This is Copenhagen, known for its beautiful waterways,
cobbled streets and for being one of the world’s happiest cities - apparently.
But despite the pleasantries, not everything is rosy in the Danish capital.
According to authorities, the population is growing but it’s running out of room
and with sea levels on the rise around the old port city, flooding is becoming a big concern.
While many cities are facing similar issues and have come up with their own answers – some of
them quite radical – the Danes like to do things differently, as we’ve seen before.
Instead of separate projects to hold back the water and create new housing,
Copenhagen is constructing an entire new island
off its shoreline that it hopes will fix both of its problems.
When you think of places that are vulnerable to rising sea levels and flooding,
this little corridor of Scandinavia might not immediately spring to mind.
You’re more likely to imagine cities like Jakarta, which is now sinking,
or Venice, with its Acqua Alta phenomenon that has tormented citizens and tourists for centuries.
These aren’t just well-known examples of cities with major water problems;
they’re also places that have come-up with some of the most extreme ideas to solve their issues.
Over in the Nordics things aren’t quite as bad but there’s still been a need to take drastic action.
Made up of hundreds of islands, Denmark is a low-lying nation and coastal areas
like Copenhagen are already at risk of flooding in the event of a big storm surge.
With sea levels set to rise by at least half a metre before the end
of this century and extreme weather becoming more common,
the Danish capital now finds itself a bit exposed with little in the way of protection.
The response is this - the construction of a massive artificial island. It was
approved by MPs in June 2021 and is going to cost about USD $3BN.
Yes, land reclamation has always been part of Copenhagen’s history,
but it’s nothing like what we’re about to see here.
Called Lynetteholm, the project involves adding 2.6 square kilometres of new land
to the existing port area. That’s about the size of 400 football
pitches - and it’s a task that will take almost 50 years to complete.
The perimeter of the island will be built with rock dams to help block storm surges coming in
from the north, as well as reefs, sandy beaches and a green coastal landscape on the east side.
Now, because the seabed is very soft, a layer of it will need to be removed
and replaced with sand before the dam material can be laid to ensure stability.
The idea is to take a ‘nature-first’ approach too, meaning that the land
is given time to become established with plants and wildlife before the main development begins.
Once finished, Lynetteholm will offer space for some 35,000 people to live
and work with a ring road, tunnels and metro station linking it to the rest of the city.
To make all this happen, some 80 million tonnes of soil - gathered
from other projects across the region - will need to be transported here,
with development company By & Havn leading the construction.
It’s a process that’s being done in two phases,
starting with the perimeter first to keep the water out and the land in,
along with an access road and a facility where the soil will be weighed and checked.
In the meantime, material has been placed in temporary landfill over on the North Harbour,
ready to be shipped across to the Phase 1 area once it’s ready.
That’s due to start in 2023 and take around two years, after which the remaining material
will start getting trucked-in from elsewhere in Greater Copenhagen.
2025 is also when the perimeter is due to finish
so by that point it will already be offering surge protection.
If all goes to plan with the rest of the project, then land reclamation will be all done by 2050.
The developers really aren’t kidding when they call it a “long-term project.”
As for when you’ll be able to see the island fully finished and populated?
Well set your alarm for 2070.
One reason for the lengthy time frame is
the effort that’s needed to get all that material to the site.
An environmental assessment predicted that as many as 350 lorry loads would
need to pass through Copenhagen every day to reach this target.
That’s in a city which is much smaller than most other European capitals and
that already suffers from traffic congestion.
Let’s just say the reaction to this news from locals hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive.
But according to the developer’s studies, using trucks is less carbon intensive than
getting barges involved, like we’ve seen on similar projects.
They also say the number of lorries shouldn’t be too different to what’s already being seen
across Copenhagen, which has experienced a lot of construction over the past decade,
including the extension of the North Harbour.
But concerns about Lynetteholm aren’t just limited to the roads. There’s been opposition
from environmental groups too, including one that’s accused the project of ‘greenwashing’.
They believe the environmental assessments weren’t thorough enough,
and even launched a lawsuit to try and stop it from happening.
Others argue that the whole idea is just a bit … overkill.
They agree the city needs some form of flood defence, but that just an artificial reef,
or something similar, would do the job much quicker
and wouldn’t require nearly as much construction work or money.
As for the housing pledge, again, not everyone’s convinced it’s what Copenhagen really needs.
The main issue right now is a lack of affordable housing and whether the new district would help
solve this or just deliver more properties out of most people’s budgets is still unknown.
Why is that? Well, the plans for the urban development and
infrastructure for Lynetteholm haven’t yet been finalised.
That 2021 approval by parliament was only for the construction of its foundations.
As for what will go on it and those connections to wider Copenhagen - that’s all going through
another environmental assessment which is set to complete in the summer of 2022
after a period of public consultation.
All possible environmental impacts - both good and bad - are being looked at, from the
potential for new plant and wildlife habitats to any negative effects on soil and water quality.
Another challenge is making sure they don’t accidentally build over historic artifacts
buried in the seabed, which has required working closely with local archaeologists.
Overall, if Lynetteholm can deliver on what it promises then, in time,
it could become the new district that Copenhagen needs to secure its future – in multiple ways.
But that’s the thing, it’s going to take time - lots of it - and
a great deal of work to get it done and win over the doubters.
They might be happy now, but let’s hope that by 2070, when this is finally finished,
the people of this great city are still smiling.
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