What makes a successful urban district?
This time I had a big pleasure of talking to Kristian Villadsen - formerly a partner and director at Gehl Architects, now at Briq, where he serves as co-creative director. We discuss transforming Copenhagen districts into new livable city areas.
Briq’s holistic approach to urban life
At Briq, the work spans from high-level strategies to architectural transformations and even down to the “urban floor”—the interface between public space and buildings. The office integrates urban life, spatial design, and programming to ensure cohesive and vibrant environments.
Briq’s philosophy is to not only plan urban spaces but also activate them meaningfully. One striking example of this is their work in Carlsberg Byen. Around 2016–2017, Briq was invited to develop an urban life strategy for the district, which was then transitioning from a construction-heavy zone into a livable city area. While the master plan was already in place and buildings were going up, the vibrant urban life was missing.
Activating ground floors and rethinking retail
Briq’s intervention was multifaceted. They not only conceptualized the urban life strategy but also played a hands-on role in recruiting operators to activate the ground floors of buildings. Their vision extended beyond traditional retail, exploring how these commercial spaces could foster community.
With COVID-19 reshaping the retail landscape, Briq challenged conventional models: What should ground-floor retail look like in a post-pandemic city? How can it serve community needs rather than just consumerism? One standout example is a café specifically designed for parents on maternity or paternity leave—doubling as both a social hub and a neighborhood anchor.
Similarly, the Gasoline Grill's agreement to host a Thursday farmer’s market brought fresh produce to an area still lacking a full supermarket, creating a bridge between temporary needs and long-term community building. For Briq, community and retail are intertwined, essential components of a thriving urban environment.
From temporary activation to permanent place-making
Before Briq’s involvement, Carlsberg Byen had already seen a wave of temporary activations. These were intended to put the district on Copenhagen’s mental map—drawing people in through events, installations, and experimental public spaces. However, as construction intensified, these initiatives faded away, leaving a gap in the urban experience.
His connection to Carlsberg Byen runs deep. Back in 2006, during his time at Gehl Architects, he was involved in the masterplan competition and remained engaged as an advisor. When Carlsberg ceased beer production on-site in 2007, the district transformed into a blank canvas with immense potential. Although plans were ready, the 2008 financial crisis put major development on hold.
During this pause, temporary activations helped the area transition from a closed-off industrial zone into a public space. A new wayfinding system, playful public spaces, and access to a long-private botanical garden opened Carlsberg Byen to the public. This garden, filled with plants from around the world brought home by the Carlsberg family, had been hidden for over 150 years.
These early interventions were crucial. As a resident of nearby Vesterbro at the time, he recalls using the space frequently with his young child. For many locals, it was the first time they experienced the site’s heritage and beauty. Yet, when construction resumed, these temporary elements were removed, and for nearly a decade, Carlsberg Byen became a full-scale building site.
A new urban identity emerges
Today, remnants of the early activations—like wooden benches and playful design features—can still be found integrated into the new landscaping. But more importantly, the lessons from that era persist in the district's DNA. Briq’s involvement ensured that Carlsberg Byen didn’t become just another sterile new development. Instead, it evolved into a neighborhood that invites all of Copenhagen in.
The result is a genuinely public space. Sidewalks, bikeways, and plazas feel like any other part of Copenhagen. The district isn't gated or exclusive. It’s open, diverse, and integrated into the city’s fabric.
Urban life amid construction
Sustaining urban life during construction is no small feat. The area experienced a long period of building noise, limited access, and disrupted routines. For new residents and long-time neighbors, this can be frustrating.
Carlsberg Byen's ability to remain vibrant during this time contrasts with places like Ørestad, another Copenhagen development that has struggled with isolation. Unlike Ørestad, which is geographically and structurally disconnected, Carlsberg Byen is encircled by active neighborhoods. This makes its integration—and therefore its success—more feasible.
And while construction sites can be noisy and inconvenient, they can also spark curiosity—especially for children. The key is not to eliminate construction’s presence but to counterbalance it with intentional programming, design interventions, and a clear path toward becoming a real, complete neighborhood.
Lessons from Nordhavn: A strategic approach to ground floor activation
Expanding on Briq's role in shaping vibrant urban life, the conversation turned to Nordhavn, another major urban redevelopment project in Copenhagen. Although the speaker wasn't personally involved in Briq’s work there, he shared insights into the strategic approach employed in the Århusgade Quarter.
Here, NREP and By & Havn did something relatively rare: they took over the management of all the ground-floor retail spaces. In a typical development, each building owner manages their own space and rents it out based on individual priorities—often prioritizing speed over quality. The result can be a fragmented, inconsistent ground-floor experience that undermines street life.
