Klaus Bondam made a recorded address to the audience explaining the benefits of having a strong cycling policy in place and what the next targets for copenhagen would be. in short, Copenhagen plans to have 50% of its commuting by bike in 2015, up from around 35% today. ambitious but far from impossible...
The bicycle in our climate change era could be regarded as a Trojan Horse for Sustainability. In other words, it can insidiously infiltrate people's subconscious ambition to become climate-friendly. By the inhabitants behaving in such a way, the city and urban spaces could become more sustainable in terms of transportation, but even more so in terms of quality of life and life style..
Jan Gehl's urban quality firm GEHL ARCHITECTS is the world's leading urban space planning company when we talk about developing a lifestyle that is enjoyable and healthy for inhabitants and businesses alike. With 40 years of practice, the company has amongst many other cities now transformed Copenhagen's city center into a bustling and lively pedestrian strip where shopping and...
“Copenhagen’s greatest monument is right there in front of you at street level. A never-ending flow of Copenhageners on two wheels. A symphony of dynamic, human-powered goodness that has taken decades to erect and which is our greatest legacy. It is a monument that is massive and impressive and yet life-sized all at once.”
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Do you find it normal that in the middle of a snow storm a lady rides home with her groceries and a baby on her bike? Or could you picture yourself racing besides two lanes of cyclists to work? What about bringing your cello or even a christmas tree with a trike from A to B? Or watching a kid alone in the fury of the city safely finding his way to his friends place?Danes do… that is what makes Denmark so special. Freedom to be liberated from the gloomy prospect of being forced to choose a form of motorised transport for lack of a better option… Danes enjoy that to the full, they have done so for a while but the cycling culture was actually revived in 60-70s after a period of clear car dominion as the post war era led to ever more american lifestyles.
Many wonder why, some don’t know about it, others don’t care but probably should with what global warming, or should we say the “global warning” has in stock for us all. We want to tell you about that little story. The exhibit started in Paris in 2002 where the mayor decided to incorporate a bicycle plan, half successful to start with, but now with a push of inspiration from the exhibit has done much with Velib “public-rent-a-bike” system. It has travelled since to Canada and Australia, everywhere awakening a little utopia that could be so nice to have become true…
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Denmark is a country proud of its flatness and if we were a bit cynical you would say that we cycle because it is easy!Yes it is true that it might have been a hurdle less from living in San Francisco, but they actually enjoy one of the most vibrant cycling cultures as well. So what does it take to make driving less attractive? Is there a clear way forward for a entente between cyclists and motorists? Can this be one of the solutions or an easy step to alleviate some of the congestion issues our cities often fail to understand? More even, can this be a way to connect people - get them out of their box? Even if you like your music can’t you buy an Ipod? It doesn’t justify cluttering babies lungs and spend hours waiting to get somewhere in a traffic jam does it?
Come and see what the Danes have done, what their “concept” of lifestyle is and how slow-living integrates with efficiency and environmentalism so naturally.
Dreams on wheels will provide you with examples of urban planning strategies, designer bicycles that fit your needs, and a hint at the philosophy behind making it possible for everyone to partake in the sport of commuting without harming our blue planet.
Dreams on Wheels is a conceptual stage promoting urban cycling as a viable personal transportation alternative. It surveys best practice from Denmark, from cultural habit to innovative industrial design and city planning.
Shown first in Paris at the Danish House on the Champs Elysées in 2002, then in the Danish Design Center (DDC) in Copenhagen and most recently at Superdanish in Toronto, the exhibit is growing into a prelude to the 2009 UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen – COP15.
The exhibit has 2 main parts that link to making cities a more liveable, environmentally friendly and socially exciting place through a focus on the bicycle as a Danish Cultural Icon.
You will also find examples of the work of Odense and Aarhus as well as pictures of Copenhagen by Mikael Colville Andersen author of the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog. The three main cities in Denmark each have their way of expressing their cycling culture and public space innovation with respect to cycling. Aarhus recently created a similar plan to Copenhagen’s bike sharing program. Odense, Denmark’s official cycling city, has been chosen to exhibit its know-how at the Shanghai 2010 World Fair. You will find a preview of the pavilion as well as information on the many efforts Odense has done to develop cycling and make it easy for everyone to participate as a natural choice for commuting.
Also featured will be the film “Cities for People” from Gehl Architects, Jørgen Leth’s cycling trilogy and Cycle Kul-tur.
The big question is then, will this exhibit be of any use? Can you influence people just with a few ideas and examples? Our belief is yes, absolutely, in fact we are convinced because we have received official gratitude from the delegation from Paris City Hall which was invited to see the exhibit, participate in a conference related to it and later went for a study trip to Denmark - since they have devised the most advanced bike sharing project to date called “velib”. Let us hope and wish for more of the kind to happen so we can all say we were part of this change.
Thomas Ermacora
Photography © Colville-Andersen
Curation & Design by Etikstudio - 50 Elgin Crescent, W11 2JJ London UK, tel. +44 (0)20 7460 3509, [email protected]
For more information, please visit www.denmark.dk