Copenhagen, Day 2

June 27, 2023.

Learning about what Metro can do with a driverless system was really inspiring to me. Initially I have been hesitant to accept the future of driverless systems for the impacts that they can have on organized labor. However, I became a little more interested in the idea when I considered the trade offs discussed during Metro’s presentation and my experience using their system with headways of just 3min. I want to know more about how jobs are kept in the system and how union employees felt when the driverless system was introduced.

It was equally interesting to hear about the research going into considering biophilic design and the sustainability practices in consideration for Metro’s above ground subway stations. I was surprised to realize what was needed to ensure the above ground lines don’t segregate communities as highways have been known to do. The simulations designed are inspiring, and I look forward to one day researching how they turn out. I am curious what the tunnel connections will look like in real life and what their users perceived safety might entail.

Copenhagen, Day 3

June 28, 2023

Copenhagen, Day 4

June 29, 2023

Copenhagen has integrated green spaces into their urban fabric very successfully. From their city parks to the shared spaces in apartment courtyards, they have really excelled at the public, semi-public, to semi-private realm. Danes really value shared space on a deeper level than seen in the US. Shared spaces here are pushed to the next level by also mixing uses well. Pictured below is a space that is both skatepark and basketball court. When green space is limited, cemeteries are turned into parks where residents can stroll, play frisbee and sit on the grass with friends.

Black Square and its neighboring Red Square and connected Green Lane resonated with me the most. The integration of the three spaces, two parks and one bike facility and neighboring sports facility really blended in well with the neighboring uses. The Black Square had a unique design that I loved with cool hills painted with distinct lines, a beautiful fountain, and unique Japanese designed play sculpture.

Learning from what I have seen here, if I had to choose one public space that could use some improvement in Portland I would choose the SW Waterfront. With the amount of space available and being a tourist attraction, I think Portland could make the space more rememberable. Many of the landmarks do not speak to me and for that reason I can not recall any of them. Introducing elements of play, art, and further emphasizing nature could go a long way to improve the waterfront and draw even more people to visit. A good example of a Portland park to mimic would be Luvitt View Park with its really intelligent play and natural elements. 

Copenhagen, Day 5

June 30, 2023

Urban 13 was a very interesting look at the ways in which underpasses could be developed into active community spaces. The space we visited took one of the few underpasses in Copenhagen and turned it into a space for concerts, sports like basketball and soccer, maker spaces, a restaurant, and a unique meeting room. The presentation highlighted ways in which activating these spaces was both rewarding and challenging. Urban 13 staff talked to us about the different ways they are trying to create a space that is welcoming to young girls by having special programing geared to their needs. This meant dedicating special days for them to be able to come and play and create a community in space that is safe. Often these spaces are dark and hostile environments in urban settings and so significant effort must be made to flip the narrative and attract young girls to the area. The space faced similar challenges that many public realm spaces in Portland deal with including drug use and graffiti, and yet that has not stopped the mission of the project in continuing with its purposes.

Copenhagen, Day 6

July 3, 2023

Today we travelled to Aalborg the 3rd largest city in Denmark to see how bike and pedestrian planning differs in smaller cities. With just over 100,000 residents, the city still had a relatively well built out network with strong usage of around 11% bike to work commute. Although the town was pretty sleepy, partly due to the bad weather and it being summer break for college students, bike racks were still filled throughout the city.

Another interesting thing about Aalborg is all the public art that exists on buildings. The city has reached out to many world-renowned artists to paint murals on their buildings as an economic development strategy with the hopes of attracting more college students and other professionals. It has resulted in a very interesting pedestrian experience when walking through the city. These improvements make a big difference to the urban design and overall livability in the city. When walking through town there is always interesting art drawing your attention and causing you to contemplate.

Copenhagen, Day 7

July 4, 2023

It was a really interesting day in Aalborg that included a presentation and walking tour by COWI and international engineering firm known for its work in sustainability and bridge design. The most interesting part of the day for me was the presentation on bus rapid transit in Aalborg. The decision between BRT and LRT in Aalborg closely resembled a project I did in a public transit planning class. Learning that professionals are also doing the calculations and analysis in very similar ways was reassuring of my educational experience. While we visited it was clear that much of the town was out on vacation, it would have been cool to see how the system was used while the majority of residents were there.

Copenhagen, Day 8

July 6, 2023

Today we travelled to Malmo Sweden to take a walking tour of the inner city led by Martin Nelson, an Urban Designer at Gehl, and a presentation on Vision Zero from the Swedish Transportation Administration’s Lars Ekman. It was interesting to compare the Swedish designs to the Danish ones and to hear their methodological thought patterns for improving safety on the street. Historically speaking, bike ways in Malmo have tended to be bidirectional compared to lanes in Denmark that run directionally parallel to traffic. Martin explained that on upcoming projects, lanes will follow Danish design standards. This is an interesting shift, but it appears one way bike lanes prove to be less confusing and easier from a signaling and user experience point of view.

Lars’ Vision Zero presentation helped to further develop my vision zero knowledge. I now understand the benefits of roundabouts from a safety perspective, specifically that they limit head-on and high-speed collisions that are more likely to be deadly or cause serious bodily harm. Another aspect I find interesting is the shift from blaming drivers for making mistakes and instead recognizing that they are human and that we should be creating solutions that can limit the bodily damage caused by those mistakes. This is a logical point of view that gets us to move closer and closer to a world were no death is acceptable, while still being realistic on our path to get there.