One of the largest urban development projects in Denmark is being launched today with an international competition for inter-disciplinary teams. The aim of the project is to develop the central harbour area in Køge, Denmark, and the development, which is intended to open Køge towards the water, will be carried out in close dialogue with citizens and other stakeholders.

Over the coming 20 years, 24 hectares of Køge are to be developed to create a new, sustainable area between the existing town centre and Køge Bugt (Bay). The development company Køge Kyst P/S, which is a partnership involving the Municipality of Køge and Realdania Arealudvikling, is now announcing a parallel competition for the first part of the assignment: the preparation of a development plan that details the framework for the area.

Dialogue and inter-disciplinary involvement are crucial

Close dialogue with citizens and other stakeholders is crucial to the urban development project in Køge.

"We have chosen a phased parallel competition with great emphasis on dialogue; not only between us and the competition participants, but also with citizens and other stakeholders," explains Kent Jönsson, Project Manager for Køge Kyst, and the man responsible for the urban development project in Køge.

"It is important to us that the teams participating in the competition feature a broad range of qualifications. We hope to see teams consisting of anthropologists, architects, retail trade experts, engineers, artists, sociologists, economists and so on - i.e. teams with the capacity to develop a sustainable new urban area from the perspectives of the environment, health and welfare, culture and finance," he continues,

Køge Kyst is inviting both Danish and international teams to participate in the competition.

New infrastructure - new possibilities

The goal of the development project is to realise a range of ambitious visions, while simultaneously taking as its starting point the current advantages of Køge - such as the town's strong business community and its lively, well-preserved mediaeval town centre. Another strength is the fact that Køge is one of the towns in the Greater Copenhagen area and the Øresund Region that is most centrally positioned along the transport corridor between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe.

This position will be further reinforced in the coming years when the new rail link between Køge and Copenhagen reduces the travelling time between the two urban centres to just 20 minutes - and ensures access to express rail connections to the rest of Denmark, Scandinavia and the new Femern connection to the south towards Berlin and Hamburg.

Conscious strategy behind the urban development

"We in Køge have long followed a conscious strategy of developing the core of our town - by establishing a completely new and modern harbour facility north of the town centre. This frees up central harbour areas for development of the new part of town, which will allow us to open Køge up towards the water and create attractive residences, cultural attractions and office premises close to the station," says Marie Staerke, Mayor of the Municipality of Køge.

"In addition, we plan to expand the shopping area in the town centre significantly. In this regard, competition participants are to contribute proposals for alternative solutions for the retail trade of the future, which can match up against any major shopping mall - without actually being one. Participants are also to illustrate how the newly constructed facilities can function side by side with the mediaeval architecture that distinguishes Køge town centre," she adds.

Partnership

The requirements on quality and finance are high in connection with the development of the new part of Køge. It is for this reason that the Municipality of Køge has entered into a partnership with Realdania Arealudvikling. These two parties have jointly adopted a vision for the urban development, which comprises considerations of culture, retail trade, infrastructure, architecture, citizen involvement and sustainability.

"Realdania Arealudvikling's vision of urban development fully matches the Municipality of Køge's. We are working to develop towns centred on sustainability and high quality for the people who are to live and work in them. Our ambition is to contribute to setting new standards for such areas in Køge, where the new part of the town is first and foremost to fulfil the wishes and requirements of current and future residents and users," says Mette Lis Andersen, CEO of Realdania Arealudvikling.

    Facts

    Køge Kyst

    - Development of a new area that is to open Køge towards the water

    - An area covering almost 24 hectares: the Station Area, Søndre Havn and
      the Collstrop Site.

    - Establishment of more than 300,000 m2 of newly constructed floor space:
      150,000 m2 of residences, 20,000 m2 of retail premises, and 100,000 m2
      of office space. This corresponds to approx. 1,500- 1,600 new
      residences, around 4,000 office workplaces and approx. 80 shops.

    - The company behind the development is the partnership Køge Kyst P/S,
      which was established by the Municipality of Køge and Realdania
      Arealudvikling.

    To find out more about the project, visit http://www.koegekyst.dk

    Vision for Køge Kyst

    The vision for the urban development is for:

    - the cultural initiatives to act as the driving force behind the project
    - retail trade to highlight Køge as an attractive commercial town
    - infrastructure to be developed as an asset for the town
    - urban renewal, architecture and construction to be distinguished by
      creativity and high quality
    - the citizens of Køge and other players to participate in the project
    - sustainability - in the broadest sense of the word - to constitute an
      overriding principle for the project.

Parallel competition

The intention of the parallel competition is to create a development plan for the area. Køge Kyst is inviting inter-disciplinary teams - Danish and international - to participate. Teams are to apply for pre-qualification for the competition no later than 9 December 2009. The competition itself will take place in the first half of 2010. Up to seven teams will be pre-qualified, and it is expected that three of these will participate in the final phase of the competition.

To find out more about pre-qualification, the competition format and timetable, visit http://www.koegekyst.dk

SOURCE The Municipality of Koge