Room to breathe. That was what Enghaveparken originally was meant to be to the local residents of Vesterbro. It was first laid out in 1929, and quickly became a natural, spacious contrast to the ever so tight living spaces of that time. Parts of the park was drawn by well known Danish architect, Arne Jacobsen, and his tributes to the park has gotten new life with the re-opening of Enghaveparken in 2019.

The re-opening, and the renovation, has meant that the park now serves more than one purpose. It’s become one of 300 projects in Copenhagen to face the future change of climate, and especially the rising risk of cloudbursts. The architects of the project, Tredje Natur, has made a huge effort to both preserve, renew and develop the park as an important asset to Vesterbro in more than one sense.

Underneath the park, massive water reservoirs have been established to supplement the more visible parts of the park designed to contain heavy rainfall. The park itself can contain almost 6 million gallons of water and helps ensure that surplus water can be put to use. The water can be used by the city’s street-cleaning vehicles, while any remaining water is treated and integrated into the park’s water features, which offer opportunities for recreation, relaxation and sensory experiences.