Engineering Timelines - low carbon Copenhagen : pedestrianisation in Copenhagen

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Find out how engineering is helping make
Copenhagen's low-carbon aspirations a reality

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> Some key facts about Copenhagen

Fact file : pedestrianisation

year the process started 1962
area of city centre 1,150,000 sq m
area of pedestrian zones 1962 15,800 sq m
area of pedestrian zones 1996 95,750 sq m
pedestrians per day through Strøget (winter) 25,000
pedestrians per day through Strøget (summer) 55,000
pedestrians per day through Fiolstræde
(all year) 11-12,000

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Pedestrianisation

in Copenhagen

Part of our Low Carbon Copenhagen project ... project index >

introduction • how + why pedestrianisation started • Jan Gehl + Lars Gemzøe • transport integration • it is successful? • walking the city • sources
key facts • urban planning timeline • pedestrianisation timeline • Denmark timeline

Introduction

The pedestrianisation of public spaces in Copenhagen is an integral part of the city's urban planning strategy. It began as an experiment and has steadily grown in scale, spreading from the inner city to suburban squares. Now well established and considered highly successful, pedestrianisation is playing its part in Copenhagen's overall low carbon aspirations.

There are a number of reasons why pedestrianisation works well in Copenhagen. The city's geography, history, land use pattern and compact urban form all contribute. However, two factors that stand out are the timescale in which pedestrianisation has been implemented and the level of city-wide transport integration into which it fits.

The first pedestrianised area (Strøget) opened in 1962. Copenhageners were'nt keen but soon saw how nice it was to walk along the vehicle-free narrow streets and they began to enjoy shopping more. Cafés started to open and the pedestrian area became a social forum instead of a route. Many more streets and squares followed over the next 30 years and beyond, with an accompanying decrease in car parking spaces. People had time to adjust.

In Copenhagen, pedestrianisation is part of a city-wide transport plan designed to integrate public transport, cycling and walking to take the emphasis away from private vehicles. It ties in with the city's efforts to become the world's first Eco-Metropolis by 2015 — reducing its carbon emissions by 20% — and to be carbon neutral by 2025 ..... next >

Pedestrianised inner-city areas

Pedestrianised streets
Strøget (1962), Fiolstræde (1968), Købmagergade (1973), Store Kannikestrade (1973), Rosen Gården (1973), Pilestræde (1973), Strædet (1989)

Car-free squares
Gråbrødretorv (1968), Nikolaj Plads (1972), Kultorvet (1973), Frue Plads (1973), Axeltorv (1988), Nina Bangs Plads (1990), Vandkunsten (1991), Gammeltorv (1992), Kongens Nytorv (1992), Amagertorv (1993), Rådhuspladenden (1996)

Car-free waterside areas
Nyhavn (1980), Højbro Plads (1986, now a market square), Gammelstrand (1991), Ved Stranden (1995)