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Two-Minute Tour: Copenhagen, Denmark

This Scandinavian city ranks as one of the world’s happiest and is considered an international design hub

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The Numbers

According to the United Nations’ 2016 “World Happiness Report,” which ranks 156 countries according to their happiness levels, Denmark comes in at number one. The Scandinavian country’s capital city of Copenhagen boasts an equally cheery disposition – it regularly pops up on various “happiest city in the world” lists – and is Denmark’s most populated city with more than 1.2 million inhabitants. The official currency is the Danish krone, and despite persisting myths of socialism, Denmark has a free market economy. As of 2014, the average family income after taxes in Copenhagen was $49,824 (converted to U.S. dollars), according to a “Labour, income and wealth” report released by Statistics Denmark.

The Pulse

This cultural and economic hub, with its rich design and architectural heritage, dates back to the 10th Century. Historic sites abound, including the more than 100-year-old Tivoli Gardens amusement park, the grand Rosenborg Castle and the 17th Century Rundetaarn (or “round castle”) tower and observatory. Cyclists and pedestrians take priority here: Copenhagen offers miles of dedicated bike lanes – including the suspended, two-lane Cykelslangen bicycle skyway above the harbor that opened in 2014 – while those on foot can stroll the car-free Strøget shopping area, where a mix of retailers, including H&M, Zara, Prada and Louis Vuitton, have outposts.

The Hotspots

Former industrial areas such as Kødbyen (Copenhagen’s meatpacking district) hum with new bars, restaurants and galleries. While Papirøen, which translates to Paper Island (deemed as such for its buildings that served as paper storage for the Danish Press Procurement Association), is now home to the city’s massive street food hall filled with international eats as well as the Copenhagen Contemporary, an exhibition space for installation art, which will run through December 2017. Delphine Piault, creative director at Copenhagen-based multidisciplinary agency Pio Studio, notes the Nørrebro district is transitioning into a trendy locale with art galleries, vintage shops and eateries, as well as the short but sweet Jægersborggade street, flush with organic ice cream, handmade caramel, local chocolate shops and micro-roastery The Coffee Collective, which Piault credits as the best coffee place in town.

Obstacles/Opportunities

“The biggest challenge for Copenhagen is to create enough apartments for people living and coming to the city, as there is a lack of [housing],” Piault says. Transportation issues from the influx of people, she notes, are being addressed via a metro expansion that will add more than nine miles of railway and 17 additional stations beneath its downtown by July 2019.

Editors’ note: In March retailers and designers traveled to Copenhagen during the fifth installment of euro a go go, a post-EuroShop road trip that included stops at the city’s top cultural and retail spots, networking events and informative talks, to be recapped in VMSD’s May issue.

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