By Carla Pires, Sofia Morais, Ana Azevedo and Joana Azevedo
GAIURB’s DASH team – Carla Pires, Sofia Morais, Ana Azevedo, and Joana Azevedo – during two weeks in November and December 2024, conducted its secondment to Denmark, focusing on Copenhagen’s innovative housing strategies. This immersive experience provided a deep insight into Denmark’s progressive approach to housing policies and urban planning.
During the secondment, the DOMUS SOCIAL DASH team joined the group and accompanied the study the Danish housing scene.
The journey began at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Department of Building Environment, where Hans Thor Andersen warmly welcomed the teams. His lectures, held on 21 and 28 November, provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Danish urban planning and contemporary housing policies. These sessions set the stage for field visits to various Copenhagen neighbourhoods, showcasing Denmark’s integration of affordable housing and sustainable building practices.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
Key highlights
Two additional inspiring sessions at the Department of Building Environment deepened the experience. Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen discussed the challenges facing Denmark’s social housing sector, while Claus Bech-Danielsen presented the Parallel Society Act. These sessions were complemented by field visits guided by Rikke, illustrating Denmark’s success in balancing urban regeneration and community development.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
Exploring Copenhagen’s neighbourhoods
The team’s exploration of Copenhagen included visits to several transformative neighbourhoods.
- Valby: Located in the south-west of the city, Valby is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Historically, as a centre of single-family homes, the area is now evolving into a mixed-use neighbourhood with diverse housing, services, and green spaces. This remodelling shows Copenhagen’s ability to reorient industrial zones towards sustainable urban living.
- Kulbaneparken: Once a gas and railway company site, Kulbaneparken has been revitalised and transformed into a vibrant urban park with sports facilities and green spaces. Multi-family buildings managed by non-profit housing associations surrounded the park, emphasising the integration of leisure and housing.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
- Legesplads: Formerly a centre for agriculture and markets, this area now features housing blocks, support services and green spaces. By preserving elements of its historic market structures, the area exemplifies sustainable urban densification and the adaptive reuse of industrial spaces.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
- Vinhaven: A designated Parallel Society area, Vinhaven is monitored by Aalborg University’s Department of Construction. These social housing areas are prioritised for interventions to reduce disadvantage and promote social balance.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
Throughout the visits, it was possible to see a marked concern with providing quality, comfortable, pleasant and shared communal spaces. These principles appear from the outset in the planning instruments for the areas under development and are essential elements for the city’s growth. Copenhagen is a compact city with a high density of housing that needs spaces to relax and socialise.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
Engagement with housing institutions
The secondment also provided opportunities to engage with two key institutions that shape the housing landscape in Denmark: BL – the Danish Federation of Non-Profit Housing Providers, and KAB – the housing association, which manages over 64,000 homes on more than 500 estates for 60 non-profit housing associations and municipalities in Denmark’s capital region.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
Looking to the future
This secondment has provided the GAIURB DASH team with invaluable knowledge about creating sustainable and inclusive urban environments. The lessons learnt will enrich future initiatives and contribute to innovative solutions in the field of housing and urban planning.
Credits for images: GAIURB Dash team
