Exchange of knowledge and expertise for sustainable urban development: experiences from cross-disciplinary and transnational cooperation between practitioners and researchers in the Öresund region

Abstract

This article presents the work of a cross-disciplinary Danish–Swedish collaboration project. The aim was to create best practices for sustainable urban settlements in the Öresund Region. Researchers and practitioners from municipalities in the region evaluated local and European projects for new urban areas and urban renewal using six concepts – identity, density, diversity, landscape, resources and governance. These concepts were also used for creating scenarios for four case areas and for a general discussion of sustainable urban environments summarised in a toolbox. The cooperation revealed diverse approaches to urban renewal and the significance of local legislation and financial prerequisites for renewal processes.

Keywords:

• cooperation between researchers and practitioners
• cross-disciplinary
• sustainable urban settlements
• urban renewal

Acknowledgements

I want to thank all the participants in the Sound Settlements project team for an interesting cooperation. Particularly I want to thank Peder Duelund Mortensen at the School of Architecture, Copenhagen and Jacob Norvig Larsen at the Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University in Denmark for their engagement and support.

Funding

This work was supported by the European Interregional Development Fund Interreg IV A [Öre 2009-29].