Nordhavnen: Sustainable Neighborhood

On Sunday navigators discovered the Nordhavnen neighborhood of Copenhagen.  This is a newer neighborhood, and strategically designed.  In 2009 there was an architecture competition to create a plan for the area.  One of the six pillars in the plan for sustainability is identity and local history, meaning it's important to keep some of the traditional red buildings and make sure the neighborhood still feels like Copenhagen and not a modern neighborhood that could be anywhere in the world. 

Navigators toured the area with architect Saloni Parekh to learn about urban planning and sustainability.  Many of the buildings had rootop gardens or solar panels.  Our group's favorite area was the playground on the top of the parking garage.  It is accessible to all, and participants proved that you don't have to be a kid to enjoy it!

After a lunch of pita sandwiches and Mediterranean bowls, we checked out the harbor swimming area.

Copenhagen is one of the few large cities in the world where the harbor is clean enough to swim in.  It's one of the Danes favorite places to be in the summer.

Students enjoyed a refreshing swim in the chilly waters of the Baltic and warmed up in the sun afterwards before heading back to Basecamp for some Sunday free time.