On the day of arrival the Delegation started off with a 3 hour bike tour of Copenhagen. This tour focused on sustainability and diversity throughout 2 areas of the city, detailed below.
Sustainable Neighborhoods Cycling Tour Stops:
● Dronning Louises Bro: the lakes and biking
● Blågårdsplads + blågårdsgade: intro Nørrebro
● Folkets hus / People’s house + Kirkens korshær (homelessness)
● Assistens Cemetery
● Jægersborggade
● Nørrebro “heart”: intro Red square
● The black square: Superkilen
● Residence streets (Aldersrogade): Intro Østerbro
● Skt Kjelds Square
● Østergro: Urban farming and climate neighborhood
● Tåsinge Plads
● Fælledparken
● Mærsk tower (Cross the flying bridge along the Mærsk tower to
Blegdamsvej)
● Byoasen / the old people’s city
What we learned.
Goal Setting
Denmark has a focus on the UNSDG’s and a national goal of
70% reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2030. There has also been
great interest in the development of shared living communities in Denmark,
and many of the projects have sustainability and Net Zero as goals for their
construction and way of life. The certification is based on Deposit Guaranty
National Bank (DGNB) which is inspired by similar projects in Germany.
Changing focus on sustainability and lifestyle assessment in Denmark
building regulation.
Pollution and Efficiency
Copenhagen for example, has made tremendous strides with regards to
mobility and pollution efforts. By far their biggest focus is on energy use, as
it makes up about 80% of their carbon neutral plan to cut down on their
consumption. Copenhagen uses one of the world’s largest and most
successful district heating systems that works by using a network of pipes
to capture leftover heat from electricity production, then delivers the heat to
homes across the city. 99% of all households in Copenhagen are links are
very efficient district heating system. They have also introduced the district
cooling where they take the cold out of the water and the harbor and
distribute cold in the pipes beside the district heating pipes to help reduce
temperature in buildings, server rooms, and factories. So far, they have
reduced electricity use for cooling down buildings 70%.
Cycling in Denmark
Copenhagen is internationally known as one of the best bike cities in the
world. Working toward Denmark’s goal to become carbon neutral, the
capital city’s infrastructure has become bike-friendly in recent years to help
enhance urban health and livability. Cycling became more popular across
Danish cities throughout the latter half of the 20th century when the shocks
of the global oil crisis in the 1970s hit the industrial city hard. Since then,
cities across the country, Copenhagen in particular, continue to allocate
municipal investments in cycling-friendly infrastructure. The City’s
investments have contributed to a noticeable increase in commuters
cycling to school and work, particularly in the last decade. Cycling in
Copenhagen is not only a significant part of daily life for residents, but it
has also become a major tourist attraction as the city exemplifies the
possibilities of urban life that is less reliant on motorized transit. As
Copenhagen continues to move towards carbon-neutrality, cycling will only
become a more significant piece of the city’s identity.