The Forest City
Imagining a different kind of Station City



The Forest City is a drawing competition for kids arranged as an imaginative companion to the experimental transformation project Skovtrappen. 

During the transformation, children from the local school were invited to take a look at the process and to imagine what Bedsted as a forest city could look like. 
Forest playgrounds, ice cream stalls, sensual gardens, nature museum, duck ponds, treetop camping and of course a water-themed obstacle course for forest monsters. The entries bristle with joy and imagination, and inspire our work within Thy going forward. 

The winner was the idea of a nature museum in the old abandoned station building - a building we hope to be working with in future projects. 
Proud winners posing with their prize - 500 “Bedsted Bucks” - in front of their drawings







The Doctors House: half demolished and abandoned for years before it was transformed into Skovtrappen
Background
Just like many other Danish towns, the small station city of Bedsted Thy is suffering from an increase in rural to urban migration. Centralisation of services, a decline in work opportunities and a loss of tourism has pushed many residents to move closer to the bigger cities - leaving behind many empty buildings. Some of which become dangerous as they decline, and a mark of shame for the local residents.

Traditionally, the choice has been between expensive and continous renovation or state sponsored demolitions. Naturally this approach has led to an increase in empty plots in the middle of town, erasing local heritage and reducing overall quality of the space. Not to mention the issues of wastefulness and sustainability.





Type of project:
Community engagement

Year completed: 2024

Location:
Thylandsgade 22, Bedsted Thy, Denmark

With:
Emergency Architecture & Human Rights

Series:
Living Archives