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1. Take a photo of your favourite sustainable feature in Copenhagen.

2. Click on the + sign in the right corner. Upload the photo to this Padlet.

3. Put your name and university as title

4. Write a reflection below the photo of what problem it addresses, why it works in Copenhagen and whether it would work in your own city or campus, and why or why not (approx. 150 words).

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EXAMPLE: Isabelle Nilsson, Lund University

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EXAMPLE: Isabelle Nilsson, Lund University

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Write your reflection here.

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Providing dedicated bicycle lanes running along pedestrian walkway crisscross the city, helps both pedestrians and cyclists with a safe and efficient path towards their destination. It promotes a healthier lifestyle and thus reduce car ownership demand and while lower overall carbon emissions and promoting active lifestyle.

This is feasible idea for city states like Singapore where land is very limited therefore the total number of vehicles on the roads need to be regulated to prevent traffic jams as a daily problem. And it is sustainable for lower overall carbon emissions, healthier lifestyles, and connecting different part of the city through a networks of pedestrians and bicycles lanes.

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Challenges of Integration of Past with the Present Urban Form in Copenhagen

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Vishva Peiris, The University of Hong Kong

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Vishva Peiris, The University of Hong Kong

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The image shows the Copenhagen City Hall (Københavns Rådhus) to the left and the Industriens Hus business centre (to the right) photographed from the City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen). The place is significant from an urban planning perspective because it reveals Denmark's unique identity, rich culture, and public spaces to enjoy. However, integrating new buildings to match the traditional identity through modern architecture and planning is challenging.

Two buildings have an age span of over a century (1905 vs. 2010), while two buildings show contrasting visual effects. This may lead to conflicts in aesthetic harmony and structural integration, and disturbance of urban form and functions within the locality. This can be controversial for city administrators to decide between the form and function of Copenhagen, while it directly shows an aesthetic disturbance to the unique identity of Rådhuspladsen.

Nevertheless, these experiments keep cities alive and dynamic, meeting timely needs through modern design interventions. Monitoring how such changes affect city users is essential to making a sustainable and inclusive city for people who experience it in their own way.

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Ananya Joshi, National University of Singapore

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Ananya Joshi, National University of Singapore

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Incorporating urban greenery that has multifaced purposes in highly urbanised cities is a challenge. 30-minutes out from the busy Copenhagen city centre, the Nӕrum allotment gardens creates opportunities for people to sustainably grow seasonal vegetables for their food supply, build community with fellow gardeners and increase biodiversity in urban settings.

The unique oval-shaped design of the allotment gardens invites the gardeners and visitors to explore the transition spaces between gardens, not just focus on what lies inside the boundary as happens with rectangular structures. The design also links to the idea of circularity in sustainability- that our resources are always connected to one another and ourselves.

What makes it possible in Copenhagen is the land space. Singapore has allotment gardens but renting plots are difficult due to limited land and cost. Nonetheless, I would love to see smaller-scale versions of such unique allotment gardens which will bring Singaporeans closer to nature and their food source appeals to beauty that can be in sustainability.

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Transforming an old ship into a hotel is not only a sustainable waste management strategy but also offers tourists a unique way to experience the city, while adding aesthetic value to the urban landscape. This approach aligns with the 3R principles—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—by minimizing construction waste, repurposing materials, and giving the ship a new function. Additionally, retiring old ships helps reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, as they tend to be less efficient and more polluting.

However, replicating this idea in Malaysia poses challenges. While it may suit freshwater environments like lakes and major rivers, it's less viable along coastal areas. Harsh marine conditions accelerate ship degradation, risking heavy metal pollution that threatens marine ecosystems and human health through seafood consumption. Therefore, any implementation must be limited to freshwater systems and preceded by a thorough environmental impact assessment to ensure potential risks are well understood and managed.

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Wendy Lee U21~ Lotuses in Copenhagen: Serenity and Water Purification 

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Wendy Lee U21~ Lotuses in Copenhagen: Serenity and Water Purification 

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These beautiful Lotus plants can absorb pollutants, including heavy metals, from water, making them a natural biofilter in aquatic ecosystems. While you can find lotus plants in Hong Kong's wetland parks, the city remains a concrete jungle in need of more greenery—not just for water purification, but also for mental well-being.

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This photo captures one of the most thoughtful sustainable features I saw in Copenhagen: a dedicated slot on public bins for deposit bottles (“Giv din pant videre” – “Give your deposit forward”). Beyond promoting recycling and reducing litter, it integrates a strong social dimension : many people intentionally place their bottles there so that homeless or low-income individuals can collect them and return them for the deposit refund. It’s a beautiful, low-effort act of solidarity embedded in the city’s design.

This works in Copenhagen because of widespread environmental awareness, trust in public systems, and a culture that values social inclusion. It’s not just sustainability, it’s social sustainability.

In France, despite good recycling infrastructure, we lack this kind of small-scale, everyday gesture of sharing in public spaces. Introducing such a system could work well, especially in urban areas, if paired with public education and support for deposit-return schemes. It’s a smart, human way to close the loop.

