About

Sønder Boulevard in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen represents a paradigmatic example of a landscape-led and municipality-driven street transformation combining public space regeneration with climate-adaptation strategies. Designed by SLA for the Municipality of Copenhagen, the project transformed a formerly traffic dominated corridor into a 1.3 kilometre linear park and multifunctional public realm between 2004 and 2007.

The redesign reflects an evidence-based approach to multifunctionality and ecological urbanism. Central lawn strips, perennial planting, rain gardens and tree pits replaced substantial areas of asphalt with permeable and vegetated surfaces, introducing ecological infrastructure directly into the street environment. Hundreds of new trees and diverse plant species were incorporated to improve biodiversity, strengthen ecological continuity and enhance local microclimatic conditions. These interventions contribute to increased stormwater infiltration, reduced surface temperatures and improved acoustic comfort through traffic calming and vegetative buffering.

The project demonstrates how nature-based solutions can be operationalised at the scale of the street, integrating hydrological performance with social and recreational programmes including play areas, sports courts, seating zones and open lawns.

Rather than treating climate adaptation as hidden infrastructure, Sønder Boulevard makes environmental processes spatially visible and socially accessible within everyday urban life. Participatory and iterative design processes also played an important role in the project’s development. Local residents influenced the arrangement of facilities and patterns of use, contributing to a public space that supports long-term stewardship and neighbourhood appropriation. These themes are recurrent in scholarly discussions surrounding Copenhagen’s climate adaptation strategies and governance approaches to nature-based urban interventions.

Following its transformation, Sønder Boulevard has become widely recognised as supporting a broad diversity of users, including families, children, commuters and elderly residents. The sequence of recreational and landscaped spaces encourages informal social interaction, outdoor activity and everyday occupation of the public realm, while traffic calming and improved lighting contribute to enhanced perceived safety.

Overall, Sønder Boulevard illustrates how climate-adaptive landscape design can operate simultaneously as ecological infrastructure and social infrastructure. By transforming a former transport corridor into a continuous public landscape, the project has become an important neighbourhood space within Vesterbro, reinforcing local identity, environmental performance and everyday urban liveability.