Translating ‘New Compactism’, circulation of knowledge and local mutations: Copenhagen’s Sydhavn as a case study

Figures & data

Figure 1. Compact and dense urban development on Java Island, Amsterdam. Courtesy of Sjoerd Soeters.

Figure 2. Southern Harbour area. Author's work combining Openstreetmap building layer with WMS background from the Copenhagen municipality.

Table 1. Phase 1: Summary of key events, actors/mobilizers, enrolled artefacts and coordination encounters.

Phase	Summary of key events	Actor/Mobilizer	Enrolled artefacts	Coordination encounters
1	Harbour loses its traditional industrial function and becomes a decaying area.	Dealers, Prostitutes, Hell’s Angels	Drugs, Brothels	Unsuccessful discussions between harbour, state and city
	Small citizen groups start using the harbour for play and recreation.	Citizens	Islands Brygge Harbour Park	Formal and informal citizen meetings

Table 2. Phase 2: Summary of key events, actors/mobilizers, enrolled artefacts and coordination encounters.

Phase	Summary of key events	Actor/Mobilizer	Enrolled artefacts	Coordination encounters
2	The economic situation in the city improves, sparking interest in rehabilitating the area.	Property Developers, Danish Architects, Office Building Industry, State	New infrastructure investment (Øresund bridge, metro …)	Meetings
	The water in the port area is cleaned.	Municipality	Clean water	Meetings and maintenance work
	New office buildings contribute to the debate around the harbour.	Builders, Landowners	Kalvebod Brygge	Building work
	The municipal plan still envisages traditional industrial harbour functions.	Municipality	Municipal plan 1993	Meetings

Figure 3. The beginning of a new mixed-use development approach. On the top, illustration from Plan 2010 by the Harbour, showing a bridge connecting Sluseholmen and Teglholmen and a variety of office and residential buildings mainly formed as long blocks, referring to typical harbour warehouse buildings (Havn and Kjærsgaard 1997). On the bottom, illustration from the local plan (Københavns Kommune 1998), adding a green wedge and more housing.

Table 3. Phase 3: Summary of key events, actors/mobilizers, enrolled artefacts and coordination encounters.

Phase	Summary of key events	Actor/Mobilizer	Enrolled artefacts	Coordination encounters
3	The critique of traditional harbour development intensifies in the public debate.	Press, Architect and masterplanner, Danish architects	Newspapers	Journalistic work, architectural conferences and meetings
	The ‘Plan 2010’ is elaborated, envisioning the harbour as an area of mixed-use.	Harbour Administration, Municipality, Landowners, Danish Architects	Plan 2010	Meetings, architectural work
	The Local Plan 310 follows in the same vein, but with a rather traditional design.	Municipality	Local Plan 310	Meetings
	The development of new office buildings and a bridge shape new architectural ambitions for the harbour.	Private companies	Bridge, new office buildings	Meetings, architectural work

Table 4. Phase 4: Summary of key events, actors/mobilizers, enrolled artefacts and coordination encounters.

Phase	Summary of key events	Actor/Mobilizer	Enrolled artefacts	Coordination encounters
4	A steering group is constituted to devise a new comprehensive plan inspired by foreign projects. The group splits the harbour into 3 areas, one of them being the southern harbour.	Municipality, State, Public landowner company, Harbour administration	Planning documents	Travels, meetings
	Amsterdam’s Java Island is selected as the basis for the southern harbour’s masterplan.	Municipality, State, Public landowner company, Harbour administration, Dutch Architects	Images of Java and Borneo development, Soeters master plan for Sydhavn	Travels, meetings
	A public exhibition of the plans generates renewed public interest in the harbour.	Press, Citizens, Dutch Architects	Models, images, plans for the 3 areas	Exhibition

Figure 4. Reduced public space in Suseholmen, Copenhagen (Picture by authors).

Figure 5. First Soeters’ masterplan from 2000 top (Soeters van Eldonk architecten 2000), and final comprehensive plan from 2002 bottom (City of Copenhagen 2004).

Table 5. Phase 5: Summary of key events, actors/mobilizers, enrolled artefacts and coordination encounters.

Phase	Summary of key events	Actor/Mobilizer	Enrolled artefacts	Coordination encounters
5	The engagement of foreign architects sparks a discussion among the Danish design community.	Danish Architects	Professional media, interviews	Increasingly foreign architects engaged
	The municipality amends Local Plan 310 and calls for the preservation of local particularities.	Municipality	Local Plan 310, Red houses	Meetings
	The masterplan for the southern harbour gets ‘Copenhagenized’ and detailed in a collaboration between Dutch and Danish architects.	Dutch Architects, Danish Architects	Design guidelines Masterplan	Workshops, Meetings

Table 6. Phase 6: Summary of key events, actors/mobilizers, enrolled artefacts and coordination encounters.

Phase	Summary of key events	Actor/Mobilizer	Enrolled artefacts	Coordination encounters
6	Construction in Sluseholmen gets going.	Developers, Swedish building contractor, Dutch Architects, Danish Architects	Construction materials and equipment Buildings	Construction work
	The economic crisis slows down the process, delaying bridge construction.	Banks, Architects, Masterplanners	Absence of funds	Information of global and local media
	The first residents move shortly after construction resumes.	Residents	Buildings	Specific meetings e.g. signing of contracts

Figure 6. ANT-based diagram showing circulation and ties of places, artefacts and policy mobilizers.

Figure 7. Translating the compact city (CC) through different mutations, including the introduction of a post-modernist design approach at the end of 1990s.

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