Housing and  Social Cohesion in Densely Settled Denmark

The chapter focuses on the economic, political and social issues facing housing in Denmark in a Nordic and Baltic context. After a brief historical introduction of the tenure structure and settlement pattern the chapter describe and analyses the changing policy and practice of housing in Denmark. Until 2001 housing and housing policy questions were rather neglected subjects in the Danish policy debate. For a number of years the focus had mainly been on urban and urban policy questions. But increasing difficulties for households gaining access to affordable housing in economic pressure areas like Copenhagen spurred a heated debate. The non-availability of private rented housing, long waiting lists for non-profit housing, the increasing house prices in the owner occupied sector and the concentration of socially deprived and ethnic minorities on an increasing number of non-profit housing estates all became matters for discussion. The chapter includes case studies on housing estates in an urban neighbourhood in the town Helsingør in the Capital region of Copenhagen.