Directory of Eco-villages in Europe - Kennedy Bibliothek

Denmark
Roskilde
eco-village
initiative
Munkesoegaard
Munkesoegaard is an eco-village being build in Trekroner near Roskilde.
It is just half an hour by train from the centre of Copenhagen. The
goal is to establish a small community based on environmentally sustainable
solutions, occupied by people from different backgrounds,
education and economies. It is a place with the possibilities for greater
social integration among the inhabitants.
The idea for the village was formed in 1995 when a small association
was founded. The purpose was to investigate the possibilities and even-
tually establish an ecovillage.
Much discussion
and planning was done
during the first year and,
in the summer of 1996,
we chose the site in Roskilde
as the best site for
the village. In the autumn
of 1996, contacts with
one of the co-operative
housing societies in Roskilde
was established,
but it was not until the
summer of 1997 that an
agreement with the housing society was made. Different work groups
have discussed and planned technical solutions for the village, and in
the autumn of 1997 a group of architects and engineers was contacted
to formalise these plans. Until then all work on the project had been
done by the future occupants. Building will commence in the summer
of 1998, with the first families moving in during the spring of 1999.
The village is divided into five groups each of 20 houses/apartments,
placed around the common farmhouse. The five groups are of different
forms of ownership and occupants. One is owner occupied houses, one
is co-operatively owned. The last three groups are on rental basis; one
group is for young people under the age of 31, one group is for seniors
over the age of 50 and the last group is on ordinary rental basis. All in
all a village with around 200 grown ups and 90 children of all ages.
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