Another year, another trip to Copenhagen

Last week I managed to fit in another quick trip over to Copenhagen. There are a million reasons why I love this city so much, but mainly because it's not an aggressive, traffic heavy, overdeveloped city... People are friendly, bike riders are respected and encouraged, the architecture - old and new - is elegant, nightlife is fun, and the Baltic is clean (swimming in the harbour ... amongst the ferries is fine).

There seems to be a simplicity, pragmatism and calmness that I haven't experienced in any other city. It's no wonder it's architects and urban designers are in demand in around the world.

This year my friend Mark and I rode our bikes up north and crossed over into Sweden for a couple of days. Awesome little trip and as always - can't wait to get back.

A few holiday snaps below. :-) 

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Launch of a Copenhagen street with Mikael Colville-Andersen

I met with urban design legend Mikael Colville-Andersen in 2015 at the launch of a new street in Copenhagen. Here is what he had to say about Istedgade in the neighbourhood of Vesterbro.

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Toronto from above: views from the CN Tower

I’ve been wanting to visit Toronto, Ontario for years. Not only do I have some awesome friends living there, but with one of the most striking cityscapes in the world, I've been super keen to take a wander through its downtown streets. 

Two weeks ago I boarded a Westjet flight from Gatwick and a few hours later as I was touching down at the Toronto Pearson. As I peered out the train window on my way into the city, I was struck by the size of its building's. With over 2,300 high rise towers, it's now the tallest city in North American behind New York.  

But it was the CN Tower which stood out in particular. Not only is the building monstrous, but it stretches out of the city cluster with a super cool 1970s, retro swag. 

After an initial building boom in the late 19th century, the '60s and '70s saw Toronto undergo its second major urban transformation. As the city refocused itself from manufacturing industries to the services economy, it began tower upwards, rather than just outwards. 

Completed in 1976, the CN Tower became a symbol for the rise of Toronto as an innovative, global city and marked a new era in high rise development of the downtown. 

Standing at over 550 m, the CN Tower held the record of the world’s tallest freestanding structure until the completion of the Canton Tower in 2009 and Burj Khalifa in 2010. For over 34 years it set the bar for tall buildings across the world. 

As my friend Jesse Darling (who also happens to be a Toronto expert) and I ate and drank our way through the city's neighbourhoods, it wasn’t long before I asked if she’d be up for doing something "really, really touristy". 

In just a matter of hours, we were on our way to the CN Tower observation deck to check out the city from above.

Looking down at Toronto below I could see the intricacy of the city's neighbourhoods, and the beauty of the natural landscape beyond. As towers flood the horizon and 100 more stand under construction, its clear to see the importance planning tall buildings carefully.

Not only can high-rise towers drastically change the look of a neighbourhood, but they can very quickly change the feel of one too. Characterful neighbourhoods which have evolved over many decades can suddenly take on a whole new vibe - often at stake of its old one. 

At the same time however, when located carefully and designed well, tall buildings can add to the beauty and vibrancy of a a city, as well as provide people with needed homes and workspaces. As controversial as it may have been at the time, the CN Tower has - in my opinion -  stood the test of time. And if anything else, gives locals a visual landmark and enables millions of visitors like me to admire the beauty of the city beyond. 

Make sure you check out the YouTube video and photos below. Of course, if you love or hate the CN Tower, let me know in the comments section... Yew!

Photos, video and text all copyright Tom Oliver Payne. Music courtesy The Postal Service. 

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The best of Oslo's new architecture

One of my favourite bars in London is called 'Oslo'. It has a super clean design and generally nice aesthetic and it's always filled with really good looking people... I guess the main reason I travelled to the real Oslo last week is because I figured it would be a bigger version of that bar.

While both of these expectations were surpassed, the city's sense of design in particular, far exceeded my predictions. When I stepped out at Oslo Central Station, I found myself surrounded by incredible new buildings encompassing a mix of interesting shapes and sizes. But of course, all details finished with a subtle air of elegance. In true Nordic fashion. 

After two decades of financial growth and a thriving arts and cultural scene, the city is drawing in buyers and investors from around the world. And fortunately (unlike many cities), they're working with some of the best designers to show off their ideas. 

With half the waterfront still under construction, it quickly became clear to me that Oslo is experiencing an architectural explosion. 

Here are my three favourite contemporary architecture projects in the city.

The Barcode Project

The Barcode Project is a huge area of redevelopment along the edge of Oslo's waterfront. Full of mixed-use high rise buildings, it's home to incredible designs by some of Scandinavia's best architects. 

From west to east, its main buildings include PriceWaterhouseCoopers Building by A-lab Architects, the Kommunal Landspensjonskasse Building by Solheim & Jacobsen, the Deloitte Buidling Building by Snøhetta, Visma designed by Dark Arkitekter and DnB NOR from MVRDV Architects. In addition to these, Barcode includes loads of buildings and hundreds of apartments with designs that architects in many cities around the world are rarely given the creative freedom to explore.

