Tag: Architecture

Throwing slight shade at urban planners

I have never been on a canal tour before today. Naturally, I imagined this majestic scene with gondolas and swans everywhere; however, I then snapped back to reality that this was Copenhagen and not Venice. Nevertheless, I was extremely excited to experience the city from its iconic waterways. As soon as I stepped on the boat and saw the driver eating a burrito, I knew this was going to be an epic tour. Also, having Anders as our tour guide was another indicator that this tour was going to be one for the ages.

Similar to his tour in Malmo, Anders pointed out the urban planning of Copenhagen. We began our tour in the heart of old town Copenhagen. The classic European architecture with beautiful sculptures ingrained around the buildings edges. Every intricate detail represented the elegant and extravagant period in which the buildings were constructed. If one were to Google search “Copenhagen, Denmark”, the majority of the images on the first page would consist of these classic buildings. In fact, I did Google search Copenhagen and the page was filled with images of Nyhavn, along with many other areas within the old city.

As we continued through our tour, the scenery began to change. Anders was first to note the shift in the building architecture and design. Our boat cruised past the old city and into a more modern terrain. Instead of seeing centuries-old structures, we were now faced with modern and cutting-edge apartment complexes. In a way, it almost seemed like a completely different city. Cranes towered over us as we sailed by, signaling the rapid expansion of the city.

During this section of the tour, Anders explained the city’s reasoning behind this expansion. Naturally, he had some strong feelings towards it. To be fair, if I was a native Copenhagen resident, I would most likely share those same feelings.

For example, after this year, Paper Island will no long be the delicious indoor food truck establishment. This incredibly successful and insanely popular spot, both for locals and for tourists, is going to be removed simply because the city wants to transform the building into an apartment complex. While I can see the city’s business reasoning behind the decisions, I cannot imagine being a local and knowing that one of my city’s attractions was being erased and replaced with apartments.

I understand it is important for a city to expand and adapt to its people’s needs, but who decides what is best for the locals? When we passed one of the newer apartment complexes, Anders mentioned that it used to be an abandoned building. Artists would use it as their studios and there would be parties in the building; Anders himself took a moment to reflect on the memories he made in the building when it was the popular late-night spot. I could not help but wonder, how many other locally popular areas have currently been confiscated and transformed in order to accommodate Copenhagen’s growing population?

Even though it is important for the city to “keep up” with the influx of people, I wonder when (or if) the city planners will begin to keep the best interests of the locals in mind when deciding upon further city expansion projects.

City Planning 101

At first glance, Malmo did not look that much different from Copenhagen. Both possessed the classic European architecture and quaint cafés lining the pedestrian zones. The only glaring difference I immediately spotted was the biking trend. Malmo did not have as many bikers as Copenhagen; however, their infrastructure was still one that designed for frequent bike transportation. In all honesty, I thought Malmo just looked like a stereotypical, picture-perfect European city. By the end of the day, my perspective of the city had completely changed.

All throughout the day, our insanely insightful and intelligent tour guide, Anders, continually pointed out the architecture and layout of the city. He started by asking us to observe any similarities and differences between Malmo and Copenhagen. Naturally, I could not help but think there really was not any. I know what you are probably thinking, “silly Emily”, which is an accurate thought: silly me.

While Anders did admit there were many similarities between the two cities, Malmo’s city infrastructure and layout was more than what meets the eye. At each stop on the tour, he discussed the reasoning behind the area’s urban design. He spoke of how the urban city planners took numerous factors into consideration when building different sections of the city. Obviously, the “common sense” factors were obvious: is this area pedestrian friendly? Is it designed for cars, bikes, or simply walking? Does the design increase traffic in and out of the local shops?

Yet, there were multiple factors Anders mentioned that I had never even considered. He touched on the topic of “human-scale” and how it influences people’s feelings and perspectives of the area. If the buildings are closer together in a city square, it creates a more intimate atmosphere for people. This makes sense, but I guess I had never really taken the time to understand that these easily noticeable observations were meticulously planned to make me feel a certain way. In fact, included in the description of “human-scale” included the aspect of building height. If people can see the building’s roof (i.e. if the building is not towering over them), that adds to the intimate aura.

