Sidewalks of Copenhagen - a Global Technology Defines Local Character

Abstract

During the 19805, critical regionalism emerged as a reaction to the optimising thrust of modernism. An interesting parallel development, however, can be identified in Copenhagen a hundred years earlier. Through a study of the history of the sidewalks of Copenhagen, sources revealed how a global technology had been adopted and adapted to create a local solution for the city. In the industrialised world, street form changed radically in the second half of the nineteenth century. Cities grew, traffic volumes increased and sewer systems were installed. To cope with these changes different options for the layout of sidewalks were proposed in Copenhagen. The options were not exclusive to the city, and in fact examples of these options, dating from the period, can be seen in cities across Europe and North America. But from these different technological solutions one was adopted and has been adapted and maintained to the present day. This layout is now considered a distinctly local solution. Similarly, other cities in Europe have sidewalk layouts now considered as part of their regional tradition. The original rationale/ design choices of materials and layout are easily overlooked, but it is important to examine their emergence and development over time in order to understand the local urban environment in its proper global context.