Copenhagen Plans to Expand By Building Artificial Islands

Any city can build a new neighborhood. Copenhagen is going one step further by building entirely new land, then planting a new neighborhood on top.

If plans green-lighted by city hall committees last month go through, Denmark’s capital will soon build 10 artificial islands along the shoreline of its harbor. Called Enghave Brygge, the new islands will cover an area of 72 acres in total, strung along the quayside of an inner-city waterway that flows south into the Baltic. They will become the base for up to 2,400 new homes, contained in buildings between four and nine floors high. Renderings make these homes look very pleasant indeed. To maximize views of the water, apartment buildings would be constructed around the edge of each island to form a C shape, surrounded by stepped boardwalk promenades that allow easy access to the water. This building around the edges would free up each island’s core for a sheltered garden.