Nordhavn: The smart urban area of the future

The liveability of Copenhagen’s Nordhavn 

Nordhavn is an urban area with many firsts. It was the first harbour facility to be constructed in concrete and the first harbour in the world to replace mechanical power with electric power. Nordhavn was also the first DGNB platinum-certified urban area in Denmark, and the district demonstrates how cities can actively support a more sustainable direction without sacrificing welfare and quality of life.

The area is being developed with liveability in mind. This means taking a holistic approach to ensure the good life for its residents and other users. Nordhavn is based on the principle of a ‘5-minute city’, making it possible to reach shops, institutions, work places, cultural facilities and public transport within 5 minutes’ walk from any point in the district. The task of planning the development of Nordhavn is to design for the needs and demands of today while trying to predict and address the major environmental challenges of tomorrow.

A living, smart city energy lab

In addition to liveability, the development of Nordhavn is also highly focused on sustainable energy solutions as well as resilience towards climate change, resilience to changing transportation needs, to different social needs etc.

Nordhavn is a full-scale smart city energy lab, which demonstrates how electricity, heating, buildings and transportation can be integrated into an intelligent, flexible energy system. A lot of smart city solutions are implemented in the area such as intelligent waste handling and low temperature district heating.

Copenhagen International School and the UN City are prime examples of energy efficient buildings located in Nordhavn, which are supported by smart energy solutions like the FlexHeat heat pump.

It is impossible to tell what the future looks like. But the Nordhavn district may hold some of the answers to the challenge of combining liveability with sustainability, resilience and smart technology in urban planning.