Sagene district is one of the world’s coolest districts in a new selection – Dagsavisen
Dalston in London, Chelsea in New York – and Sagene in Oslo. This is among the coolest neighborhoods in the world right now, according to a recent award in the worldwide trend and travel magazine TimeOut.
New districts such as Bjørvika and Tjuvholmen, hip neighborhoods such as Grünerløkka and Tøyen, wealthy districts such as Frogner and Briskeby – none of these were allowed to represent Oslo and Norway on the TimeOut list.
Nørrebro in Copenhagen was named the world’s coolest district – «no matter how you define cult, Nørrebro just is it», states the magazine, which highlights the area’s diverse of food and culture, with a mix of hypermodern architecture and historical buzz. Elsewhere, Andersonville follows in Chicago and in third place Jongno 3-ga in Seoul.
Between Ancoats and Xuhui: The Saws!
In a sensational 21st place, between Ancoats in Manchester and Shanghai’s Xuhui, comes Sagene, the old working-class district east of Oslo, which has had a certain stand to the trend barometers. «Central, affordable and – yes, cult»Writes TimeOut.
The cases are therefore considered to be a central area in Mexico City, Daikanyama in Tokyo, Dubai Marina or all cities in Sweden that are not represented on the list of information.
– Wow! Is that true? My God, so cool, Sagenegutt Jørgen Foss cheers when he hears about the award. The actor, activist and Labor Party politician was born and raised on Sagene, deputy chairman of the city committee on Sagene and well-known Sagene enthusiast.
– I have been elected for Sagene half my life. The district has undergone a huge development in recent decades. It’s not so gray on Sagene anymore. We have been good at taking care of the open green spaces. Volunteering makes a huge effort for the district, and helps to make Sagene a special place, with a big heart.
Feeling of community
The TimeOut award “The 49 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World” is a mix of readers’ votes and assessments from TimeOut’s local correspondents and central panel of experts. This is the third time the selection has been carried out, Nørrebro has risen from 28th place last year to 1st place this year, and this is the first time Oslo is on the list.
«Oslo is growing fast, and a certain neighborhood has retained its special character better than most others. With its cozy cafés, historic buildings, large parks and an impressive neo-Gothic church, Sagene feels far removed from the city’s more flashy new development areas “, TimeOut writes in the award.
Food, fun, cultural life and a sense of neighborhood are the factors TimeOut has emphasized in the selection. After some futile years of pandemic and shutdown, TimeOut has this time given extra plus points for “community” – belonging, community, sense of neighborhood.
– My motto is that Sagene should be a place to live, not just a place to live. I think this award reflects that, says Foss.
– At Sagene, people live in small apartments, which is why our meeting places are important – the backyards, the cafes, the park, the community center. People do not meet at each other’s homes, we meet outside at Sagene. This may be one of the reasons why Sagene has been included in this selection. We use the urban space, it feels open and includes her. The pulse beats slower. You do not have to feel that you have to hurry, Foss thinks.
[ Kommunen solgte Sagene Folkebad for 550.000 kroner. Nå skal de leie det tilbake for millioner ]
Boasts of Geitmyra
TimeOut is an international travel guide with an urban profile, which started in London in the late 1960s and has expanded globally, with guidebooks, magazines and websites for cities around the world.
In the selection of the world’s 49 best urban areas, TimeOut boasts of Sagene Bryggeri and Geitmyra matkultursenter, recommended breakfast at Kaffegram, lunch at Ekte Vare and a local beer at Mysterud Bar. “Take a stroll among the colorful, baroque apartment buildings in the Rivertzke quarter,” writes TimeOut, about the residential complex better known as the River’n.
– Sagene is the village in the middle of the city, thinks Jørgen Foss.
– When you come to Sagene, it is still and working class you come to. You can sell traces of industrial history. It’s a bit of glamor and glitter here, it’s not where you got the big new high-rise buildings, says Foss.
– This is a bit unpretentious, but it is clear that such a selection is important. It makes us proud of our district, Foss states, and says once again:
– No, now I was happy. This warms a Sagene heart,
[ Sagene Bad var grunnen til at Jørgen Foss ble politiker. Nå kan han juble ]