Local News in Brief: New Copenhagen park will be the biggest for 20 years

In other stories, LTF gang banned, Christiania an example for the future and greener buses on the way in Copenhagen

Architects Bang og Linnet Landskab (Bogl) are beavering away on a design for a new 40,000 sqm park in the southwestern part of Copenhagen. The new Kulbaneparken will contain urban gardens, training facilities, a manned playground for 9 to 17-year-olds and a covered communal kitchen – while 21 million kroner has been set aside for it with more money to come, reports Politiken.

The park will be situated in Kulebanekvateret, an area adjacent to the new Grønttorvet quarter on the border of Hvidovre Municipality. It will lie between two housing association blocks and it was here that Valby gasworks stood until it exploded one morning in September 1964.

A much-needed boost
According to the deputy mayor for technical and environmental issues, Ninna Hedeager Olsen, the site has been chosen because the area has been ‘forgotten’. “Kulbanekvateret is really an area that Copenhagen hasn’t done very much about. You can hardly point to any budget negotiations that shows they’ve had anything before,” said Olsen.

The urban gardens and the first part of the manned playground are scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2019. Residents would also like to see a football pitch included, but this is not on the current drawings.

The park is part of a renovation of the area financed by Copenhagen Municipality, Hofor and the Danish state to the tune of 30 million kroner.


LTF banned
It’s now official: the Loyal to Familia gang LTF has been banned by an administrative order from the authorities pending the outcome of a case in the Danish courts. The ban means that it will be illegal to wear clothing with the gang’s logo or the words ‘Loyal to Familia’ printed on it. Police also have the power to prevent people with known affiliations to the gang from congregating in certain spots, and the activities of the gang are also illegal. The justice minister, Søren Pape Poulsen, has taken this step as a result of the gang conflict that has dogged the capital in recent years, resulting in a number of deaths. It is estimated that the gang has around 200 members, although some of them are already in prison for serious crimes.

Learn from Christiania, says British academic
In an article for videnskab.dk, Helen Jarvis, an associate professor at Newcastle University, argues that a lot can be learned from the ‘degrowth’ culture that can be seen in societies such as Christiania. The accepted wisdom is that success is measured through economic growth but, according to Jarvis, new thinking is needed. “The Christiania residents’ rejection of growth means that they can step out of the ratrace that forces us to work in order to pay for our increasing consumption and we can all learn something from that,” she explained. Human relationships are prioritised higher then markets by maximising fellowship, cohesion, social justice and the health of the planet. The residents of Christiania live in their houses but can’t buy or sell their homes and businesses.

Copenhagen’s buses getting greener
Copenhagen is due to get 41 new electric buses and two routes will be going completely green – converting from diesel to electricity. Next spring will see electric buses in Roskilde and now Movia in Copenhagen following suit, reports Politiken. The routes in question are 2A and 18. The municipality has already decided to replace all the city’s buses with electric ones by 2030, but the mayor of Copenhagen, Frank Jensen, would ideally like to see this happening by 2025.

Another cyclist killed in blindspot accident
A female cyclist was killed early on Friday morning when a lorry turned right at a crossroads on Hulgårdsvej and Borups Alle and knocked her off her bike. The woman was intending to go straight ahead and the driver of the lorry had not seen her, reports Politiken. Police are still investigating the accident but one theory is that a barrier built of plastic elements separating cyclists from cars and lorries on Hulgårdsvej because of roadworks had obscured both the driver’s view and the cyclist’s.




  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.

  • Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Most parents in Denmark reject using social media parental controls despite knowing about them. A new study questions the effectiveness of these tools in ensuring children’s online safety.