Kokkedal Blue Green Garden City Adaptation Plan

The Kokkedal climate adaptation plan, one of Denmark’s largest, is centred on the town of Kokkedal north of Copenhagen. It was developed to advantageously use its local waterway to improve local residents' everyday life at an environmental, social and cultural level.

This ambitious and innovative proposal, sought to restore the original water cycle to bring flowing water back through the city, deliver an improved ecosystem, enhance liveability, strengthen social cohesion, and deliver greater commercial growth.

Sustainable drainage
The focus of the plan was on the usage of the area as a whole, as well as incorporating rainwater for sustainable city planning and improvement of urban quality. New recreational spaces, common areas and paths were combined to bring a new architectural expression to the area, creating a stimulating environment to live, work, and play.

A large part of the climate adaptation plan in Kokkedal focuses on expanding an existing stream, restoring the original water cycle, and creating a delta formation to make the water flow through the city. As sub-consultants, Ramboll created the design basis for the project and made the hydraulic and technical detail plans, climate change adaptation measures and the local and recreational handling of rainwater.

Community engagement
This work provided the technical basis for a series of meetings with the local authority, utilities, and stakeholders such as housing associations, neighbourhood clubs, sports clubs, and conservation groups. Ramboll also contributed by advising on the sharing of costs between municipalities and utilities under the current rules for climate adaptation.

Public realm
The project in Kokkedal is unique in the way it uses climate adaptation measures to drive urban renewal and boost social life, while at the same time safeguarding the area against extreme flooding events. Kokkedal has long suffered from social division, insecurity, low investment, and major flooding. Because of these challenges, this project sought to create outdoor areas that could provide the setting for a good social community and give the city a much-needed boost.