By centralizing administration, NREP and By & Havn could focus on creating long-term value by carefully curating retail and service offerings. Briq helped define a conceptual framework for what types of uses would activate the area while also aligning with broader values like sustainability and community. Operators were selected not just for commercial viability but for their potential to contribute to a vibrant, interconnected neighborhood.
Creating the conditions for grassroots urban life
Another innovative element was supporting the formation of a local organization among the new tenants. This enabled them to self-organize—from hosting street markets to coordinating weekend events. Historically, such community dynamics emerge organically over decades, but in new developments, they can be seeded proactively with the right support.
The result in Århusgade is visible today: a vibrant street life and an engaged local ecosystem. One standout example is the “106” project, also known as the Red City, which has even been long-listed for a transformation award. Briq’s approach involved repurposing historical buildings to create public spaces and micro-retail units as small as 18 square meters. These modestly sized shops offer affordable entry points for unique vendors—ceramicists, boutique wine sellers, etc.—who are often priced out of larger, newly built neighborhoods.
The thoughtful design of public spaces in this project is also key. The square is clearly intended for everyone, with seating and features that don’t require purchases—emphasizing inclusivity and placemaking. At the same time, its edges are activated by surrounding cafés and small businesses, creating a rich urban fabric that invites interaction.
Rethinking retail for placemaking and affordability
The discussion then turned to a core dilemma in contemporary urban development: how do we ensure that placemaking efforts through retail and service offerings remain affordable and inclusive, especially in high-end districts like Carlsberg and Nordhavn?
One tactic is to vary the scale of rental units. Smaller commercial spaces are more accessible to independent and niche operators. Additionally, shared facilities—such as staff amenities or delivery areas—can help reduce operational costs for individual tenants. This flexibility in spatial and operational design makes it possible for a wider range of businesses to enter these neighborhoods.
More broadly, the speaker emphasized the need to shift how we think about urban living. Copenhagen is the only city in Denmark where square meters per person are decreasing, a reversal of the national trend. While this may be driven by high real estate prices, it also signals a shift in behavior: people are accepting smaller homes because of the high quality of shared urban amenities. When libraries, public pools, transport infrastructure, and public spaces perform well, residents need fewer private resources—leading to a smaller environmental footprint.
Policy, public perception, and the power of the sidewalk
Danish national planning law requires that 25% of housing in new developments be affordable, including in both Carlsberg and Nordhavn. However, implementation lags due to funding caps imposed on housing associations. Ensuring this portion is actually built remains a challenge, but it's an important step toward maintaining diversity in these new districts.
Equally important is the visual and spatial inclusivity of urban design. Despite being privately owned, the streets in Carlsberg and Nordhavn are indistinguishable from public streets elsewhere in Copenhagen. Their sidewalks and public spaces are designed with the same logic and materials as the rest of the city. This avoids the feel of exclusivity or privatization and reinforces a message: these places are for everyone, not just for those who can afford to live or shop there.
Designing equality into the urban fabric
A recurring theme in Copenhagen's urban development is the importance of equality in access to public space. This isn't just a philosophical ideal—it’s a practical design principle embedded in the city's DNA. One of the city’s greatest achievements is that people can move across Copenhagen and experience a consistent quality in streetscapes, sidewalks, and public spaces, regardless of the neighborhood or the income level of its residents.
This commitment means that, despite economic disparities, public space remains democratic. Even when affordability is a challenge in housing or retail, the shared urban environment softens the inequality by offering free, high-quality amenities accessible to all.
The future lies in shared space—and less of it
To tackle affordability challenges, cities need to rethink the scale of urban living and working. This doesn’t just apply to housing—it’s also relevant for retail and office spaces. The speaker emphasized the importance of reducing the amount of square meters we occupy individually and shifting towards sharing common goods and services within our cities.
While this doesn’t solve affordability in a single stroke, it points toward a more sustainable and equitable urban future, where high quality of life doesn’t rely on expansive private space, but rather on well-designed, shared public infrastructure.
What can others learn from Lessons from Carlsberg Byen?
Kristian suggests that it's more insightful to look at Carlsberg as part of a larger, decades-long urban development process in Copenhagen, rather than in isolation. Since the 1990s, the city has seen several transformative projects, each with its own set of successes and challenges.
One particularly influential model was the Ørestad development, which was designed to finance Copenhagen’s metro expansion. While the financing strategy enabled the city to build a new high-quality metro line, it also introduced significant economic pressures on Ørestad’s urban development. Lessons learned from this experience directly influenced how the next large-scale district—Nordhavn—was approached.
