Plans that began a year ago to build a square dedicated to Nelson Mandela in Reykjavík have not come to fruition.
Vísir reports that Steinþór Helgi Arnsteinsson – who was once the managing director of Nelson Mandela Day in Iceland – has been working on the project, both with the city and through the The Oslo School of Architecture and Design in Oslo, Norway, who were interested in designing the square.
The Planning Committee for the city of Reykjavík liked the idea of a Nelson Mandela Square, with the top choices for a location being Vitatorg, Óðinstorg and Káratorg. Such a project would be the first Nelson Mandela Square in the Nordic countries, but one thing stood in the way: funding.
“The only thing that was asked was to get a square to build some kind of idea upon,” he told reporters. “We fought for this, but the city was strict on the point that there be funding up front.”
Unfortunately, no funding channels have materialised, and the project is officially on ice. Steinþór believes it is unlikely to get funding now that Mandela has passed on.
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