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Denmark’s New National Architecture Policy Sets a Bold Vision for Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Development

Topic

City making

Reading time

4 minutes

Date

27.03.25

Credit: VisitCopenhagen

​The Danish Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with a leading expert group, has officially released the new National Architecture Policy, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at redefining the future of Denmark’s built environment. Published last Friday, 21 March, 2025, the policy sets a bold direction for sustainable urban planning, biodiversity, and community-driven design.

Helle Søholt, CEO and Founding Partner of Gehl and spokesperson for the expert group, has played a pivotal role in shaping its vision. With a strong focus on people- and planet-centered urban design, Søholt and the expert group have worked extensively in the last two years to develop this policy and ensure that Denmark’s architectural future is both sustainable and socially inclusive.

“The National Architecture Policy fundamentally involves rethinking reality because we are currently facing a paradigm shift,” says Helle Søholt. “Therefore, we have sought to approach the debate actively within the expert group. Our ambition is to push some agendas and start a process nationally and locally, so we can envision an attractive future, even though it will be radically different.”

Credit: Andreas Raun

Key focus areas of the policy

The expert group’s white paper outlines eight key principles for the future of architecture, emphasizing circularity, repurposing and retrofitting, integrating nature within and beyond urban areas, and prioritizing quality, collaboration in city development, and diverse housing solutions.

  • Prioritizing environmentally responsible design that reduces carbon footprint and promotes resource efficiency.​
  • Integrating natural habitats within urban spaces to support biodiversity and enhance ecological balance.​
  • Creating accessible and equitable environments that cater to the needs of all communities.​
  • Emphasizing architectural beauty and cultural significance to enrich the human experience.​
  • Designing flexible structures that can evolve with changing societal and environmental conditions.​
  • Involving local communities in the planning and design process to ensure spaces reflect collective values and needs.​
  • Encouraging creative solutions and the use of new technologies to address contemporary architectural challenges.​
  • Considering the interconnectedness of urban systems to create cohesive and functional environments.​

These principles serve as a foundation for shaping Denmark’s future architectural endeavors.

Credit: Lars Gemzoe

Imagining a future we all want to live in

With the policy now published, the expert group will work closely with municipalities, architects, and planners to translate these ideas into tangible urban transformations. Gehl will continue its role in guiding implementation strategies, advocating for human-centered design, and fostering cross-sector collaboration to bring these ambitions to life.

This is just the beginning. We are laying the foundation for a Denmark where architecture strengthens communities, enhances environmental resilience, and elevates everyday life for all.

Helle Søholt, CEO, Founding Partner

Credit: OLALA
Credit: OLALA

Four local architecture firms speculate on how we will live in 2025

In 2050, will we thrive in vibrant cities, innovative rural communities, or live closer to nature? A series of four films by local architecture firms explore bold future visions. 

Created by the Danish Architecture Center with the expert group for the National Architecture Policy and OLALA, the films challenge how we live today and inspire debate on architecture’s role in shaping Denmark’s future. Each scenario envisions a more sustainable, community-driven way of living, inviting Danes to rethink their surroundings and engage in the conversation.

The films ask some of the most critical questions of our time: 

  • Can cities transform through nature-based strategies and solutions?
  • Can suburbs be transformed and adapt to climate change while ensuring social resiliency?
  • Can small villages be re-activated through community engagement? 
  • Can natural systems, spatial conditions in landscapes and human lives share the center of planning?


The scenarios are designed by Hahn Lavsen, Atelier for Byers Rum, OS arkitekter. and DETBLÅ and produced by OLALA! The films were launched February 25th by the Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt and the Danish Architecture Center (Dansk Arkitektur Center). Watch the films here. 

You can explore the new National Architecture Policy here.

Credit: Heidi Staby Kure (Minister for Culture)

Last week, the expert group for the National Architecture Policy submitted the white paper and recommendations to the Minister for Culture of Denmark, Jakob Engel-Schmidt. The minister welcomed the policy, emphasizing the need to approach architecture with a forward-thinking mindset and a responsibility to future generations. The policy handover took place in THORAVEJ 29 — a meeting point for society’s most forward-thinking individuals and organisations. The building is a prime example of circular design where materials have been repurposed from the old building to build the new. 

The National Architecture Policy sets a clear direction for both national and local planning, research, and education, while also emphasizing the need for ongoing innovation in the built environment industry.

Helle expects coordinated action between ministries responsible for architecture and planning, local municipalities to update their strategies in alignment with national guidelines, and strengthened partnerships to drive innovation in the sector.

  

Expert group

Pil Høyer Thielst: Partner, Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects
Helle Søholt: CEO, Gehl Architects
Ellen Braae: Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Copenhagen
Kent Martinussen: CEO, Danish Architecture Center
Marie Stender: Senior Researcher, Aalborg University
Ellen Højgaard Jensen: Former Director of The Danish Town Planning Institute and Lecturer at the Royal Danish Academy
Lene Dammand Lund: Rector at the Royal Danish Academy
Lars Autrup: CEO, Danish Association of Architects
Anna Mette Exner: Owner of Anna Mette Exner Arkitektur
Claus Sivager: City Architect, Frederiksberg Municipality
Sigrid Dahlerup: Department Head, Ministry of Culture

C40 Masterclass in Copenhagen. Credit: Gehl

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