Based on a Danish case, this paper explores and questions how the design of a public space contributes to democratic urban everyday life. Cities increasingly develop public spaces to promote an inclusive, democratic urban community and (to brand themselves as) a liveable city with a high quality of life for everybody. The City of Copenhagen is often praised as a prime example of successful public space policy and high-quality public space design. Copenhagen’s vision is that public spaces should empower people to actively take part in the democratic life of the city. Superkilen is a much-debated example of this strategy, both for its bold and playful design of a multicultural urban space and for its innovative, artistic approach to civic participation. Built on a 750-meter-long former railway site, Superkilen is divided into three urban spaces each with a distinct colour scheme – the Red Square, the Black Square and the Green Park – populated by more than 100 collaboratively chosen everyday objects from 60 countries which represent the cultural diversity of the local population in the district Nørrebro. In this paper we focus on the everyday life at Superkilen over a 2-years period with both extreme spatial conflicts (a local gang war with long-term police presence in the public space) and substantial architectural alterations of the Green Park and the Red Square. Guided by actor-network theory, we study what design does at Superkilen, how people and things act together and gather into more or less stable socio-material actor-networks. We ask: How did the original spatial design work – or not? Why and how was the design revised and who had a say in it? What can we learn from Superkilen about democratic place-keeping – a crucial, yet often overlooked aspect of public space design.