Copenhagen wins international award for flood prevention

Sankt Kjelds Kvarter neighbourhood in Østerbro awarded Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation

Copenhagen has been awarded the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation for its cloudburst flood prevention of the Sankt Kjelds Kvarter neighbourhood in the Østerbro district.

Competing with 300 other projects from around the world in the ‘Sustainable and Resilient Cities’ category, the Østerbro project was chosen for involving its citizens in the development of the city and increasing its quality of life by creating new green urban areas.

“With the award, Copenhagen has been extended yet another compliment and international acclaim for our work preventing cloudburst flooding,” said Morten Kabell, the city’s deputy mayor for technical and environmental issues.

“The award also helps Danish companies – which have contributed to making the unique Copenhagen model for flood prevention – gain a foot in the door of the large Chinese market. Meanwhile, we are also generating new green urban areas and improving the quality of life for Copenhageners.”

READ MORE: Copenhagen wins international climate award

CPH trail blazing
Along with the award, the Danish capital has been given 20,000 US dollars, which Kabell recommends will be spent on planting more trees in the neighbourhood.

Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation is a collaboration between the Chinese city of Guangzhou and the international city planner organisations Metropolis and UCLG.

Copenhagen’s cloudburst prevention plan consists of 300 projects across the city. Last week, it was awarded the C40 Cities Award for its comprehensive management and protection plan aimed at preventing flooding and encouraging growth in the Danish capital.





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.