Both Ørestad and Nordhavn follow the same principle: urban development used to finance infrastructure, such as the Ring Metro. But in Nordhavn, stakeholders took previous criticisms seriously and implemented a more refined strategy—including better ground-floor activation, community-building efforts, and long-term value thinking.
Carlsberg was not linked to the same development model, but did understand the learnings and the value of in the brief to ask for urban life, during the day, week and year, asking how the life was solved in streets, squares and groundfloors and how this all linked to the social, environmental and economical sustainability - and all together, at the time, new approach to urban design. Carlsberg also succeeded in getting an s-train station on site, as part of their green mobility goal.
Copenhagen’s urban success is not accidental
It stems from a series of deliberate, iterative choices made over decades, learning from past missteps and always aiming to balance growth with quality of life. Briq Group’s involvement in districts like Carlsberg and Nordhavn illustrates how thoughtful strategy, inclusive programming, and a clear urban vision can create livable, dynamic, and equitable neighborhoods, even in the face of today’s affordability challenges.
Cities around the world grappling with similar issues may not be able to replicate Copenhagen’s model wholesale—but they can draw inspiration from its values and processes: democratized public space, long-term thinking, and a deep understanding of how urban life unfolds at eye level.
From housing projects to mixed-use communities
Unlike mono-functional districts, successful urban neighborhoods integrate housing with a wide range of other uses. Carlsberg, for instance, balances its development with approximately 50% housing and 50% "everything else"—including culture, commerce, offices, schools, and kindergartens. This model encourages a diverse urban life, where people not only live but also work, study, and socialize within the same area.
Nordhavn follows a similar principle, albeit with a slightly different ratio, around 60-40 between housing and other functions. The result is a district that invites both residents and outsiders, creating a dynamic public realm. This integration fosters efficient use of infrastructure such as streets, public transport, and utilities—reducing per capita CO₂ emissions and encouraging social cohesion.
Shared spaces, shared experience
Urban planning is not just about minimizing emissions; it's also about maximizing encounters. Public spaces and transport systems become arenas for civic life, where individuals from different social strata meet and coexist. Such environments foster empathy and a shared understanding that a city is composed of multiple, diverse life experiences. Mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods thus contribute to a healthier, more inclusive urban fabric.
Sustainability starts with how (and where) we build
The urgent call for low-carbon construction cannot be ignored. A shift is already underway. In projects like the Red City, supported by the Dreyers Foundation, innovative materials such as hemp crete are being tested and applied. The Red City alone features over 1,000 m² of hempcrete-based insulation, making it Denmark’s largest project of its kind. It's said that the most sustainable building is the one already build - but the least sustainable is the one build and not in use - reactivate, transform and re-use.
Yet, sustainable materials alone are not enough if new developments continue to follow outdated patterns. The average Danish single-family house now spans 213 m² and is often built in isolated areas, requiring extensive infrastructure and car-dependent lifestyles. This model not only increases the carbon footprint but also weakens community bonds.
From “build less” to “build smarter”
Movements like Denmark’s Byggestop (Stop Building) challenge the very premise of continued urban expansion. Their argument—that we must fundamentally reassess how much and how we build—is both valid and timely. While growth is inevitable, it must be met with smarter, more conscious urbanism. Instead of merely reducing square meters, we must design those square meters to empower people to reduce their overall environmental impact.
Approximately 20% of our individual CO₂ emissions stem from our living spaces. Another 25% come from transportation. Copenhagen demonstrates how compact, bike-friendly cities can address both challenges at once. Living in a 15-minute city allows residents to minimize car use, enjoy healthier lifestyles, and remain deeply connected to urban life. BRIQ has a vision to promote more sustainable behavior through urban design and experiences that shape how we consume, share, move, work, and live within our communities. Our goal is to foster social, healthy and green urban environments.
Proximity and livability: The 15-minute city in action
The concept of the 15-minute city—where daily needs are reachable within a short bike ride or walk—has transformed urban life in Copenhagen. The city’s density allows many to reach work, school, and amenities within minutes, creating a high quality of life that feels both luxurious and sustainable.
A personal example illustrates this vividly: In Nordhavn, office buildings coexist with cinemas and restaurants. At the end of a workday, professionals exit their offices while movie-goers and diners fill the same shared spaces. This fluidity of function reinforces the area’s appeal and ensures its infrastructure is in constant, efficient use.
Sustainable cities are human cities
Sustainable urban development is not just about materials or technologies—it’s about people. Copenhagen shows us that mixed-use neighborhoods, shared public spaces, and bikeable infrastructure can lead to more livable, inclusive, and environmentally responsible cities. As we build the future, let us remember to design with both the climate and the community in mind.
What do you think?
Recommended reading:
God By Kort Fortalt by Jan Gehl and Camilla van Dours
