find an interview with partner Malin Blomqvist on inclusive urban spaces – one of our main focuses at MASU Planning. Meaning spaces where everyone feel welcome and spaces that are flexible and can be used is several ways depending on the user.

This is important because it leads to a mix of people in different age groups and backgrounds which is the basis for a good urban environment. On top of that it’s sustainable! Instead of designing for one activity we create spaces that are flexible with elements that appeal to more than one age group. Therefore the space is adaptable – and with a longer lifespan as the use of a space change over time.

“It is not about concentrating as many activities as possible into one space, but about knowing what is needed in any given place.”

Cramming all the elements possible into a space is never the solution.

“The most successful projects are those that answer to the needs of a space – projects that recognize the distinctive character and qualities of a space and manage to develop them,”

In the article Partner Malin Blomqvist talks about three of our project. How we with a successful strategy managed to change the atmosphere of Fanø Bad and start a wave of positive change through the town. In the new H.C. Andersen Fairytale museum and garden in the middle of Odense the challenge is to extract the essence of the fairytale world of thorough a closely interconnected building and landscape. There is a wide range of users at Opinmäki Campus area and the challenge was to design a flexible space that can be used in various ways by both students in all ages and the local community.

Read the article online on page 68