Copenhagenization / Bicycle-Friendly Infrastructure

Cycling in Copenhagen has become an essential means of transportation and a dominating feature of the urban cityscape, often a powerful visual attribute with cycling popularity leading to congested bike paths throughout the day. The capital city - a city with more bicycles than people - has earned a reputation as one of the most (possibly the most) bicycle-friendly cities in the world. Starting in the 1960s, Copenhagen experienced a decline in utility cycling due to increasing wealth and affordability of motor vehicles. Consequently, with the energy crisis and the growing environmental movement in the 1970s, cycling experienced a renaissance. Danes were restricted in how much they could use the automobile, forcing commuters to began a campaign for better alternative infrastructure and cyclist-friendly policies. Today, the city boasts more than 200 miles of bicycle lanes, with 55% of its 1.8 million inhabitants riding a bike daily (37% from Greater Copenhagen). The city's success in bicycle use can be contributed to a variety of favorable cycling conditions — dense urban proximities, short distances and flat terrain — along with an extensive, well-designed system of wide cycle paths that are often safely separated from main car traffic lanes and occasionally have their own signal systems.

In recent years, Copenhagen has continued to support urban programs that will only help expand the city's sustainable transportation trend. Programs such as an urban bicycle-sharing initiative, a system of 1,000 publically-accessible bicycles - referred to as Bycykler (English: City Bikes) - throughout the city. The scheme would be the world's first large-scale urban bike-share program featuring specially-designed bikes with parts that could not be used on other bikes. The system, funded by commercial sponsors, allows riders to pay a refundable deposit at one of 100 special bike stands and have unlimited use of a bike within a specified area. Also, the City of Copenhagen is currently underway on an extensive network of bike lanes to extend farther out into the suburbs. A network of 13 high-class routes - 'bicycle superhighways' - dedicated to reducing traffic and increase the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city to over 50 percent. The proposed bike highways will be dotted with pit stops where it will be possible for cyclists to pump their tires and fix their bike chains, as well as synchronized traffic lights prioritizing bicycles over cars, bringing riders from the suburbs into Copenhagen safely and more efficiently.

The term Copenhagenization is a current concept in urban planning and design that relates to the implementation of better pedestrian facilities and segregated bicycle facilities for cycling in cities. Copenhagen's well-developed bicycle culture has given rise to the term, focusing city transport on pedestrian and cycling, rather than the car, and the benefits for street life and the natural environment, the health and fitness of citizens, and the level of amenity in cities. Originally coined by architect Jan Gehl, Urban design consultant and journalist Mikael Colville-Andersen, would popularize the term in this meaning to a broader audience, starting in 2007 with the Copenhagenize blog, that highlights how the bicycle can be an important tool in the creation of livable cities. Currently, this practice has been introduced in other cities - adopting Copenhagen-style bike lanes and bicycle infrastructure - in areas such as Melbourne, as well as New York City Department of Transportation's attempt to re-imagine city streets by introducing designs to improve life for pedestrians and cyclists.

Danish bike culture was put on the world's stage with BIG Architect's Danish pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. The pavilion was designed as a traffic loop created by the motion of city bikes and pedestrians tied in a knot, allowing visitors to gain the experience of urban cycling in Copenhagen by taking one of its 300 free city bikes along the cycle paths which are incorporated throughout the structure. The pavilion’s theme Welfairytales (Welfare + Fairytales) re-launched the bicycle in Shanghai as a symbol of lifestyle and sustainable urban development. When the Expo closed, the pavilion was planned to be moved to another site in Shanghai and function as a transfer point for Shanghai’s new city bikes.

BIG's Denmark Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010 — BIG's Denmark Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010

Renewable Energy / Wind Power

The world's first carbon-neutral capital by 2025. That is Copenhagen's goal, aiming to turn 50% of Danish electricity consumption into offshore wind power (currently around 25%). The capital city has always been recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world, with much of the city's success attributed to strong community leadership combined with a sound national policy. Concerned with the relatively huge carbon dioxide emissions of their coal-fired electrical power plants back in the 1970s (along with the oil crisis), the Danish government rapidly supported broad initiatives that have supported clean and renewable alternatives to energy production, such as wind energy development, resulting in a dramatic reduction in the cost of electricity and pollution. Wind power was an obvious choice looking at Denmark's geographical location which has very large offshore wind resources, and large areas of sea territory with a shallow water depth where siting is most feasible. Economically, the Danish system created one of the first viable wind technology industries in the world by providing 30% of initial investment capital cost to green firms in the early years which was gradually reduced to zero. On a smaller scale, tax deductions were offered to families if they generated, or participated in cooperatives that generated wind energy within their own or neighboring municipality, creating a grassroots investment in wind power that would finance 86% of all wind turbines in Denmark. Today, almost half of the wind turbines placed around the world are produced by Danish manufacturers, producing a successful and profitable industry that continually reinvests in itselft, continually creating more efficient technologies.

