Hamaren aktivitetspark

Inaccessible nature

With its large, natural landscapes, the municipality of Fyresdal in the regional county of Telemark asked: how can we create an activity park that can be used by everyone and address community needs of residents and visitors of all ages? The surrounding landscape was stunning, but was not accessible to many people, regardless of their abilities. Who would not benefit from the health-promoting activities and sensory experiences of walks through the high mountains, deep fjords and hilly terrain?

Co-creating a social gathering point

The municipality invited the entire population of Hamaren to give input, ideas, needs and perspectives at a meeting at the start of the project. This resulted in a strong sense of engagement and community ownership from the outset. In turn, the project management team challenged themselves to meet most of the residents’ wishes and even gave them responsibility for the design of various elements such as information signs, lean-tos and a BMX park. The result is the centrally located and easily accessible Hamaren Activity Park. It surrounds a kindergarten, schools and a care home for older people and promotes physical activity within nature to improve health and well-being. It has become a social gathering point for the entire population and is a successful result of joint efforts between the local community, private and public partners.

The park won DOGA’s Innovation Award for Universal Design 2017.