Copenhagen is set to invest nearly 7 million kroner this year in transforming a handful of its streets into so-called “city life streets” — pedestrian-friendly, greener spaces reclaimed from car traffic. On Monday, city politicians will narrow the field from seven candidate streets down to five.
The concept is straightforward: local residents and businesses apply for municipal funding to redesign a stretch of their street, typically by introducing planters, benches, and greenery while reducing parking and through traffic. Community groups play an active role not just in applying, but in the subsequent planning process alongside the municipality.
This year, four neighbourhoods are in contention: Nørrebro, Amager Øst, Bispebjerg, and Christianshavn. The city’s Climate, Environment and Technical Administration has already reviewed the applications and put forward five recommendations for politicians to consider: Gormsgade, Nørrebrogade, and Ravnsborggade on Nørrebro, Lodivej on Amager, and Rentemestervej on Bispebjerg. Two projects — Dronningensgade on Christianshavn and Heimdalsgade on Nørrebro — did not make the administration’s shortlist.
Ravnsborggade: 11 parking spots out, 13 Planters In
One of the more closely watched candidates is Ravnsborggade on Nørrebro, a 250-metre street running between Nørrebrogade and Sankt Hans Gade, just a short distance from Sortedams Sø. The street is well loved locally for its concentration of restaurants, wine bars, cafés, and the historic Nørrebro Teater, and on summer weekends it regularly transforms into a sprawling flea market.
Despite its lively character, the street currently carries two-way car traffic with parking on both sides, leaving cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers to compete for space and giving the street a far more cramped feel than its width would suggest.
A coalition of local businesses — including Nørrebro Teater, Kind of Blue, Bevar’s, and Moment — has applied for funding to change that. Their proposal would remove 11 parking spaces and replace them with 13 large planters of varying sizes, fitted with integrated benches. The aim is to create new green zones that encourage people to linger, attract more foot traffic, and calm the street for non-motorised users.
Christianshavn has been trying since 2022
Not everyone is optimistic about their chances. Residents and businesses on Dronningensgade in Christianshavn have been applying for city life street funding every year since the programme launched in 2022, so far without success. The street runs from Christianshavn Torv down toward the old city ramparts, and the community has long envisioned planting trees, installing planters, and creating green resting areas to draw people from the square toward local shops, cultural venues, and the waterfront.
“We want to turn the stretch into a green street that leads people from the square down Dronningensgade to local businesses and cultural offerings, and onward toward the ramparts.”
— Local community group, Dronningensgade application
But once again, the city administration has not placed the project in its top five. Politicians are not bound to follow the administration’s recommendations, though in practice they rarely deviate significantly.
A competitive programme with long waiting lists
The city life streets initiative was established through a political majority decision in the 2022 budget, which set aside just over 11 million kroner to create greener, less car-dependent streets. In the very first year, 81 streets applied for a share of the funding.
Individual projects receive between 400,000 and 1.8 million kroner. Selections are based on how well proposals meet the programme’s goals of increasing street life, adding greenery, and reducing traffic — with additional weight given to streets that lack nearby green spaces. Funding has been earmarked for new city life streets each year through to 2028.
