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| Copenhagen faces particular danger as sea levels rise and superstorms hit coastal areas with greater frequency. Photograph: Kontraframe |
"Global
warming poses a real threat to cities but planners in the Danish
capital are taking visionary steps to ensure its resilience – and
success – as far ahead as 2100
Visualise the world in 2050: convex streets that collect water from
superstorms and pocket parks that absorb heat and can be turned into
reservoirs. Welcome to Copenhagen, where planners are preparing the city
for the effects of climate change several generations from now.
"We've
looked at how climate change will affect Copenhagen in the long-term
future", says Lykke Leonardsen. "For Copenhagen, the most serious effect
of climate change will be increased precipitation, so we've developed a
plan that addresses how to catch all the rainwater in the city."
Leonardsen, a city planner, belongs to the 10-person team working solely
on long-term climate change adaptation, planning ahead to the year 2100.
Like
any city located by the sea, Copenhagen will face particular danger as
sea levels rise and superstorms hit coastal areas with greater
frequency. "In adapting to climate change, cities can choose either grey
or green infrastructure," says professor Stuart Gaffin, a research
scientist at the Center for Climate Systems Research
at Columbia University, who also advises the New York City government
on climate change adaptation. "Grey infrastructure means building walls
and barriers. In New York's case, we'd lose Long Island if we went for
the grey option. The green option, which has growing support, includes
green roofs, green streets that will capture storm water, and pavements
that allow water to percolate through."
That's the option
Copenhagen has chosen. Leonardsen's team envisions lowering the level of
a local lake, thereby freeing space around its shores. This space will
then be turned into a park, with playgrounds and running paths. When a
superstorm hits, the lake and its surrounding park will be used for
water storage.
And those convex streets? They are main
thoroughfares designed by Copenhagen's city planners to capture water
from storms and flooding and direct it to the harbour. Copenhagen in
2050 will also feature smaller streets with plenty of trees, which will
slow anticipated flooding "so not everything comes bursting into the
cloudburst boulevards at the same time", Leonardsen explains. Pocket
parks will absorb heat and can be turned into water storage during
weather emergencies. In addition to storms, flooding and rising sea
levels, heatwaves are the most dramatic scenario facing cities as
climate change worsens.
If all goes according to plan, Copenhagen's sustainable climate change adaptation plan – which recently won the Index Design Award
– will be completed by 2033. To be sure, Danish city planners operate
in an enviable setup, where politicians and local residents alike
support sustainable climate change adaptation and are willing to commit
the funds required.
Brian Vad Mathiesen, an associate professor of development and planning at Aalborg University,
says: "The difference between Copenhagen and other major cities is that
they're very concrete in the short term and also look at what they need
to do for the very, very long-term future.
"But in Denmark, sustainable city planning is not a niche; it's just what we do. And you have to remember that sustainability is not just about the environment. It's also about creating local jobs."
Copenhageners,
in other words, have realised that doing the right thing for the
environment brings jobs – and higher living standards – to the city.
"Both from a financial and a sustainability perspective, it makes sense
to do as much as possible as early as possible," says Mathiesen. "If you
don't build things like pocket parks, you'll have problems with
flooding. We can't live with flooding that brings the city to a halt for
several days each time."
Other cities are embarking on similar plans. Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York this year presented a record $19.5bn climate change adaptation plan,
with 250 specific projects reaching into the 2050s. Toronto, Rotterdam
and Boston, too, have advanced plans with solutions from floating
pavilions to terraced levees. Some 20% of the world's cities now have
climate change adaptation plans in place. "While governments are mired
in negotiations, cities are leaping forward," observes Gaffin. "City
populations recognise the threats from climate change."
But while
pocket parks and cloudburst boulevards sound charming, green
infrastructure remains experimental. It's uncertain how effective
percolating pavements will be, for example, and the trees in green
streets face daily threats from cars. Besides, nobody really knows what
the world will look like in 2050, let alone 2100.
But as far as
Copenhageners are concerned, sustainable city design is the only answer
to climate change. Morten Jastrup, a senior analyst at Sustainia, a
Copenhagen-based think tank, says: "These measures will contribute to a
higher quality of life in Copenhagen. We have to consider what will
constitute a successful city in the future, because we need highly
qualified people to come and work here.""
