Copenhagen:
Ecological models of urban renewal in the Vesterbro area
Copenhagen:
| |
| Country: | Denmark |
| Type: | Projects, Policies |
| Area: | District |
| Actors: | Local Gov., Private |
| Funding: | Local Gov., EU, Private |
| Topics: | Architecture and construction |
| Built environment | |
| Energy | |
| Housing | |
| Information and participation | |
| Water | |
| Objectives: | Improve access to information |
| Increase green areas | |
| Reduce energy consumption | |
| Reduce water consumption | |
| Instruments: | Demonstration and pilot project |
The Copenhagen model for urban renewal is taking place in the Vesterbro area in the centre of Copenhagen. It is a residential area with 23 blocks and 4,000 apartments for approximately 6,500 inhabitants. 90% of the buildings are pre-1900 as the area was built between 1850 and 1920 near the central station, whereas in total there are only 16% houses in Copenhagen which were built before the turn of the century. The complexes typically comprise blocks of flats with five to six storeys towards the street and open spaces, dwellings, workshops and small enterprises in the courtyards. The housing standard is low and there are a large number of one or two room apartments without central heating and warm water (64%) and without a toilet (11%) or a bathroom (71%). The social structure is also untypical for the rest of the City of Copenhagen. The low rents mainly attract people with low income, especially students. The unemployment rate of 20% is above average. More than half of the residents are young people, and it is an area with a higher average of foreign inhabitants.
Urban development projects offer great potentials to reduce the environmental impairment in the cities. In particular, the fixing of environmental standards in renewal and restoration projects is an important step towards sustainability as in Europe more than 70% of national investments in the building sector are directed to the renovation of existing parts of the cities. On the political and administrative level the cross sectoral co-operation is recognised as an important precondition to identify ecological potentials. In Copenhagen the backing from different departments has been highly relevant for all stages of the project, namely the following three parts:
At the local level the direct participation of the inhabitants could only be achieved if the structure of the exchange of information is adequate. It has to be taken into account that ecological achievements are not solely a matter of the installation of technical infrastructure but also a question of commitment by the residents. Therefore, the local social structure and the everyday habits of the people have been considered as a new ecological system presupposes new proceedings. The Copenhagen model adopted the organisational structure of local urban renewal shops in the blocks. They are co-operating with the Urban Renewal Centre. The organisational structure in the Vesterbro area is completed by the Urban Renewal School () which is offering a number of educational activities which are connected to the renewal project (e.g. gardening, crafts etc.). The educational training consists of theoretical and a practical part, and every course includes lessons on local history and urban renewal.
On the political and administrative level it is indispensable that local authorities set goals in their individual areas. In 1990 a working group for the Copenhagen model project was established in the Municipality5th department which is responsible for energy, water supply and the environment. Because of its size the Municipality of Copenhagen is a region and, therefore, it is also in charge of regional planning. The task of this group was to implement pilot projects in three test blocks in the first phase of the model project. The prime aim was to clarify the ecological techniques for the further stages of implementation. As far ecological aspects of the urban renewal project, the following five dimensions were addressed:
The Urban Renewal Centre was established in 1990 by the municipality as a place for meetings between the project management, tenants, people from municipal departments, trade association etc. Besides the meeting and discussion rooms the house has a library and a cafe which are mainly places for information and social work. A permanent staff of four people is running the centre. The existing local social centre is connected to the Urban Renewal Centre. In addition, local renewal shops for the residents are set up.
On behalf of the Municipality of Copenhagen, the planning for urban renewal is carried out by the urban renewal companies. These companies are non-profit organisations and they are responsible for the administration of economics as well as for elaboration of proposals for the urban renewal action plan. In co-operation with the Urban Renewal Centre they also handle public relations. The action plan pronounced the following broad principles:
In Denmark the implementation process has to follow certain rules in order to work out an action plan for the targeted area. Normally the action plan has to pass through the following proceedings:
In the process of planning a number of so-called theme plans were drawn up in order to describe the ecological potentials in different environmental media. These theme plans deal with technical matters, financial calculations, question of time horizon etc. The following plans had been made:
The implementation of the ecological dimension of urban renewal can be demonstrated in the pilot projects as they should set the level for large scale implementation. With this respect the Vesterbro urban renewal project has to offer two important test cases: the ecological action plan for the house at Dannebrogsgade 18 and the greenhouse in the Lille Colbjornsensgade block.
In 1991/92 the property at Dannebrogsgade 18 was totally restored. With financial support of the EU several ecological measures were implemented:
Another ecological project of the Vesterbro urban renewal focused on the potentials of urban ecology. Two houses in the Lille Colbjornsensgade block offered the opportunity to design open spaces in the courtyard garden as a whole. Such measures are particularly important in a densely built up housing area like Vesterbro. Where in other major cities in Europe the public green space per citizen is 25 square metres on average the Vesterbro figure is only 5 square metres. Therefore, the inclusion of public and private green places in the renewal project has to be rated as high priority.
