Scandinavia: The Edge Between Street and Plaza
There are many unique opportunities for students who study abroad. Whether those opportunities include experiencing different cultural habits, sampling unusual food, or learning a new language, these chances shape our views of our host and home countries. Academic challenges, such as those offered through Denmark’s International Study Program, are also part of the study abroad experience. It is very uncommon to conduct on-site research in the field of architecture as an undergraduate. We were able to independently create a research project analyzing the urban quality of two plazas and adjacent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden. This research was self-directed with faculty guidance and was the perfect chance for creative freedom. This creativity was even less hindered because we are foreign students with an objective point of view. As Americans we found the medieval parts of these cities charming and refreshing compared to the planned grid layout of cities in America. The pedestrian-friendly narrow streets were unusual and very different from public spaces in the U.S. Studying in Copenhagen allowed us to see and experience a much different city fabric, and to learn from being in a new location. We worked in the field, collecting and recording data in the plazas and streets. This hands-on approach allowed us to examine one part of Scandinavian cities with intense scrutiny. We got to take what we learned in classes such as European Urban Design Theory and apply those techniques and processes to gather research for a topic in which we were interested. Opportunities to use Europe as a case study can happen only through study abroad. The topic we addressed analyzed the boundary between plaza and street—a topic we could not pursue in the U.S. as smaller pedestrian streets and plazas are more prominent in major European cities. While American cities have adjusted to motor transportation, Scandinavia is more about pedestrian access and strengthening city centers through use rather than through freeways. Our project is still very relevant to the U.S. as urban renewal becomes more popular. Pedestrians are becoming more important as cities revive their downtown spaces. The areas of street, plaza, and edge will become more crucial to evaluating urban quality in the future. Studying abroad allowed us to learn and conduct in-depth field research on another culture’s planning and design practices. Throughout the research process, as well as our stay in Copenhagen, we are constantly comparing our own cultural and design backgrounds. Studying abroad has taught us a lot about Scandinavia, and in doing so it has also taught us about culture and design in the U.S. —Zachary Prowda and Sarah Knize, UC Berkeley
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