Figur 12 (Hvidovre gør gode tider bedre)

Museum-quality Luster paper Giclée printing quality, 12 colors Paper weight: 250 g/m2 FSC Label

Figure 12: The Island Town of Freedom 

One of Hvidovre's lesser-known chapters in post-war urban planning unfolded in 1958, when the municipality received an unusual project proposal: a fully floating district off the coast of Freedom. Archive materials reveal an ambitious vision underpinned by innovative construction principles, with platforms cast from an unprecedented limestone mixture forming the foundation for a new type of maritime housing. 

The technical drawings, preserved in local archives, depict a meticulously designed ecosystem where underwater aquaculture facilities for scallops, seaweed, and shellfish would provide food for residents while fertilising planned green spaces. The architectural programme, with its five-storey standardised buildings and centrally planned solar energy systems, reflected the era's technocratic ideals. 

However, this top-down approach clashed with the Freedom Quarter’s established culture of self-building. Over the previous decade, resident associations had developed a distinctive tradition of democratic urban development, documented in photographs of communal construction activities and meeting minutes. The municipal board ultimately chose to protect this local, collaborative practice, allowing sustainable solutions to emerge through experience and neighbourly cooperation. Consequently, the ambitious sea town project never moved beyond the drawing board, standing as a compelling testament to the post-war tension between centralised planning and grassroots self-management.