Thinking back to large cities in the States, like New York City or Chicago, it now dawns one me why it is easy to “feel lost” in the sea of the city. It is tough to find tight, intimate atmospheres in the downtown of major metropolitan cities. Sure, there can be little nook-and-cranny spots that locals can consider their intimate spots, but they are not as frequent or grand as the areas of Malmo (or even other European cities). I think that is why I have heard so many people talk about the relaxing and chill atmosphere of Copenhagen. The urban planning of these cities is tailored to make visitors feel a certain way ,whereas it seems that in US cities it is more tailored to jam as many people into a tight space as possible.

Whether it be in Sweden, Denmark, or back home in the States, I will view public areas in a different light. Instead of thinking about how quaint and beautiful the buildings are, I will start thinking about what the various factors that create a specific atmosphere.

Nokken

Copenhagen is, in some ways, a city like any other. It is full of pedestrian traffic, buses, bikes, and taxis. There are shops lining the streets, cafés on every corner, and apartment buildings in the city center and on the outskirts. However, it differs from most cities in its inclusiveness of both lower and upperclass living situations.

Early this week Hermione invited me to join her in exploring a village called Nokken, which is comprised of rows upon rows on tiny homes. Nokken is located on the outskirts of the city, across long bridge and past when the strand turns off to the right.

Tiny homes and their offerings have flooded social media of late. The ones I’ve seen in the US often come equipped to be hauled by any vehicle with a hitch. Thus they offer an opportunity to quite literally buy a home away from home wherever you choose to travel (at least on land).

The tiny homes in Denmark are much more sedentary than those I’m accustomed to seeing. The particular neighborhood that we viewed consisted of homes that I assumed, before viewing them, are meant to be lived in year round. However, when we walked around, we both noted how quiet the neighborhood seemed. We saw many padlocked homes with far overgrown lawns and poorly organized lots. We also heard very few noises from conversation or children. In fact, we only saw three people even through we walked the length of the village and back on two different paths. This made us come to the likely conclusion that many Danes may use these homes as weekend getaways or summer homes. We also recognized that having children in these tiny homes may not be optimal and would partially explain the lack of noise.

It was also interesting the note the stark difference between the town homes and the nearby apartment buildings whose shadows loomed over the smaller houses.

The photo below demonstrates both the neglect shown to some of the lots as well as the contrast between the large structures of the city to the tiny homes:

Feeling a Little like a Local

Last year, I attended the Business 180 spring term class that spends two weeks in Copenhagen. After the first few days, I felt like I was at least reasonably competent in my abilities to traverse the city. Like Cassidy mentioned in her blog post “Maybe change isn’t that bad,” I also felt strangely calm when I arrived in Copenhagen for the first time. At every opportunity, my classmates and I ventured into the streets to find food, visit museums and churches, or even just to “do as the Danish do.”

Well, if you are trying to “do as the Danish do,” at least two things will probably happen: first, you’ll start to wear A LOT of black; and second, you’ll walk or ride a bike almost everywhere you go. The walking and bike paths in Copenhagen make it extremely easy to get around the city, even if you, like me, are directionally challenged. The architecture also helps.

Copenhagen boasts an interesting variety of architectural styles. The ancient structures of days gone by stand right next to impressive modern buildings like the Black Diamond Library and Royal Danish Theater. Because many of the buildings are so unique, I find it easier to figure out where I am in relation to where I am trying to go. The buildings also make it easier for me to pick a path to take.

Today, on the way to dinner at Paper Island, I knew that if I could either cross the bridge next to Danhostel and follow the waterway until I reached a footbridge that crosses to the food service area, or I could walk past City Hall onto the main pedestrian street, follow the street until it essentially ends in front of Nyhavn, and then cross the newly built bridge that connects Nyhavn to Paper Island. I honestly have no idea what any of these streets are called or whether I’m walking north, south, east or west, but I do know that walking next to the harbor is a bit colder because there is nothing standing between you and the chilling wind, but it takes less time than following the pedestrian street.

After dinner, I left Paper Island and decided to walk back on the other side of the harbor which is now a viable option because of the new bridge. I was almost to the part of the sidewalk where there are trampolines when a young girl split off from her family and walked over to stand directly in my path. She asked me if I knew where “the building full of food trucks” (aka Paper Island) was located. Her father followed her and looked at me hopefully.

I happily gave them directions and then finished walking home. I cannot believe that I know the streets of Copenhagen well enough to give strangers directions. I almost felt like a local taking short cuts and wearing black from head to toe with simple, comfy walking shoes. I can’t wait to spend the next four weeks getting to know Copenhagen even better.