Copenhagen Chooses Low-Rise Over Skyskrapers in City Expansion

Photo chad_k @ flickr

It only takes five minutes in the city of Copenhagen (especially when arriving by train) to wonder why all cities aren't developing in this same mold - plenty of open streets with wide pedestrian and bike lanes, bikes to easily rent at a number of venues, and a wealth of organic food at the corner stores.

Density defying?But there's definitely another element that makes Copenhagen so user-friendly. It's the feeling of human scale. There are some of those personality-free square office buildings, to be sure, but the preponderance of low-rise buildings in different styles and of different eras, many with cheerful terracotta tile roofs, give a sensation not of sprawl, but of livability.

High-rise free inner coreNow the city council has decided against the mayor's bid to allow some high rises into the inner core. Mostly, TreeHugger is a proponent of building up, not out, but protecting the existing character of inner cities is also vital to keeping them, well, vital. The city council voted on a ban on high-rise development in the center, extending from the famous Tivoli amusement park out to the cities four corners.However, a portion of the city on the harbor remains open to high-rises, though plans in the past have faced fierce local resident opposition. Perhaps Denmark's relatively low population gives them a privilege to choose to go low that more crowded cities can't afford. However, restricting just a section of town to skyscrapers is an interesting thought. Copenhagen's tallest building is currently the bell tower of the Town Hall at just 106 meters (347 feet).Via ::Copenhagen PostSkyscraper or Low-Rise? Read moreTall Cities = Green Cities?Ecocities of Tomorrow: An Interview with Richard RegisterWayback Machine 1932: How Long Will Our Cities Last?My Phallic Symbol is Bigger Than YoursU2 Has Architectural Problems