In November 2011, Køge Kyst published its plan for developing the South Harbour, the Station Area and the Collstrop Site. The overall vision is to create a unique, attractive and sustainable urban area that strengthens Køge’s role as a central city in the capital area, on Zealand and in the entire Øresund region. The new district is expected to accommodate 4,000 new jobs and 4,000 new residents.
The development plan for Køge Kyst ‘Life before the city – A city for life’ is a plan for what the Køge Kyst area should look like over the next 20 years. The plan is based on the outcome of an international parallel competition held in 2010.
The development plan from 2011 is much more than just a plan for future building works. It contains many reflections on the area’s future character and strategies for driving urban development, including culture, sustainability, business development and public dialogue.
Since the urban development takes place over many years, Køge Kyst does not want to set everything out in detail from the start. Rather, the development plan is dynamic and sensitive to changing needs, trends and current urban life, and it is able to accommodate changes in social and market conditions.
Based on local history and culture
The development plan is based on the location: Køge is an old industrial and port city with a well-preserved historic town centre, a strong position as a traffic hub near the capital and good future prospects, as shown by the political decisions to build a new railway, a super-hospital, etc.
But Køge’s special identity is also based on its cultural, sporting and association activities, which are already playing a role in realising ‘Phase 0’, in which Køge Kyst has already started the urban development by designing new urban spaces and activities in collaboration with local residents.
Against this background, the aim of the development plan is to point the way to building a unique, sustainable urban district that will attract new businesses and citizens, as well as investors who see a potential in starting projects here – and not least to give all the current Køge residents lots of new opportunities.
The development plan consists of a physical construction plan, a number of development strategies, and a phased timetable. It is based on expectations for the sales of building rights.
The development plan translates Køge Kyst’s visions into some basic ideas that can be summarised in two headlines which contain both a concrete physical meaning and a process-oriented meaning:
Life before the city
‘Life before the city’ means that activity should be promoted in the area even before the building works are started. This will ensure that the project area doesn’t just become a building site, but also a place that’s on the move towards something new and is constantly open to influences.
A city for life
‘A city for life’ means that children, young people, adults and older people from different walks of life should be able to live close together in an area that features a healthy blend of homes, businesses and cultures. Køge Kyst believes this is the basic condition for creating a good city.
