The Danish 15-Minute City Concept

0
213
The Danish 15-Minute City Concept

What’s life like when everything you need is just a stroll away? The Danish 15-minute city concept involves creating an urban environment where residents have access to all necessary services and amenities within a 15-minute walk or a short cycle or public transport ride from their home.

Nordhavn, Copenhagen’s once-industrial port, has been planned to make everything – from schools and play areas to businesses and recreational spaces – accessible, not in 15 minutes but five.

While ambitious urban planners try to make 15-minute cities a reality, the Nordhavn district of Copenhagen has gone one better. The basic idea is to organize compact and mixed zones that promote more efficient use of urban infrastructure and reduce dependence on cars, thus contributing to a more sustainable and comfortable life for city dwellers.

The Danish 15-Minute City Concept
Nordhavn, Copenhagen’s once-industrial port, has been planned to make everything.

The core of the new development in Copenhagen is Århusgadekvarteret, with gleaming apartment buildings, high-end office spaces and a cafe-lined boardwalk along the previously industrial harbor. This will be the world’s first five-minute city. When the project is complete, everything you need will be within a 400m walk.

********************************************
Related: Exploring Copenhagen – the 2023 UNESCO World Capital of Architecture
********************************************

It does feel pretty quiet in Århusgadekvarteret, but that’s not because there are no people; it’s because there are hardly any cars – and those that do glide by are electric. The 15-minute city concept assumes that walking and cycling will become more attractive than driving a car, so in practice local authorities introduce policies discouraging car use, such as fines for driving on some residential streets.

The Danish 15-Minute City Concept
Sandkaj. Photo: Wikipedia

Commuting is one of the biggest challenges of modern life as it adds so much time into the daily routine. Nordhavn (officially a district of Copenhagen, but described as a city due to its scale and scope) has been designed to make everything – from schools and play areas to businesses and recreational spaces – accessible within five minutes. It is setting a blueprint for a world where residents can fit in a morning workout before strolling to the office, grab lunch at a cute cafe, have a quick swim at the harbor and still make it home in time to take your kids to the playground – all before enjoying a cozy candlelit dinner at home.

The planners have drawn circles of 400 meters radius (that’s what you can walk in five minutes Within a circle like that, you would have a mix of residential areas and office buildings, social infrastructure such as schools and kindergartens, retail, cafes – everything that you would need in your daily life.

The concept means reduced transport problems, less need for long journeys and increased use of walking and cycling will reduce congestion and pollution. Ultimately, it’s improving the city’s transport accessibility. In addition, it’s promoting healthy lifestyles: development of pedestrian and bicycle environment in the city promotes an active lifestyle—citizens remain mobile, which is very important for physical and mental health.

The Danish 15-Minute City Concept
Portland Towers. Photo: Martin Heiberg/Visit Copenhagen

Copenhagen is currently the Unesco World’s Architecture Capital (until 2026) and innovative solutions for smart living have been brewing across the Danish capital: from Paper Island, designed to focus on public spaces and housing for all income groups; to Carlsberg City District that’s built on four pillars of beer production: science, innovation, art and culture.

********************************************
Related: Copenhagen’s New Recreational Hub
********************************************

But it’s not just about environmental sustainability. It’s also about social sustainability. It’s nice to meet your neighbor – that is part of the design in Nordhavn. A five-minute city creates the conditions for greater social activity and interaction between residents, fostering community building and strengthening ties between neighbors.

“We are creating a neighborhood that meets everyday needs and special occasions,” explains Peter Bur Andersen, an architect from BRIQ Studios that played a crucial role in zoning Nordhavn. “Everything is within walking or biking distance, minimizing the need for commuting. The area also promotes a mostly car-free lifestyle, connected by cycle paths and the metro.”

The Danish 15-Minute City Concept
It does feel pretty quiet in Århusgadekvarteret, but that’s not because there are no people; it’s because there are hardly any cars

A more social neighborhood is also a safer one. The Nordhavn district in Copenhagen, one of the largest and most ambitious urban development projects in Scandinavia, is an example of how this concept can work in practice.

Although the entire Nordhavn project won’t be finished until 2060, it is being developed in islets (small islands), with key areas such as Nordø and Århusgadekvarteret, already complete and full of life, brimming with locals and tourists. A metro extension to Nordhavn and Orientkaj opened in 2020, providing easy access from the city center.

The Danish 15-Minute City Concept, Tor Kjolberg reporting

Feature image on top © Thing Brandt Landskab

Previous articleThe Dream of Africa
Next articleHow I Travel from Airports to City Centers
Avatar photo
Journalist, PR and marketing consultant Tor Kjolberg has several degrees in marketing management. He started out as a marketing manager in Scandinavian companies and his last engagement before going solo was as director in one of Norway’s largest corporations. Tor realized early on that writing engaging stories was more efficient and far cheaper than paying for ads. He wrote hundreds of articles on products and services offered by the companies he worked for. Thus, he was attuned to the fact that storytelling was his passion.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.