Urban Growth in Copenhagen: Addressing Challenges Through Regional Urban Design
Loading...
Date
2013
Authors
Maternoski, John M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city of 500,000 enjoys a rich history of great success for its architecture, design, and urban planning. The city’s “five finger plan,” developed in 1947 by Steen Eiler Rasmussen is one of the most widely-recognized urban plans in the world. Addressing a set of 10 challenges facing Copenhagen in the mid-1940s, the plan allowed for controlled suburban growth of the city, while ensuring space was left open for recreational and agricultural activities. 60+ years later, the plan has lost its merits as a feasible urban plan. Growth and suburban sprawl have pushed the length of the fingers well beyond their limits as reasonable growth guidelines, and the city is facing an entirely new set of challenges led by the rise of technology and the advent of global climate change.
In 2010, Copenhagen’s own innovative architecture and urban design firm BIG presented a sweeping plan to not only create guidelines for Copenhagen’s future development, but used the plan to address a set of 10 entirely new challenges. The plan presents interesting, unique, and sustainable ideas for addressing the needs of and connecting not only the city of Copenhagen, but the entire region surrounding the Øresund Strait, including Denmark and Sweden. These strategies offer a glimpse into ground-breaking urban design in the 21st century.
Description
50 pages
Keywords
Redevelopment, Urban, Land use planning