Land Use

Despite the impression most visitors to Copenhagen have today, the city did not just naturally maintain its original charm. In fact, by the 1960s Copenhagen had become noisy, and heavily trafficed. Fortunately the city center still maintained its medieval street pattern, and was dominated by aged buildings at an appropriate human scale. For the past 30 years, Copenhagen has embarked on a policy oriented toward reducing the impact of car traffic upon the urban center, and restoring the conditions for all users. In the process it has created one of the most liveable and people friendly cities in the world. The book Public Spaces - Public Life, by Jan Gehl and Lars Gemzoe, describes the multitude of small but consistent steps the city has undertaken to transform its car-oriented city center into to a more people-oriented one.

Building heights vary depending on the proximity of the site in question to the Bus Rapid Transit corridor. The closer, the higher allowed, a curve diminishing in an asymptote towards the edges. In this way, the largest population is dense and well served by public transit.

Swedich cities have made serious efforts on the subject of re-development. Hammarby Sjostadd in Stockholm started in 1990 and will be completed in 2017, Bo01 in Malmo was open in 2001. The Stockholm Royal Seaport redevelopment is version 3.0. Many lessons learned.

Land Use Postcards at a Glance

Land Use

See other Postcards for Best Practices in the Land Use category here

Land Use Papers at a Glance

Land Use Photos at a Glance

Photo Album:

Greenspace Factors

Infrastructure of Sustainability

Green Buildings a Start, but can we think bigger?

By Nancy Henderson

A Sustainable Neighborhood in Seattle

Seattle can show the world how to be green-Scandinavia offers hints on how to do it

By Jayson Antonoff and Patricia Chase