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Pension firm spending high to spiff up notorious ’ghetto’ district

Christian Wenande
January 19th, 2018


This article is more than 6 years old.

PKA invests 350 million kroner into blossoming Gellerupparken

What a lovely vision (photo: PKA)

Gellerupparken certainly doesn’t have a reputation for being one of the most desirable locations in Denmark to live in.

For years it’s been plagued by a high frequency of unemployment, low-education and crime, and it has long featured on Denmark’s controversial ‘ghetto list’.

But that could all change in the not too distant future.

The Danish pension firm PKA has revealed it intends to invest 350 million kroner into the beleaguered Aarhus district by developing 188 homes to make it more attractive for people with more resources at their disposal.

“We see great opportunity in the visions for Gellerup, which is already turning into a dynamic city district. It’s a robust investment that will not only give our members a solid return, but will help support the development of the area into a lively city district with greater diversity or residents and homes of a good quality,” said Michael Nellemann Pedersen, the head of investment for PKA.

“The area is attractively located near the centre of Aarhus and we believe more investors have realised the bigger picture in Gellerup.”

READ MORE: Four new neighbourhoods on Denmark’s inglorious ‘Ghetto List’

Lots going on
The 188 homes being developed are all 100 sqm in size and expected to be finished by 2020.

Gellerup is already brimming with activity. The area will see a new city park with 27 football pitches open this year, and next year a new municipal building will be erected for 1,000 employees.

Moreover, 345 youth homes are being developed, while the district’s Sport and Culture Campus is expected to attract 600,000 guests annually by 2022.

The area will also be connected to Aarhus in terms of infrastructure when the city light rail links up there in the near future.


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”