The ecological idea of the greenhouse is based on ecological balance which includes following measures:
The waste water treatment plant is working on three floors of the green house and covers a total ground floor of 130 square metres. In the basement of the greenhouse tanks for reserve rainwater work as a back up for the basins at different levels.
In addition to the ecological benefits the greenhouse is primarily used by the residents for recreational activities. In winter the technology of the greenhouse also guarantees comfort in leisure time as a minimum temperature of 10 degrees is maintained.
Due to the ecological solutions carried out in the first phase of the renewal project the emission of CO2 in the Vesterbro renewal area was reduced by 14% or by 2;500 tonnes per year. Compared to the identified possible 42% reduction in CO2 emissions (= 7,400 tonnes per year) the ecological balance sheet of the first three test blocks for energy savings revealed that it is indispensable to continue with the implementation of ecological measures even if there are no grants from pilot project funds. This fact also applies to all areas of energy consumption. Of the potential 50% in electricity savings only 11% could be put into practice. The result in the heating sector has been more encouraging as 20% of the potential 29% saving had been realisable. Savings in the field of hot water had been 14% compared to an identified potential of 27%.
Water consumption is reduced by nearly 50% due to water saving equipment in water saving fittings, showers and toilets. The energy saving from the water saving measures is about 5.7 TJ.s
The project is equally financed by the national government in co-operation with the municipality. The national government sets the economic limit. In 1992 the total spending for urban renewal in Denmark was 325 million ECU of which 40% is directed to the City of Copenhagen with Vesterbro as itmain project.
The urban renewal project in Vesterbro is expected to cost some 650 million ECU until the year 2002. 0.75 million ECU are allocated to demonstration projects and experiments.
A system of subsidies makes sure that the tenants, who are involved in an individual project, do not have to face a high rise in their rents. Within the first eight years the Municipality of Copenhagen ensures that via a system of rent subsidies the rent is held at a maximum of 56 ECU per square metre per year.
The financial support from the EC for the pilot project 18 was 1.1 million DKK. A further funding of 150.000 DKK came from the Danish .
City of Copenhagen / Agency of Environmental Protection 1993: Ecological Urban Renewal in Copenhagen. A European Model, Final Report on the EC-project Model for Ecological Renewal of Old City Areas, Copenhagen
Terp, Finn / Knudsen, Helene 1994: Energy and environmental planning in Copenhagen, in: EA.UE, (ed.) 1994: Ecoenergia. Rational and Renewable Energies for the cities of the future. Report of congress and workshop Milan, June 16th - 19th, 1993, Berlin, pp. 98-104
Madsen, Jorgen Dahl 1994: Ecological Urban Renewal in Copenhagen - A European Model, in: Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umweltschutz, (Hg.), Energiepolitische Ansätze zur CO2 Minderung im Gebäudebereich, Neue Energiepolitik für Berlin H. 12, Berlin, S. 47-50
Ministry of Environment and Energy / Spatial Planning Department 1995: The urban environment and planning - Examples from Denmark, Copenhagen
| Name | : | Terp |
| Firstname | : | Finn |
| Telefon | : | ++45 / 33 / 66 58 77 |
| Telefax | : | ++45 / 33 / 66 71 33 |
| Address | : | Miljokontrollen |
| Agency of environmental | ||
| protection | ||
| Flaesketorvet 68 | ||
| DK - 1711 Kobenhaven | ||
| Name | : | Urban Renewal Company Copenhagen |
| Firstname | : | |
| Telefon | : | ++45 / 33 / 11 82 22 |
| Telefax | : | ++45 / 33 / 32 67 02 |
| Address | : | Studiestaede 50 |
| DK - 1554 Kobenhaven | ||
The City of Copenhagen has 467,000 inhabitants which live in a relatively small area of 88.2 square kilometres. It is a densely populated city with 5,316 residents per square kilometre. The Copenhagen Municipality is the seat of the Government and Parliament, as well as of a number of supervisory institutions. It is the centre of finance and commerce.
After the abolishion of the Greater Copenhagen Council in 1990 the municipality of Copenhagen has the responsibility for certain regional tasks for the central parts of Greater Copenhagen and the neighbouring areas of the region of north-eastern Zealand. The City has a considerable proportion of older and small-sized houses which were built before 1945. Housing areas consist mainly of residential blocks, while single-family houses only have a share of 7% of the buildings. The population of Copenhagen consists of a relative high proportion of elderly and young people. The number of households is 265,850.
Project was added at 27.06.96
Project was changed at 27.06.96