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Ondurdis patronizes Urban Villages Group.
The Norse mythology presented us with Skade, daughter of the Jotun. She enjoyed
skiing and hunting in the Norwegian mountains. The fairies hailed her as Ondurdis, the
godess of skiing. She keeps an eye with the activities of Allgrønn, her earth. Now she
has returned from the mountains to patronize the conditions of life in villages and urban
areas. To promote a better and more balanced development, it is essential to be capable of presenting the objections to the strong marked forces. Urban Villages Group works for all of us by taking care of the environment of the urban area and describe area development in human dimensions. Their effort have become a substantial argument in the debate about the future development of towns and cities. The Urban Villages Group works interdiciplinary and with a general view. They maintain important traditions, and take care of fine details which often were parts of ancient buildings, and show how important these were to the environment. Urban Villages Group, to full extent, deserves Allgrønn's godess for the powerful kick; Skade, the daughter of Jotun, "Ondurdis". ( The photograph shows Allgreen's spokesman Erling Okkenhaug give the Ondurdis prize to Charmian Marshall in The Urban Village Forum ) Allgrønn, in loving celebration of human kind. "Allgreen" was the name our old Norse gods used for the planet earth. We have borrowed this name to form a non-political, non-commercial movement, whose primary concern is to take care of our cultural heritage and to influence developers to do the same. ( The Sculptor Arne Vinje Gunnerud made this bronze relief. ) About other Allgreen Projects: Arendal, the town with the canals. The idea to dig up and revive the South Coast town of Arendal's ancient canals was launched in 1989. "The Canal Association for the enrichment of Arendal's environment" has now more than 1500 members and supporters and is encouraged by the Department of Environment.Dale-Gudbrands Gard, Hundorp. The Centre for Norse Mythology was opened in Gudbrandsdalen in 1991, initiated and designed by Allgrønn.Oslo Harbour. In 1991 we initiated the effords to visualise Oslo Harbour Corporation's dispositions in the capital's seafront and its negative consequences. Our six reports have resulted in an initiative by the Council of Oslo to reconsider the plans for a new harbour development.The Villages. We have realised the demand for a renewed debate about human environment and its influence on the quality of life. Our objective is to establish competence to develop the Village concept in Norway. Format and scale present problems in large developments. We would like to see new developments where the civic qualities of the ancient villages are maintained.
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