With the tallest heights in the city and over 20,000 of development, the Project has changed the face of Oslo. Suddenly the city does not just sit flat along the water's edge, but this impressive cluster of beautiful towers is now attracting residents, visitors and businesses from around the world. 

THE OSLO OPERA HOUSE (OPERAHUSET)

Designed by Snøhetta and opening in 2008, the Oslo Opera House is the home of Norway's National Opera and Ballet. Located just across from the Barcode Project, the building has helped to completely transform this part of the city. 

Made up of 1,100 rooms and with a main stage which can seat 1,364 people, the Opera House is the largest cultural building in Norway since 1300 - finally taking out Trondheim's Nidaros Cathedra as the top-dog. 

But what I found even cooler than the size or extravagance of the design, is how the building has created an entirely new public urban space for people to check our views of the city. With two sloping ramps on either side of the building, pedestrians are invited to walk onto the rooftop to make the most of this reclaimed section of the harbour.

In addition, its beautiful white materials and clean shapes make it an awesome place for film and photography. While I didn't check out any shows on my visit, I can only imagine the internal auditorium is pretty cool too. 

Tjuvholmen

Once only 5 hectares in size, Tjuvhomen was increased to 33 hectares in the early 1900's to be used as a docking area for ships. After years of disuse the area was bought by private landowners, and since 2005 has been the centre of a huge urban renewal project.

With Renzo Piano's Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and Skulpurpark being the 2 most incredible architectural pieces on the peninsula, credit should also be given to architectural practices including Kristin Jarmund and Scmidt Hammer Lassen, who've created amazing buildings and public spaces within the neighbourhood.

Similar to Copenhagen's Islands Brygge, as part of the development, the Tjuvholmen water's edge now also includes an amazing swimming area, making a great summer chill-spot...

If only every city did the same.

Get yourself to Oslo and take a wander.

- Tom 

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Mikael Colville-Andersen: teaching us the fundamentals of good urbanism

Jane Jacobs reminded us of the city's most important element and inspired a generation of urbanists. Through a single photograph, Colville-Andersen has sparked a new movement that is helping to solve the greatest urban challenge of our time.

Jane Jacobs was revolutionary. By critiquing the modernist approach of twentieth century urban thinking, she taught us that traditional planning policies oppressed and rejected the single most important element of cities: people. Her ideas sparked decades of urban social movements, resulting in the preservation of inner city neighbourhoods across the globe. In the age of rationalism, she reminded us that cities are complex and chaotic. She reminded us that cities are human. Jane Jacobs (aka “The Crazy Dame”) inspired a generation of urbanists.

She reminded us that cities are human.

While Jacobs’ words continue to reverberate through history, this century we are faced with a new set of challenges. One in particular, dictates the way we govern, design and build urban spaces; it burdens our health care and kills our planet. Today’s greatest urban challenge is the car.

Our addiction to the car has made us crazy. We teach our children to fear the street and we fight wars to ensure we have reliable access to oil. Our obsession with the car controls just about every aspect of our urban lives. Like a drug however, it is destroying us from the inside out, not only is our atmosphere polluted and our streets congested, but every new road, car park and set of traffic lights makes our cities a little less livable. We have once again forgotten that cities are human.

Change however, is beginning to take place. We’re realising that there is a cleaner, more efficient and more human alternative to the car. Slowly but surely, we are now seeing the emergence of a global bicycle renaissance. This global movement can be traced back to a single photograph.

I started taking more photos of elegantly dressed commuters on bikes, and people kept reacting to them… after 6 months I thought I’d start a blog. It just exploded.

Back in 2006 Mikael Colville-Andersen was a film director. “I took a photo on my morning commute, which naturally involved bicycles… It wasn’t a great photo,” he told me, “it was just nice morning light”. A short time after uploading to Flickr, the photograph had received hundreds of hits and dozens of comments from around the world. “These comments started to appear from America like, ‘Dude! How does she ride a bike in a skirt?!’ So, I started taking more photos of elegantly dressed commuters on bikes, and people kept reacting to them,” he said, “after 6 months I thought I’d start a blog. It just exploded.”

At the time Mikael had no idea that Cycle Chic – as he later coined it – would become a global phenomenon. Nor did he know that it would spark an entire movement in new urban thinking. Just like Jacobs, Mikael was not trained in urban planning, but has become one of the most influential urbanists of our time.

It just so happens it was all by accident. “I didn’t realise these photos would be interesting to people,” he told me, “regular people, in regular clothes, using bikes as transport in the city… An entire generation of people all around the world had been told that cycling is sport and recreation. I was just a Copenhagener”.

Bicycles were once a common form of mobility in cities and towns around the world. Riding a bike wasn’t necessarily a sport or a sub-culture – it was simply a part of everyday life. The mass production of vehicles saw all of this change. The rise of the car after World War II completely transformed cities – first across the USA, and then across the world. Dense urban districts centred on transit hubs and commercial districts, spread into vast, car-dependant landscapes.

