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Copenhagen Flow

Measuring the success of Copenhagen’s Town Hall Square redesign

Sector

Civic & Public

Region

Europe

Timespan

2019

Located at the centre of Copenhagen, the square is not only the symbolic heart of the city, but a key landmark that connects the city’s primary shopping street Strøget with the inner city. Credit: Gehl

After years of closure, Copenhagen’s Town Hall Square reopened in 2019 to include a new metro station. As a landmark and large open public space in its own right, the City of Copenhagen wanted to understand how the opening of a new metro station impacted people’s movement and activities, as a basis for scoping future urban strategy, programming, and design.

Data from the survey showed that from the opening of the Metro ring in September 2019 until February 2020, pedestrian activity on Town Hall Square increased by 120%, and the number of people staying on the square increased by over 60%. Credit: Gehl
The camera Gehl used to understand people flow over time was mounted on the top of the City Hall. TST counting is a real-time video analytics engine that utilizes advanced image processing algorithms to turn video into actionable intelligence. The camera does not store images, which means no data privacy implications. Credit: Gehl

Data-driven impact

As lead consultants, Gehl oversaw the comprehensive mapping of Town Hall Square, integrating lived experience data (surveyed by Gehl) with mobility data sourced from high definition video, heat-sensing cameras and WiFi sensing pylons.

Data collection began in August 2019 as a baseline and continued in September 2019 and February 2020. This allowed Gehl to capture ongoing changes, identifying prominent movement flows and behaviors of people in the space. Additionally, online questionnaires, totaling 3,000 responses, provided qualitative insights into people’s lived experiences and opinions.

By collating and comparing multiple data points, Gehl uncovered site-specific insights that the City of Copenhagen can directly apply to future decision-making and urban design. This multi-dataset analysis revealed a 120% increase in the number of people in Town Hall Square following the opening of the metro.

Leveraging public life and mobility data, Copenhagen’s Town Hall Square can now offer an optimized experience that truly meets the needs and desires of its users.

Gehl’s first multi-dataset analysis of Copenhagen Town Hall Square involved both qualitative and quantitative methods including Gehl’s legacy Public Space Public Life survey. Credit: Gehl
Jeff Risom, Partner Liselott Stenfeldt, Director of Research & Development, Partner Miriam Sode Alsteen, Behavioral Scientist
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