In 2000, the city of Copenhagen took part in a large offshore wind farm project called Middelgruden, built one mile (2km) off the coastline of the capital city in the Øresund strait of the North Sea. Clearly visible from Copenhagen, the project is the world's largest offshore farm, consisting of a slightly curved line of 20 turbines, each 365 ft tall with a rotor diameter of 250 ft. Together, the project produces 40 MW of energy, or enough to power 3% of the city of Copenhagen. Financially, the ownership of the project is shared equally between the Copenhagen Utility and a wind-energy cooperative of over 8,500 indviduals that financed their half by purchasing shares. The success of this bold project, along with the direct location and public backing, states the importance of wind power in Denmark.

Alternative Transportation / Barclays Cycle Hire

One of the common sights you see throughout the city of London are the frequent use of rental bikes with blue logos. These bikes, referred to as Barclays Cycle Hire, are part of a program that is a public bicycle sharing scheme, launched in 2010 within Greater London. The scheme's bicycles are informally referred to as Boris bikes, after Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. The cycle hire opened operations in July 2010 with 5,000 bicycles and 315 docking stations distributed across the City of London and parts of eight London boroughs, with a coverage zone spanning approximately 17 square miles. Currently, there are some 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations throughout the city in the BCH scheme, which has been used for more than 4 million journeys to date and has drastically changed the way Londeners move around the city.

Initially, BCH required initial payment of registration and membership fees to be paid in exchange for an electronic access key, but in December 2010 this was changed to allow casual cycle hires by non-members who have a valid credit card. The project is expected to cost the city £140 million ($231 million) for planning and implementation over six years, and is hoped to be the only Transport for London system to fully fund its annual cost of operation, a goal originally estimated to take two to three years. As you can see, the scheme is sponsored by Barclays bank, which is contributing £25 million (18% of the scheme's total cost) over five years to the project's funding, along with launching a free mobile app called Barclays Bikes. All the bikes and the docking stations are built in Canada and are based on the Bixi cycle rental system that operates in Montreal.

Like most successful projects, credit for developing and enacting the Barclays bicycle share scheme has been a source of controversy. London mayor Boris Johnson claimed credits for the plan, although the initial concept was announced by Johnson's predecessor Ken Livingstone, during the latter's term in office. Johnson has said that he "hoped the bikes would become as common as black cabs and red buses in the capital". Recently, more criticism made some news, as Johnson decided to extend Barclays' sponsorship of London's bike hire scheme without fresh corporate competition. The mayor announced that Barclays would sponsor the bikes for a further three years up to 2018. But some are questioning whether the bank is paying enough and says the sponsorship should be put out to a new competitive tender process in 2015 as originally planned. Added in the new deal was sponsorship of a new cycle superhighway (a costly project that will connect outer boroughs of London) and a guaranteed expansion of the scheme to East london in time for the Olympics. Barclays bank will contribute another £25 million for the deal.

Renewable Energy / Geothermal & Hydropower

Due to the special geological location of Iceland, the high concentration of volcanoes in the area is often an advantage in the generation of geothermal and hydropower energy, making Reykjavik one of the most energy-efficient cities in the world. About 80% of total primary energy supply in Iceland is derived from domestically produced renewable energy sources, with the remainder being imported fossil fuels (mainly oil), but renewable energy accounts for 100% of electricity production (70% hydropower and 30% geothermal), with fossil fuels only being used for automobiles and ship consumption. The main use of geothermal energy is for space heating with the heat being distributed to buildings through extensive district-heating systems. About 85% of all houses in Iceland are heated with geothermal energy. Geothermal springs are tapped to generate this energy for Icelanders' homes, with water from the plants also feeding nearby thermal spa baths (popular recreation in Iceland), where the warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur.

Hydrogen Power

Currently, imported oil fulfils most of Iceland's remaining energy needs. This cost has caused Iceland to focus on domestic, renewable energy. In 1999 Icelandic New Energy was established to govern the project of transitioning Iceland into the first hydrogen society by 2050. This followed a decision in 1998 by the Icelandic Parliament to convert vehicle and fishing fleets to hydrogen produced from renewable energy. Iceland provides an ideal location to test the viability of hydrogen as a fuel source for the future, since it is a small country. The relatively small scale of the infrastructure will make it easier to transition the country from oil to hydrogen. There is also a plentiful supply of natural energy that can be harnessed to produce hydrogen in a renewable way, making it perfect for hydrogen production. However, these factors also make Iceland an advantageous market for electric vehicles. Because electric vehicles are becoming available sooner than hydrogen vehicles, the country may switch to electric vehicles. Plus, Iceland already converts its surplus electricity into exportable goods and hydrocarbon replacements. In 2002 it produced 2,000 tons of hydrogen gas by electrolysis—primarily for the production of ammonia for fertilizer.

Geothermal Pump Stations : Architectural Design by PK Arkitektar

In 1990, the city of Reykjavik hosted an open competition to develop pump stations to house the various hot springs throughout the city. The structure houses the mechanism on top of the well, that pumps the hot water to a central control from where it is distributed throughout the city. The Geothermal Pump Station is a 14 sqm steel structure constructed of two stainless steel clad curvilinear walls separated by a door at each end. It was prefabricated off site at a fabrication shop and transported in one piece to the hot water wells. Currently, these stations litter the urban fabric, standing as a symbol of the city of Reykjavik and its' committment to the use of natural resources.