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Katherine Troeller - University of Edinburgh

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Katherine Troeller - University of Edinburgh

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I stumbled upon this garden in the middle of the city. As explained on the board, it is a space that children can come to learn about nature, science and craft. Given how disconnected many of us are from nature and the way this disconnection impacts our actions, the fact that this space has been created for young children seemed wonderful to me. Copenhagen being a relatively spacious city with green space, such an idea is easily implemented and I think such an initiative would also be possible in Edinburgh. Where space is more limited in the centre, it might prove more difficult, but even a small amount of space (potentially shared with another community group) could work. Building respect for nature from a young age is imperative for action on climate and biodiversity loss and so this initiative made me feel hopeful.

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Stumbled onto several overhead lamp lightings around CPH city centre streets that can be made environmentally sustainable through a combination of energy-efficient technologies, smart systems and environmentally conscious design. I felt the use of LED technology on streetlights consume up to 80% less energy than traditional halogen lamps. At the same time, LEDs overhead street lamps can reduce the frequency of replacements. Waste will be minimised in this area. The reduction of light pollution can also be an advantage here as properly designed and constructed lamps at some neighbourhoods around CPH city can minimise sky glow during the summer where the sun can shine brightly until 10pm. In addition to these, the noctural ecosystems can also be preserved. We have to ensure fauna-friendly lighting a must-have in today’s urban city planning.

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I truly admire the concept of biking everywhere in the city. I saw multiple modified bikes which could accommodate infants, children among others and even people biking to work. It is a good way of reducing emissions while also maintaining health and well being of the population.

However, replicating it in Delhi would be quite difficult because of extreme weather conditions both in summer and winter. Thus, instead Delhi has tried to address the issue with electric bikes. While it does in some way help with reducing emissions, it's not the best solution for making people's lifestyle very active.

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Brittany Cheng, The University of Hong Kong

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Brittany Cheng, The University of Hong Kong

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CopenHill is a heat and power waste treatment and management plant that repurposes traditional landfills into a renewable and sustainable waste-to-energy plant. It is a way of burning waste scraps to generate electricity and fuel, and is expected to burn 400,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year. CopenHill also doubles as an outdoor artificial ski and snowboard/sledding track, where people can rent ski kits to practise on artificial grass grounds during non-winter/off-peak ski seasons (Copenhagen rarely snows). They also host various recreational activities such as running, hiking, and climbing clubs (climbing wall) and have cafés in the interior, contributing to community-building as a sustainable green space and third space. This building is effective as it contributes to Copenhagen's zero carbon requirements and reduces sulphur, nitric acid, dioxins, and hydrogen chloride emissions using filtration and other technologies. It produces water vapour instead of smoke through its chimney.

Unfortunately, I don't think this initiative would be possible to implement in Hong Kong due to the large space requirement, large-scale industrial development, and architectural planning needed. Although there is a demand for landfill alternatives in HK, land is scarce, and the initiative would require a large investment. Moreover, the smell and vapour would be disruptive to nearby neighbourhoods, so it would be hard to convince stakeholders and citizens to support this initiative.

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Natural green facades on a building in Copenhagen

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What Problems Are Addressed By Green Facades?

Natural green facades, walls, roofs or vertical gardes help to reclaim green spaces within urban sprawls to improve air quality, temperature regulation and biodiversity; as well as reconnect with nature to improve human wellbeing.

Why It Works In Copenhagen (and Lund)?

Green facades work in Copenhagen (and Lund, such as with the Lund University Library) because research and testing have gone into optimising aesthetic, year-round plants that are localised to different Scandinavian climates and ecosystems.

Would It Work In Sydney?

Green facades could work in Sydney, and the University of Sydney campus. Care will need to be taken to ensure new buildings are meaningfully designed with greenery that adapts and thrives in hot and drier Australian climates in the longer-term, or for existing buildings, that greenery is not simply added on without ecological consideration and value.

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An outdoor sustainable gym is a great way to stay fit while being kind to the environment. These gyms are usually set up in parks or open spaces and use equipment made from recycled or natural materials. They don’t need electricity, which means no energy is wasted. Most of the equipment runs on your own body power—no machines, just movement! Being outdoors also means you get fresh air and sunlight, which are great for your mental and physical health. Plus, there’s no need for air conditioning or lights, so it’s much more eco-friendly than a regular indoor gym. Many of these gyms are free to use, making fitness more accessible for everyone. Overall, outdoor sustainable gyms help people stay active, save money, and protect the planet—all at the same time.

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This is a double-layer bicycle stand seen by the roadside, which greatly encourages the use of bicycles. Indirectly, it shows that the number of bicycles in use is relatively large, reflecting sustainability.

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This is a photo of green wall in Copenhagen. As a green infrastructure, it is not merely a decoration of buildings, but also plays an important role in regulating the microclimate of cities, alleviating the urban heat island effect and reducing light reflection. In our country we always use the green proof. But we need to add more green walls to enhance the environment.

