Copenhagen has been designated as the UNESCO World Capital of Architecture for 2023. Danish Architecture Center is celebrating this with a grand summer exhibition. Copenhagen in Common tells the story of Copenhagen's strong tradition of focusing on communities and public involvement and gives the stage to three architecture firms, among them EFFEKT, each of which explore the future of Copenhagen.  

Many people consider Copenhagen a unique and pioneering city in terms of making vibrant urban spaces. Year after year, the Danish capital appears on various must-visit lists in trendsetting international media.  But what's Copenhagen doing right? How does Copenhagen create quality of life? What will it take for Copenhagen to continue to be one of the best cities of the world to live in? And how does Copenhagen's architecture form the framework for how citizens interact?  

The Copenhagen in Common exhibition looks more closely at what is behind the Copenhagen success story, and where it fails.  

Copenhagen of the future: three visions  
The exhibition also gives the stage to three architecture firms, each of which outlines their dream project as a possible solution to the climate crisis and urbanization - designed for the future of Copenhagen.  

Explore the Urban Village Project – a new visionary model for developing shared living communities and high-quality, affordable and livable homes for users of all income classes. The concept stems from a collaboration between EFFEKT and SPACE10 on how to design, build and share our future homes, neighbourhoods and cities. The design studio SLA considers urban nature as an essential part of future-proofing Copenhagen and have designed an anthropogenic forest for the exhibition while JaJa Architects give their view on a car-free Copenhagen.  

Exhibition facts

• The exhibition is divided into four zones: The Blue City, the Green City, the Dense City and the Mixed City. In the four main zones, visitors meet a number of integrated communication tracks. 

• A large city model placed centrally in the exhibition tells the story of Copenhagen's development from the Finger Plan in 1947 to the present day. The model was developed in collaboration with Dark Matters, with illustrations by Curated Works. 

• Facts about Copenhagen: Throughout the exhibition, visitors are presented with various facts about Copenhagen. For example, did you know that almost one in five Copenhageners has a non-Danish passport? That Copenhageners spend 60% of their income on rent on average? Or that they cycle more than nine kilometers a day on average? 

• The city in motion: How do we feel the city's pulse? The city in motion installation allows visitors to create their own pulse for the city. When the installation is empty it comes to a standstill. Just as the city would do without people and life. 

 
See more about the exhibition here.  

The exhibition will run from May 5 to October 23, 2023.