This was the winning proposal for the project MEREGADE: “Street Hubs” issued by the street sports organization GAME, supported by the Nordea Foundation and in collaboration with municipalities and their young citizens. The project is about creating urban spaces that can help expand street sport and invite more children and young people to be physically active and included in social and diverse communities.

Out of five pre-qualified teams, two winners have been chosen to be a part of a framework agreement as design consultants on the future Street Hubs. Over the next 5 years, a total of 7 Street Hubs will be established around Denmark, and the upcoming projects will be created in close collaboration together with the selected consulting team, the municipality in question, GAME and the local community.

arki_lab and Reværk have collaborated as a team and stand strong together with a focus on methods for developing green and social communities where radical sustainability and ambitious user involvement is the focus. For the development of MEREGADE the key is to meet the user and therefore children and young people at eye level. This means that we engage with them where they are already moving and with the approach that they are the experts in their own needs and dreams. arki_lab sees this as the driving force in the project, which will ensure a local and engaging anchoring. The ambition for the coming Street Hubs is to create a local meeting place for children, young people and practitioners of street sports. It must be a safe space with space for both the beginners and the experiences as well as those who take part in the social communities around street sports.

The Street Aesthetics
The aesthetics of street sports are typically defined by the urban space and industrial materials. Based on a global need to rethink our processes and use of materials, arki_lab and Reværk see it as an obvious opportunity to let recycling and less climate-damaging material choices be the driving force for the expression of the upcoming Street Hubs.

Inclusion of vulnerable groups and minorities 
Throughout the project, arki_lab and Reværk will have a clear focus on particularly exposed groups and a broad gender diversity, where women and gender minorities are seen as important actors who must have an essential role in the engagement processes and thereby help to create a strong and inclusive project. arki_lab's approach to inclusion will be supplemented by external advisers with expertise in the inclusion of women and minorities in street sport.

Judge's report quote
"The proposal is an inspiring and brave suggestion on broad recruitment, which is one of the biggest challenges in the Street Hub projects. [...] The proposed collaboration with the schools will create greater awareness of the project, and one can imagine the synergy spreading to the parents, which again can spread to local politics and contribute to the collection of materials for the catalog of ideas. The process is both democratic, inclusive and visible to citizens.” (Quote translated from Danish)