Copenhagen’s medieval city center will be hosting a pilot project this summer with parking spaces being replaced with trees and benches. 66 parking spaces will be removed during the pilot, and motorists will be encouraged to use nearby parking garages.
“It has long been a great wish for me and many Copenhageners to get as many cars as possible away from the streets in the medieval city, where the narrow streets and cosy squares are not suitable for cars,” Mayor of Technology and the Environment, Ninna Hedeager Olsen, said. “By reducing car traffic to what is absolutely necessary, we can create a district that is much more attractive. With the experiments, it will become concrete, and I look forward to becoming wiser about how we can make it nicer to live and move around in the medieval city.”
During the pilot project, specific outcomes will be monitored, including: how the design of urban space can contribute to preventing and/or limiting noise from nightlife and cars; how to strike a balance between pedestrians, bicycles and cars and the commercial and non-commercial use of urban space; using temporary trees and benches to create a sense of tranquillity in a square by a cathedral; how to manage space between pedestrians, cyclists and goods delivery vehicles; and, how to prioritize pedestrians.
“I hope that many will engage in dialogue and contribute their views on what works and does not work. The experiments are precisely to make us wiser about how car traffic and the number of parking spaces can be reduced in a way that creates a good development for the medieval city,” Hedeager Olsen said.