Unlike most of the world however, the rise of the car was short-lived in Denmark. As streets congested, air quality deteriorated and pedestrian fatalities mounted throughout the 60s and 70s, people took to the streets to demand equality for cyclists and pedestrians. In response, an extensive network of cycle paths was developed, traffic calming measures were implemented and people were encouraged to cycle. Today, riding a bike is once again part of everyday life: 37% of Copenhageners cycle to school or work. This figure stands at just 2% in Britain and 1% in North America.

After Cycle Chic and then Copenhagenize.com burst with internet traffic, Mikael decided to “give up film directing to see where this bike stuff was going”. His photographs had already sparked a bicycle buzz, and fashion labels were quickly jumping on the bandwagon. Fortunately however, the fad didn’t end there. In addition to online media, Mikael began promoting Copenhagen’s bicycle culture to urban planners and policy makers. The rest, it seems, is history.

Mikael could never have imagined that his 2006 Flickr image would become known as ‘the photo that launched a million bicycles

Just about every city in the world is now talking bikes. New York has recently rolled-out a massive bike share scheme to complement it’s new cycle paths, Hangzhou has launched the world’s largest bike share programme and the UK central government just commenced a multi-million pound cycling infrastructure scheme. The New York Times has even reported that we’re experiencing the “End of Car Culture”. Mikael could never have imagined that his 2006 Flickr image would become known as ‘the photo that launched a million bicycles’, as one journalist put it.

'Conversation lanes' on the world's busiest bicycle thoroughfare

Sitting with Mikael at a café in central Copenhagen, we watched dozens of people passing on their bikes. Smiling at us as they passed, or stopping to chat with friends on the street, it became obvious to me that Mikael could envision cities of the future because he already lived in one. As Mary Embry from Copenhagenize Design Co. once said, “People work hard to make sure their cities are as user-friendly as Copenhagen… World-class cities want in on the cycling infrastructure and they look to Copenhagen for inspiration and guidance.” Copenhagen truly has become the model for livable cities.

At the café Mikael soon asked me, “you up for a ride on the Bullit?” as he looked over at his cargo bike parked on the street (#parkwhereyouwant). Standing at 6’2”, I awkwardly clambered into the front carrier. Conscious of the fact that my lanky legs were up by my ears, it didn’t take long before I was reminded where I was. In Copenhagen, you’re not judged on what bike you have, what ‘style’ you have, or how ridiculous you may look, as long as you’re on two wheels – anything goes.

Mikael took me around the city to show off some its most innovative bicycle infrastructure initiatives. First up was Dronning Louises Bro: the world’s busiest bicycle thoroughfare. Now, if someone took you to the busiest car thoroughfare in the world, you probably wouldn’t want to stay for long. It’s quite the opposite when people are riding bikes: this place had some serious energy.

A bridge where over 30,000 people come through on bikes each day makes for pretty great socialising and people-watching. So much so that the City even decided to widen the cycle paths to make ‘conversation lanes’. Bikes aren’t just great for transport: they’re also a brilliant place making tool. Unlike cars – Mikael reminded me – you can actually make eye contact with, and talk to people when they’re riding a bike.

Cruising around the city to check out Copenhagen’s bicycle footstands, commuter counters, and of course, the new Cycle Superhighways, I was then shown where the City had installed cycle paths to complement commuter’s desire lines. First promoted by William H Whyte back in the 60s, the team at Copenhagenize is now at the forefront of utilising observational techniquesfor pedestrian and cycle planning. Just like Jane Jacobs, Mikael is working hard to make cities less rational and more organic.

Working closely with media, architects, planners and policy makers around the world, Mikael is continually exposed to the ideas and projects that are reshaping cities. But to him, there’s only one city that is really doing it right. Copenhagen has not become complacent as the world’s greatest cycling city, it’s continually striving to increase bicycle modal share and improve the experience of cyclists. Mikael’s goal is to communicate this culture to the rest of us… I guess ‘Copenhagenize’ says it all.

Through a single photo back in 2006 Mikael has showcased a place where cars no longer dominate. And now, city-by-city, a new urban social movement is taking shape. We are beginning to mend the urban fabric that the car has torn to shreds. Just like “The Crazy Dame”, Colville-Andersen has reminded us that cities are human. By inspiring a generation of urbanists, he’s also helping to solve the greatest urban challenge of our time.

Check out this article posted on the Urban Times here.

All photos/text by Tom Oliver Payne.

I went to Nairobi this week...

I went to Nairobi this week to write a feature series for the Urban Times about the Community Light Centres that Philips are delivering across Africa. 

This is a seriously interesting project that has the ability to transform towns and cities across the continent. I'll have more on that later. 

For now, I thought I'd just share a few of my favourite photos from the trip.

Images by Tom Oliver Payne