Photo: Morten Larsen

"Let the Italian inside you out" 

Copenhagen is a perfect example of a city that has understood how to utilise its public spaces. But we should beware of incorporating passing fads into construction, says architect Lars Gemzøe of GEHL Architects.

During the last 40 years, Danes have turned Copenhagen's squares and open spaces into places to meet and spend time together.

The trend began in the 1960s when cars were banned from the city centre and pedestrian streets were introduced, just as in Germany and the rest of Scandinavia.

The 1970s saw the advent of outdoor cafés, car parks were done away with and there was more space for city life. By the 1980s the cafés had become a permanent feature of the cityscape and at the same time the season had become extended.
Photo: Envac
Bo 01 in Malmö is an example of a conscious effort to create variation in public spaces on a human scale.


A large part outside

Where previously you might only sit outside for a couple of months a year, nowadays Danes spend a large part of the year outdoors – with the cafés open the whole year.
 
"Where previously Copenhagen was dominated by cars, today it is a city typified by activities and outdoor events," says Lars Gemzøe, associate partner in GEHL Architects and senior lecturer at the Centre for Public Space Research at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture.

City life has grown

"City life has grown year by year, more people are using the city and they are spending more time in it. Despite the marked change in climate from summer to winter, we insist on having a Mediterranean-style atmosphere all year round and we drink coffee in the square like we did on holiday in Italy. The same is happening in London, where at one time no one believed that people would sit outdoors in the rainy English climate. It's all about letting the Italian inside you out."
 
According to Lars Gemzøe, Copenhagen is a perfect example of a city that has increasingly understood how to improve its public spaces and turn them into appealing places for pedestrians.

The city continues to experiment with new configurations such as the multi-space, where children can pursue different sports activities. In addition, the city's squares provide spaces for all age groups and backgrounds.

Fads in construction

Lars Gemzøe has observed another tendency to establish small, intimate squares and streets on a Lilliputian scale in public spaces.
 
"This can be seen to extreme in the Swedish town of Jakriborg, near Malmö, where the entire town has a very old-world appearance and attempts to resemble something from the 1600s.  But it is also possible to build something in the right scale that is pro-people and yet retains a modern-day look. The development project known as Bo 01 in Malmö is an example of a conscious work effort to create variation in public spaces on a human scale in an entirely new urban development that includes among other things a popular promenade," explains Lars Gemzøe.
 
By Christina Tækker, cht@cowi.com
Published: 27.10.2006

Experience from many years of study 

Lars Gemzøe's experience stems from many years of study and research into urban development and from projects involving GEHL Architects in cities such as London and Melbourne. Recently, GEHL Architects was involved in an urban development project in Rijeka in Croatia.