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Adesh Vaidya – University of Nottingham, UK

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Adesh Vaidya – University of Nottingham, UK

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This powerful art piece from the ART-2030 exhibition in Copenhagen challenges us to consider the depth of human impact and introspection in the context of sustainability. Inspired by Franz Kafka's “Parables & Paradoxes,” it metaphorically proposes the act of digging a small hole daily — placing your head into it for 60 seconds, then refilling it — as a ritual for reflection. This symbolic gesture addresses the problem of disconnection between human behavior and environmental consequences. In a city like Copenhagen, where sustainability is deeply integrated into daily life and policy, such artistic provocations work effectively. The city’s open-minded public and progressive cultural environment make it a fitting place for conceptual sustainability education. In my city, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (India) or on my university campus, this may seem unconventional, but I believe it would provoke needed conversations about introspection, personal responsibility, and climate action. Art that invites physical engagement could make sustainability more personal and memorable.

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Using pots instead of one time use food containers (also mussels are really sustainable protein)

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Using pots instead of one time use food containers (also mussels are really sustainable protein)

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This could be done in Lund to, (maybe even in the week we could have not used so much single use containers).

Mussels works especially well in Copenhagen that is such a sea close city.

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Old ticket machine delivering poems - SUTTER Eric USYD

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Old ticket machine delivering poems - SUTTER Eric USYD

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While walking through Copenhagen, I came across an old parking ticket machine that was refurbished and now gives out poems, powered by solar energy. I found it beautiful how something once boring and outdated was turned into something creative and meaningful, instead of just being considered useless and thrown out as waste. This small machine solves a few problems at once, it reuses old technology instead of throwing it away (SDG 12), it uses clean energy from the sun (SDG 7), and it brings a quiet moment of reflection to people in the city. It fits well in Copenhagen, as in every other city because even if we come from different backgrounds and countries we all share our humanity, and therefore are willing to find joy in small things. For me, this object shows that sustainability isn’t just about technology, it’s also about creativeness, reconnect with our inner values and care for people.

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Wood tile pavers can offer a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to stone or concrete in select outdoor spaces of some particular areas - bringing natural warmth and reduced environmental impact when sourced responsibly. As seen, these pavers have endured the test of time and still look stylish in the heart of Copenhagen’s cityscape.

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Rachel Sharp the university of Edinburgh 

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Rachel Sharp the university of Edinburgh 

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Kalleadhus

The picture I am showing I initially thought was a bee house promoting biodiversity in the local area- in the harbour north east of the city centre (~30 mins bus). Today I found out it was not that. It is a 3d printed structure from a company in Denmark that wishes to 3d print housing structures that are low in co2. This addresses the issue of housing in a more sustainable way. I don’t see why it couldn’t work elsewhere beyond Copenhagen. While I don’t know much about 3d printing so i do not know how feasible it is / anyone who lives in a 3d printed house, I imagine it is an early sustainable initiative that with investment could be really beneficial and possible in other countries with adaptation

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Phetoho Rasebechele, University of Johannesburg

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Phetoho Rasebechele, University of Johannesburg

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This Copenhagen scene addresses creating livable, dense urban environments. It shows how modern residential areas can integrate natural elements, like canals, to enhance aesthetics, foster community, and improve quality of life, transforming waterfronts into public spaces.

For South Africa, the spirit of this development is relevant. We urgently need to create well-designed, equitable, and integrated urban spaces. However, a direct application of this "canal city" model is unlikely. South Africa faces water scarcity in many regions, making open water features environmentally questionable without sustainable water management. Also, the socio-economic context differs; high-end developments would need adaptation to address housing needs and spatial inequality.

Instead, South Africa can draw inspiration by focusing on rehabilitating existing rivers, developing green infrastructure, promoting sustainable water use, and ensuring that quality urban design is inclusive and accessible to all communities.

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Arno Banerjee - University College Dublin

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Arno Banerjee - University College Dublin

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The GoBoat in Copenhagen is a social, sustainable way to explore the city by water, helping reduce road traffic and pollution. It works well there because of the calm canals, strong green culture, and general love for outdoor activities. The boats are electric and solar-powered, which means they’re quiet and emission-free. In Dublin, it could work on the Liffey or canals with some planning. With a need for interest in green transport, it’s a creative step toward a more sustainable, mobile and livable city.

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A car may initially be a controversy and a contradiction, but ultimately, it's a necessary object (for the elderly, people with disabilities, long-distance commutes, children, etc.). The important thing is that they have the least possible impact on the environment, which new technology apparently allows (they require an effective impact study); something that seems to be increasingly common in Scandinavian countries. If these cars are a sustainable, zero-emission means of transportation, their widespread use and accessibility to poorer, more populated nations is a challenge. The rapid reduction in the use of conventional cars and the creation of a greater supply will drive down the cost.

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Another photo of the GoBoat in Copenhagen, which is a an electric boat that anyone can rent for a while. What I like about this one in particular is that the boats are used by locals to clean up the canals from litter, while spending time outdoors. I find it a smart ways to combine pro-environmental behavior with a fun activity.