Urbanplanen
Urbanplanen, the city's largest car-free neighbourhood, was built as a residential area between 1966 and 1997. Today the area has an old farmhouse, cozy kitchen gardens, new courtyards and playgrounds, and a new activity centre.
The apartments are grouped around a large public park that contains a playground, a small outdoor shopping area, and an associated primary school, library and church. The buildings consist of public housing in five-storey housing blocks and two eight-storey apartment buildings, as well as smaller row houses.
The decision to construct Urbanplanen came from then-mayor Urban Hansen. He was elected in 1962 on a pledge to build 25,000 more housing units in the municipality. The goal was to address the increasing lack of public housing.
As with most public housing of that era, there was little diversity in tenants, and the buildings were left to decay. When the Ørestad plan was devised, neighbouring Urbanplanen was thrust into the spotlight. The city addressed the decay, ghettoization and crime in the area with a campaign called "Urban Development in Partnership."