Note: I have been posting a lot of work that will end up in my final report on multifamily housing in Copenhagen. I've created a couple of labels that you'll see at the bottom of the post to keep my work and personal posts organized. To that end, you can find all my housing related posts here and my personal posts here. I'll be travelling for a few days next weekend in the Netherlands so look for a post about that before too long. - IC


Mini Profile: Kartoffelrækkerne

In 1850 the population density of the inhabited part of Copenhagen was approaching 50,000 residents per square kilometer. Without a sewer system or even a river to remove human waste the sanitary conditions were extremely favorable towards the outbreak of disease. In 1853 a cholera outbreak occurred which killed about 4,800. This event lead to growing concern about how to improve living conditions in the city amongst physicians and the ruling class.

Two outcomes of this conversation were a final push to decommission the city ramparts, which succeeded in relieving the growth pressures on the central city; and the creation of Arbejdernes Byggeforening, or the “Workers Housing Association” by a group of doctors and architects to construct new sanitary and dignified housing for the working class.

Arbejdernes Byggeforening began to develop new terraced housing estates outside of the old city which were raffled off to dues-paying members of the association. The largest and best known of Arbejdernes Byggeforening’s projects was constructed just outside the line of old ramparts and is colloquially known as Kartoffelrækkerne.

Kartoffelrækkerne is row housing with small front and back yards and one backyard privy for each house. Each house was usually occupied by three families, meaning one family on each 42 m2 floor, and a density of 198 DU/hectare or 80 DU/acre. They were built with gas lighting and running water integrated into the design.  

Typologically, the Kartoffelrækkerne row-houses are unusual in Copenhagen. They were inspired by the terraced housing of Great Britain and the early social reform doctrines that began to be developed at that time. Although Arbejdernes Byggeforening constructed several other developments of similar row-houses for workers around Copenhagen, this model of housing was not widely replicated. However, social housing organizations became increasingly important in the creation of modern housing in Copenhagen during the industrial and welfare state eras.

At present, the Kartoffelrækkerne houses are privately owned and occupied by one family each, bringing the density down to about 79 DU/hectare (32 DU/acre). Kartoffelrækkerne was one of the first neighborhoods to be gentrified in the in the 1970’s and 80’s and today claims high selling prices as part of a well-known hip left-leaning creative neighborhood.