Special Report - URBACT in Denmark

1st Stop: Aalborg
Involving Students in a City’s Development

Not only Aalborg is the most northerly of the Danish partners, it is also one of the newest to URBACT. Aalborg is one of 11 partners in the EUnivercities project, which looks to foster cooperation between universities and cities.
The aim is to help the latter move towards a more knowledge-based economy, as part of the Europe 2020 strategy. It is a particularly important area for Aalborg, which has an industrial past but which has been steadily moving toward knowledge industries since its university opened in 1970.

“We’re a city in transition,” said Tonny Thorup, Head of Secretariat of the Commercial Department in the Council. “We have an old industrial site on the harbour front which will be transformed into a creative industries department of the university in a couple of years’ time, catering for 3,000 students. We want those students to contribute to the life of the city.”

The current focus is on finalising the Local Support Group, gathering the local stakeholders most concerned by the issue addressed by the project. The Local Support Group will then work on the elaboration of a Local Action Plan, a concrete roadmap and a range of solutions to tackle the core issues identified at the start of the project.


2nd Stop: Viborg
Nurturing the Green Economy

Like Aalborg, Viborg is also a newcomer to URBACT. The city is one of four partners in the INNOVA network, which looks to build sustainable businesses through innovation.
Surrounded by an agricultural region, Viborg faces the challenge of rising unemployment among both the skilled and unskilled as local industry has contracted.

However, it also has a growing sector in ‘Cleantech’, along with a number of startup companies connected with the local university. “We see Cleantech and ’green’ businesses as a main driver for the future, and we want to encourage that innovation,” said Anders Stryhn, Chief Development Adviser of the Council of Viborg. “But we also want to create jobs in a socially responsible way – and to find work for unemployed graduates and those with lower educational attainment.” Like Aalborg, Viborg is currently establishing its Local Support Group with a dozen institutions between universities, local enterprises, state authorities and business incubators.


3rd Stop: Skanderborg
Getting People Out of Their Cars and Onto Their Bikes

The projects of the two more southerly URBACT partners are drawing to a close. Skanderborg is part of the URBACT project “Active Travel Network”, which focuses on replacing car use with cycling or walking for short journeys.
Located just 20 km from Denmark’s second biggest city, Aarhus, Skanderborg is a growth area.

However, its success has also created a lot of traffic as about 15 000 people commute out of the city each day, and competes with parents driving children to school. As Hans Jørgen Bitsch, Public Health Consultant in Skanderborg Municipality, puts it: “The challenge is to get people out of their cars, and to enjoy the health benefits of daily exercise and reduced CO2 emissions.”

The Local Action Plan (LAP) brought together three municipality departments - health, planning and traffic & road services – along with residents, local politicians and stakeholders. A key aim was to encourage the use of public transport, as trains and buses in Skanderborg already offer fast links to Aarhus.

Today, bike racks are installed at stations and more of them are planned to be installed near key bus stops. A major effort has also been made with schools and parents to promote more cycling by pupils.
This was helped by an awareness campaign within the LAP: a one-week closure of roads near three large schools from 7:30 to 8:00 am during March 2012.

“It really opened people’s eyes,” Hans Jørgen Bitsch said. “Traffic fell by 25% after the experiment.” The Danish Cycling Federation has provided valuable support; helping to devise a course that shows teachers how to play cycling games with pupils to improve their safety awareness, and showing companies how to become more bike-friendly and therefore more attractive employers.

“The next step is to have the Local Action Plan put into the municipality’s policies and I’m very optimistic that will happen,” Hans Jørgen Bitsch said.


4th Stop: Sonderborg
Bringing Energy Efficiency to Social Housing

Sonderborg is one of 11 partners in the URBACT project CASH (Cities Action for Sustainable Housing), which aims to improve the energy efficiency of social housing through renovation. For the Municipality of Sonderborg, the CASH project fits into a far broader programme developed in partnership with local industry and energy companies called Project Zero, whose aim is to make the city carbon neutral by 2029.

Key to achieving that is using green district heating in the city area - replacing natural gas with geothermal energy, wood chips, burning waste and solar panels.
In rural areas, the aim is to replace oil central heating with heat pumps. With about 20% of Sonderborg’s residents living in social housing, the sector has a key role to play.

“CASH is about fitting social housing into our Project Zero masterplan, so we have been working on inspiring social housing companies in our city to be more green, more creative in their thinking and to renovate better,” said Lene Sternsdorf, Climate Coordinator from Sonderborg.
The main aim has been to establish best practices learned from different pilot projects within the Local Action Plan.

The conversion of a former technical college into apartments and the renovation of a housing estate of 48 homes are two such projects. The focus was on providing effective insulation, double-glazed windows and a non-fossil fuel heating system.
Another project is installing smart meters to 324 apartments so that residents, many of whom are on low incomes, can monitor their consumption.
Bringing together engineers, architects and social housing associations to promote energy efficiency is a vital part of the Local Action Plan.

“When you get real focus on this, you get better, more energy-efficient homes as a result,” Lene Sternsdorf said. “When our final report is complete we want it to influence policy not only at regional but also at national level.”


URBACT's Annual Conference 'Cities Of Tomorrow – Action Today' which will take place on December 3 and 4 in Copenhagen will be the opportunity to exchange with URBACT cities and experts.
For more information on the programme and to register click here.