7 Normal Neighbourhoods In Denmark That Will Make You Feel Rich

Do not expect a €294 million tennis court by Dominique Perrault or a station by Santiago Calatrava in Denmark. Why spend money on pricey architects’ fees when you can actually improve the places people call home?

Normal people have been the focus of the Danish political system for most of the 20th century, providing first-class city planning to improve the living conditions of the lower and middle classes.

This country has succeeded in reducing the gap between the rich and the poor and has achieved one of the best standards of living in the world. Millionaires are few as compared to Mediterranean countries and the big spenders keep lifestyle rather low key.

Planning and design are as quintessentially Danish as biscuits. Strong regulations and first-class city planning have given us a vast array of remarkable neighborhoods where normal people actually live. It is no wonder why city centers are deserted in the evening.

Take a look at these aerial views from the Krak search engine and find inspiration for more economically sustainable and people friendly cities.

Take, for instance, these housing developments in West Copenhagen. This could be a gated community but it is actually a middle-class district considered popular by carpenters, plumbers, and other people in the construction business.

Barcelona’s L’Eixample district lost its gardens when the blocks were filled with buildings, but here in Frederiksberg the green spaces can still be enjoyed.

The best way to integrate the Køge Hospital is to actually hide it with style.

Mixing living and leisure for the working classes in 1930s Copenhagen.

A city planner’s dream is made real in Zealand.

Not your last resort in Bali, but just some houses and a school in Greve.

Creative colony gardens for people living in apartments in Brøndby.

Design meets nature in Nyborg.

Beautiful surroundings in Vollsmose, the poorest neighborhood in Denmark.

Originally published at modernissimo-blog.ricardo.dk on October 19, 2015.