Suburban development in Denmark

In this paper I focus on current projects and activities aiming at renewal and revitalisation of Danish suburban areas. In the last five years several activities have been initiated in order to discuss possibilities and strategies for the future development of the suburban areas in Denmark. A Think Tank has published a report, books and political statements have pointing to the suburban areas as important focal points for future developments, and a number of architectural competitions have been launched. The paper is based on review of these acitivities. It is pointed out, that ‘cultural heritage’, ‘identity’, ‘densification’, and ‘’urban qualities’ are important buss words in the ongoing activities. Subsequently it is pointed out, that the current renewal projects are often based on architecture and planning ideals which are diametrically opposed to those that formed the suburban areas when they were original developed. On this background the paper raise the question, if ‘dynamic change’ is in fact the primary goal.