The Life-Sized City Blog

Living in Copenhagen, you're never far from the harbour or the sea. We're blessed with access to water and to fabulous beaches. Nevertheless, we feel that the harbour is currently underused. The ancient harbour of the Danish capital was decommercialised around 17 years ago and most shipping activity was moved to harbours to the north of the city, leaving a fantastic swath of urban space for the citizens. Freeing up the harbourfront led to an ongoing urban renewal, with 42 km of harbourfront to be developed. Nevertheless, I've watched the development and wondered why the actual water seems so underused through the years. It seems to be accelerating a bit over the past two years or so, but given the fact that this is a rowing and sailing nation, I would love to see more opportunities for the citizens to use the water. There are harbour baths in place now and the number of pleasure craft is rising. The Kalvebod Wave made a serious impact on harbourfront usage despite...

(Note: Kristen Maddox was an intern for Copenhagenize Design Co . and was quickly elevated to the status of Legendary Interns in the company. She is sorely missed here at our offices.) Danny Kaye made for an endearing H.C. Andersen in the 1952 film H.C. Andersen  that tells the story of the legendary Danish author of The Little Mermaid and other fairy tales. One priceless scene: a group of sailors creaking into Copenhagen's port after a long journey, finally coming home up the Kattegat--the little bit of water hugged by Denmark and Sweden. The nostalgia in the scene is epic. Here are some of the lyrics: On this merry night  Let us clink and drink one down To wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen   Salty old queen of the sea  Once I sailed away  But I'm home today  Singing Copenhagen, wonderful, wonderful  Copenhagen for me As a guest student here for a year to research, I always knew there would be a time when I'd have to return home to Chic...

There is a constant flow of discussion at the moment about the proposed congestion charges in Copenhagen - one of the initiatives the current government had on their election platform. Like in Stockholm and in London prior to implementation of their congestion charges, the debate is heated and often rather one-sided. Copenhagenize is pleased to feature this guest article written by Natalie Mossin and Jane Sandberg. Jane is the CEO of The Danish Architects' Association and Natalie is the Chairman of the Board. The Danish Architects' Association was founded in 1879 and works to promote the quality of planning and design of our physical environment and to improve and develop the conditions for the architect's profession. We thought it appropriate to publish some rational thoughts about the congestion charges. Here it comes. The City of the Future Requires Space for Life Congestion charges are about what cities will be like in the future and which needs they wi...

For one brilliant week in September 2011, the air pollution levels from car traffic in Copenhagen fell by a whopping 30%. The City of Copenhagen took a bold step in planning the Road Racing World Championships in cycling this year by deciding to close off most of the city centre to car traffic during the event. While most people have tried to calculate the massive boost the event had - and will have - on tourism, Copenhagen's brand and what not, it turns out the event improved the air quality for the citizens of the city. It didn't have anything directly to do with the professional cyclists racing around the city. The ban on cars in the city centre of Copenhagen meant that 60,000 cars and trucks were kept out and 75 streets were car-free. Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard during the World Championships. A few months before the event, I had an idea. I thought about the study done after 9/11 where temperatures were measured in the US for the five days that air traffic was...

Golly. What a lovely place to live. When I was in Ferrara, Italy a couple of weeks ago I was having a good chat with a colleague who works for the City. We were looking at a map of the city and he was filling me in about the various traffic and bicycle-friendly initiatives in place. For example, Ferrara doesn't have a congestion charge - it has a congestion BAN. Non-residents are not allowed to enter and goods transport must pay a fee. Eight cameras are installed around the city to photograph number plates. If you're caught in the city without a permit, you are fined €100. Ah, simplicity. Anyway, he was telling me about a main route through the city and plans to tackle the motorists who use it. He called them parasites . I thought it was a bit out of character for him but he kept using the word. Finally, I had to ask why he was using the word and he looked at me quizzically and said that it was simply the word they used. Parasites. First attested in English 1539, the w...

We always have a bunch of ideas kicking around at Copenhagenize Consulting . We are always working on individual, tailor-made solutions when we work with other cities - every city is unique - but last month we decided to try out some ideas right here in Copenhagen. In our own backyard. Earlier this year we blogged about how Copenhagen tries to keep Holding On To Cyclists by placing railings and footrests around the city to let bicycle users rest against them whilst waiting at red lights. Brilliant idea and we love it. The text on the footrest is a communications template we developed for the Bicycle Office . These railings, are, however, limited in that these railings can only be implemented in certain locations where they don't interfere with pedestrian mobility. There are eight of them around the city now. Copenhageners, however, will lean up against anything they can at red lights. We have a whole photo series dedicated to it . Have a look around the city. The metal pol...

Photo by Diego Franssens - from interview in Belgian magazine Knack. Here we go again. Some of you may remember the fairytale ending the last time my Bullitt cargo bike got stolen, back in May 2011. What started with this blogpost ended happily with this one . Last night, it happened all over again. I have just moved flats - last Saturday - and this real estate agency have not yet given me keys to the backyard, where there is a bike shed. It's a secure backyard, requiring a key to get in or out. (nor have they given me a key to the postbox, so if you've sent me a postcard, I haven't read it yet...) In lieu of being able to park the Bullitt in the backyard, I parked it on the sidewalk outside the flat. It is a busy street, right next to a busy intersection and a bus stop. I bought an extra lock - super thick Amsterdam style - and both locks secured the bike to a metal railing. Not optimal, but hey. This morning, the locks lay curled on the sidewalk like sleepin...

Photo: Mads Odgaard Norway's Statoil is a major oil company in Scandinavia and they have many petrol stations in Denmark. My friend Mads took these photos of a Statoil station in Copenhagen that has clearly accepted - dare one say embraced - the bicycle culture here in the City of Cyclists. In no uncertain terms Statoil has reserved space for cyclists to fix, tune-up or pump their bicycles at this Bicycle Care station. The sign, above, reads: "Dear Cyclist, You can care for your bicycle here. You can pump and wash your bicycle and, inside the shop, you're welcome to borrow a free bicycle care kit with oil, tire levers, allen keys, etc.  Enjoy. Statoil" I simply don't know how to make that text any nicer. Photo: Mads Odgaard In the centre of the bicycle pictogram is a rack that folds down so you can hang your bicycle on it while repairing, caring, whatever. An air hose is on the right and, on the left, a dispenser with paper towels and plastic ...