Innovating urban planning: The role of creative solutions in smart city design
Creative Denmark
Creating awareness about Danish creative strongholds internationally
Creativity as a driver for quality of life
This article is part of a series that explores how the Danish creative industries play a pivotal role in improving quality of life at a consumer, organisational, and societal level. Find links to the other chapters in the series at the bottom of this article.
Designing a smart city is not merely about implementing cutting-edge technologies; it's about intertwining these smart solutions through thoughtful design. Lessons learned from diverse cities globally underscore the importance of focusing on creative health solutions, recognizing them not just as options but as necessities for building vibrant, sustainable, and healthy communities amid the challenges of rapid urbanization.
This chapter is written by Camilla Richter-Friis van Deurs , former City Architect of the City of Copenhagen. She touches upon how technology can be harnessed to provide knowledge and solutions to combat health inequality in cities. She highlights how Copenhagen’s city planners have successfully woven together aesthetic, technological, and health-focused elements, creating an environment that promotes a high quality of life.
You will also find inspiring cases from Superkilen, Nabolagets Atlas, and Nordhavn’s 5-minute city transformation, showcasing how creative urban solutions can increase quality of life on different parameters.
Creating healthy cities through design, technology, and data
Author: Camilla van Deurs, Former City Architect, The City of Copenhagen, Partner at Nordic Office of Architecture, , Adj Professor, Phd, Architect MAA
The key to urban transformation is knowledge about how our lives are shaped by the surrounding physical environment. Smart use of technology, creative urban solutions, and human-centred infrastructure are some of the effective tools in creating healthy, safe, and sustainable places.
The urban environment influences the very core of our being. We all depend on good physical and mental health to lead the lives we want, but social inequality in health unfortunately often starts at birth and continues throughout life. Health needs to be a priority in every aspect of urban lives, thus enhancing quality of life equitably throughout the city.
Historically, cities and urban environments have been linked to unhealthy lifestyles; disease outbreaks due to dense living conditions of the inner city, heart attacks and stress induced by traffic noise or air pollution and lifestyle diseases enhanced by poor access to health foods and lack of active mobility options in a suburban context.?
Public administrations share a huge responsibility for prioritising health in urban lives but increasingly this concern is also a focus for private developers who understand the benefits of providing healthy districts and public spaces.
Technology can be harnessed to provide knowledge and solutions to combat health inequality. Through interconnected infrastructure, creative solutions in smart city planning play a crucial role in promoting healthier lifestyles. Whether by establishing green spaces encouraging physical activity or the implementation of intelligent infrastructure monitoring and improving air quality, the integration of creative health solutions becomes a cornerstone of progressive urban design.
“Creative solutions in smart city planning play a crucial role in promoting healthier lifestyles.”
Copenhagen stands out as a significant example in the realm of smart urban solutions, showcasing innovative strategies for addressing public health challenges. With a commitment to sustainability and citizen well-being, Copenhagen serves as a living laboratory for integrating creative health solutions into the fabric of urban life. The city's planners have successfully woven together aesthetic, technological, and health-focused elements, creating an environment that promotes a high quality of life.
From bicycle-friendly infrastructure to digitized healthcare systems, Copenhagen exemplifies how creativity can drive solutions that enhance both physical and mental well-being. In Copenhagen data collection programs have been developed to link information about traffic air pollution to main pedestrian school routes for children, resulting in new traffic calming policies in streets by public schools thereby offering a cleaner and safer environment and invitations for walking or cycling – a key health factor particularly in adolescent girls. Similarly, Copenhagen’s 2022 Green Public Spaces Policy aims at providing green community and play spaces within a 300m distance from every front door in the city, ensuring a micro-grained network of opportunities for physical and social activities for all inhabitants. To plan and execute this policy, extensive mapping and simulations have been done using GIS technologies.
Like Copenhagen, cities worldwide are making noteworthy strides in smart urban solutions, showcasing adaptability and a willingness to experiment. However, the success of these endeavours lies not just in their initial design implementation, but in their continuous refinement based on real-time data and community feedback. Through continuous innovation and data-driven solutions, smart cities present a promising vision for the future, where urban life is redefined, the potential for positive societal impact is maximized, and quality of life is heightened for its residents.
Cases
领英推荐
Nordhavn's 5-Minute City Transformation: A sustainable urban model
Nordhavn, a newly developed urban district in Copenhagen, exemplifies the successful application of the 5-Minute City concept—a transformative approach to sustainable urban planning.
Formerly an industrial harbour, Nordhavn underwent a radical redevelopment into a mixed-use urban district embracing the 5-Minute City concept. This urban strategy aims to provide residents easy access to daily necessities within a 5-minute walk or bike ride, or a 5-minute walk to a Metro station giving public transport to the wanted amenity, fostering a sustainable and people-centric environment.
Nordhavn serves as a model for future urban developments, demonstrating how the 5-Minute City concept can create resilient, people-centric, and environmentally friendly urban spaces. Through strategic planning, sustainability, and community engagement, Nordhavn showcases the potential of innovative urban designs to improve the overall quality of life for its residents. Read the case here .
Superkilen: A quality of life oasis in Copenhagen
Superkilen, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, is an urban park renowned for its innovative design and commitment to enhancing the quality of life for residents. Diverse cultural elements, recreational spaces, public art, community engagement, and greenery, creates a dynamic and holistic environment.
At the heart of Superkilen's design is a dedicated bicycle highway that traverses the park, providing residents with a sustainable and efficient mode of transportation. This cycling infrastructure not only encourages a healthier lifestyle but also reduces reliance on traditional vehicular transport, contributing to an eco-friendlier and more interconnected urban environment. By prioritizing sustainable transportation and fostering a sense of community, Superkilen sets a benchmark for urban spaces that prioritize the well-being and happiness of their inhabitants. Read the case here .
The Danish Neighborhood Atlas: Fostering inclusive regional development
Researchers from The Department of the Built Environment at Aalborg University (BUILD) have created an interactive, freely accessible web tool called The Neighborhood Atlas. The web tool offers detailed insights into over 13,000 Danish neighborhoods and their development across a 30-year period, aiming to promote data-driven urban development and foster equity in urban planning decision-making processes.
The Danish Neighborhood Atlas equips public authorities and decision-makers across regions with tools to compare different areas and identify gaps in local economic opportunities, identify local challenges, making it possible to create tailored local solutions. Democratisation of data and data-driven insights are crucial to develop solutions promoting equitable economic development and quality of life. Read the case here .
Read the rest of the series right here:
Creative Denmark assists international stakeholders and decision makers in exploring solutions, products, and processes within the Danish creative industries. As a not-for-profit, public-private partnership Creative Denmark’s primary objective is to connect international demand for innovative solutions with Danish creative companies and competencies. Focus is on raising awareness about the transformative potential of Danish creativity as a driver for sustainability and increased quality of life.
Creative Denmark is funded by a strong group of public and private partners: Erhvervsministeriet , Udenrigsministeriet , Kulturministeriet , DI - Dansk Industri / DI Kreative Erhverv , Dansk Erhverv , and Realdania .