Copenhagen: The Blueprint for a Green City

Written by: Louise Deltheil 

Edited by: Othmane Oukrid

In 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark decided to become the first carbon-neutral city by 2025 (Garric & Strek, 2024). No other city has set such a goal; the closest is Paris, which in 2019 declared its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 (Garric & Strek, 2024). Widely recognized as the Greenest City in the World (McCrory, 2021), the capital of Denmark focuses on three categories to reduce its emissions: transportation, energy, and urban design (green spaces).

Transportation: foot, bike, and public transit 

When people think of Denmark, they often picture bikes, many of them–and for good reason. In Copenhagen, more than half of trips to work and school are made by bike (Green City Times, 2015). The city is essentially designed with cyclists in mind, featuring bike-friendly designs such as the Green Path, a former rail route turned scenic bike route offering great views of the surrounding neighborhoods, and “green wave” traffic lights, synchronized traffic lights intended to let bicyclists through quicker (McCrory, 2021). Overall, Copenhagen has 388 km of bicycle paths (Sustainability in Copenhagen | Wonderful Copenhagen, 2021). According to Copenhagen’s City Plan, the goal is to have 75% of all trips in the city done by bike, foot, or public transit (Green City Times, 2015). 

Regarding public transit, efforts focus on making buses and trains as sustainable as possible, reducing energy consumption while simultaneously improving human experience. Buses are progressively switching from diesel to biofuel or biogas, showcasing Copenhagen’s commitment to waste-to-energy. Copenhagen aims to change all diesel-fueled buses to more sustainable alternatives by 2025 (Green City Times, 2015), with many electric and hybrid buses already being added to its network. The same goes for the city’s train network: the Copenhagen Metro is an electric rail rapid transit system, with small, sustainable, and fully-autonomous trains, transporting around 52 million people every year. Similarly, the S-train is an electric hybrid urban-suburban commuter trail system, transporting over 100 million passengers per year. Showing Copenhagen’s ongoing commitment to improving their public transit, the city is also developing a new electric tram system under the name of the Copenhagen Light Rail (Green City Times, 2015). With these three systems, Copenhagen and its surrounding suburbs are very well connected, and the efficiency of its public transit is a clear incentive for its continued use. 

Energy: CHP plants, among other solutions

As a whole, Denmark is committed to improving its energy efficiency by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and ramping up its production of renewable energy from sources like solar and wind which generated over 63% of the country’s electricity in 2023 (Sustainability in Copenhagen | Wonderful Copenhagen, 2021). As of now, over half of Copenhagen’s energy is derived from renewable resources. The city’s cogeneration plants – combined heat and power (CHP) plants – currently provide energy to 98% of the city using biomass and waste-to-energy fuel, along with a small amount of natural gas. By late 2025, these plants will become fully carbon-neutral, replacing natural gas by just biomass as a fuel source. Along with sustainably producing energy, the CHP plants convert about 400,000 tons of municipal waste to energy annually, greatly reducing the amount of trash deposited in Copenhagen’s landfills. The city has also found an innovative and surprisingly simple way to slash its lighting bill by 76%, by installing over 22,000 streetlights which change luminosity as pedestrians and cyclists pass underneath (Marco, 2024). 

Copenhagen is committed to the sustainable use of its natural resources, such as the harbor’s water, to provide energy services to its inhabitants. Copenhagen prioritizes the protection and sustainable use of its local public goods and resources, such as the harbor’s water and the city’s air. The harbor’s water is used to cool office buildings, hotels, and department stores, and is clean enough that people are able to swim in it (Green City Times, 2015). 

Smaller private groups are also working to boost their energy efficiency and reduce their consumption of fossil fuels. Around two-thirds of Copenhagen hotels hold an eco-certificate, and each hotel regularly sets its own sustainability goals and expectations. For example, Scandic Hotel group has an environmental manager present at every hotel location to ensure industry-leading standards of sustainable design, energy and food (Bray, 2024). 

Urban Design: architecture and green spaces

Worldwide, the construction industry accounts for 40% of global CO2 emissions and 30% of landfill waste, an issue that Copenhagen aims to rectify through innovative buildings and architecture (McCrory, 2021). A few exemplary Danish companies are currently exploring alternatives to conventional design and construction practices to reduce energy consumption and waste. For example, the Lendager Group developed Denmark’s first residential area built out of materials from abandoned homes– the Resource Rows, producing 29% less CO2 than an equivalent building project utilizing conventional methods. Similarly, Arcgency built a CHP student village, using repurposed shipping containers to build housing that can easily be taken apart, moved and reassembled (McCrory, 2021). 

Copenhagen integrates green spaces to promote local food production and enhance citizens’ well-being. Examples include Øens Have, an urban farm and restaurant where locals can grow and buy produce while learning more about organic agriculture, and Byhaven2200, an open-to-all volunteer-run garden project in Nørrebro (McCrory, 2021). Grass roofs, which filter rainwater and insulate buildings in the North Harbor and Refshaleøen neighborhoods, along with rooftop farms, in Gro Spiseri, Osterbro, are other examples of green urban spaces used for the benefit of Copenhagen’s population (Bray, 2024). However, the most famous example remains Copenhill, a CHP plant which features an artificial green ski slope on its rooftop, a tree-lined hiking trail, and an 85-meter climbing wall on its longest vertical façade (Green City Times, 2015). Copenhill shows the potential of repurposing industrial sites into ancillary recreational spaces benefiting both the local population and the environment. 

Conclusion

In 1973, Denmark became the first country in the world to implement an environmental law (Green City Times, 2015). The newest version of Denmark’s 2012 Energy Policy Agreement commits the country to 100% renewable energy for electricity by 2030 and 100% renewable energy overall by 2050. The Danish Climate Act’s overall goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% compared to 1990 levels by 2030. As of today, a quarter of Copenhagen is made up of green and open spaces, lakes, coasts, and parks (Green City Times, 2015). Denmark and Copenhagen continue to lead Europe in the race for carbon-neutrality. 

The greatest and most unexpected advantage of heavily prioritizing green energy and spaces was the happiness it fostered in both the city’s and country’s population. In 2014, Copenhagen was named the European Green Capital by the EU and the “Most Livable City” by Monocle (Marco , 2024). What if that was why the Danes seem happier than the rest of us? 

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References:

Bray, P. (2024, April 2). Why Copenhagen is the greenest city in the world. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/discovering-hygge-in-copenhagen/worlds-greenest-city/?msockid=138fb120f1406817357ea0d0f5406e52 

Garric, A., & Strek, K. (2024, September 7). Copenhagen’s dream of becoming a low-carbon city. Le Monde.fr; Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/09/07/copenhagen-s-dream-of-becoming-a-low-carbon-city_6725196_4.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Green City Times. (2015, January 18). Copenhagen to be Carbon Neutral by 2025 | Green City Times. Www.greencitytimes.com. https://www.greencitytimes.com/copenhagen/ 

Marco , C. (2024, February 23). How Copenhagen is Leading the World in Sustainability - The Urbanist. Www.theurbanist.org. https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/02/23/how-copenhagen-is-leading-the-world-in-sustainability/ 

McCrory, S. (2021, November 10). How Copenhagen became the greenest city in Europe. Time out Copenhagen. https://www.timeout.com/copenhagen/things-to-do/how-copenhagen-became-the-greenest-city-in-europe 

‌ Sustainability in Copenhagen | Wonderful Copenhagen. (2021). Wonderful Copenhagen. https://www.wonderfulcopenhagen.com/wonderful-copenhagen/international-press/sustainability-copenhagen?utm_source=chatgpt.com