Copenhagen has changed. In the mid-1980s, the capital of Denmark, one of the oldest cities in Europe, was in the middle of a major economic crisis. Unemployment was at a chronic 17 per cent, hardly any foreign investment was in the offing and development had come to a standstill — the only crane in the city was in fact used for bungee jumping. But then the Berlin Wall collapsed and the geopolitics of Europe changed forever.

Now, Copenhagen is the vibrant metropolis that it should have been long before. It has become the preferred location for international businesses due to its unmatched infrastructure and access to a highly skilled workforce. Within a decade, the city has pulled itself out of economic oblivion and made itself a hub for business and research activity in this part of the globe.

And at the heart of this change is a unique idea, a brand new city called Orestad. “It all started in March 1991, when Demark and Sweden agreed on a fixed sea link across the Oresund, the channel that divides the two countries. Soon, Danish Parliament agreed to construct a completely new 3.1-million sq m district a couple of kilometres from Copenhagen near the sea link,” explains Orestad project manager Carsten Arlund.

The idea was to move central educational institutions out and concentrate scientific institutions in the area, along with attractive residential and business groupings. “It helped that there was a large chunk of unused land just a few kilometres from the city. Almost 90 per cent of the land is still a nature reserve, but the remaining area has been allocated for the new city,” he adds.

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