Classic Copenhagen

Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:43:00 +0000

Days are made from series of moments. Moments are made of a tricky stuff. They can be hard to come by, are easily missed, and when you are blue, they can be impossible to see. And then in just two sunny days, Copenhagen will offer them up like pearls on a never ending string.

The Hitchkock blonde.

A hit of color.

A hit of cycle chic. Men can play that game too, you know.

A ladybug pedicap driver taking a break under a rescued bunker tree, by the lakes.

A red wall reflected in a window, visible only from this particular angle, I tried to move closer, and it disappeared, kind of magical. Perfectly illustrating why the classic Copenhagen window frame is named after our flag, Dannebrog. And... I think it is summer. Dare I say?

We are back in sandals.

Picking up on the outdoor activities.

I wish some moments could last.

♥

Mmmmmagnolia

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:16:00 +0000

One day I will get one of those phones, smart and made out of glass. And then I will start making weird apps for Copenhagen, like the one mapping the scents of the city. In spring, it will glow like crazy at this corner, where the magnolia tree is the first to bloom, and all too quickly cover the ground in a blanket of cream and pink leaves. Maybe the phone will even make a subtle mmmmmmm-sound, to remind you to stop and take in the magnolias, while they last.

On the corner of Østerfarimags Gade and Gothersgade. Approximately here (map).

Street art, Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:36:00 +0000

Philippe Baudelocque

Four days in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:04:00 +0000

It’s funny how two hours on a plane that is smelling like someones armpit, can seem like days, and then four days in your other favorite city will fly by so incredibly fast. I just got back from Paris, and I am so inspired. It is still cleaner than Copenhagen, and way greener too. In a strange development, they seem to be picking up the pace in advertising, and buffing/painting over street art like crazy. I’m slightly concerned, but worrying about one city is tough enough as it is. And, fortunately there is still an obvious love and respect for the beauty of the city. Something the city planners of Copenhagen could stand to learn from: preserve and respect history, let things grow, work with existing structures and nurse the open spaces. And: get with the 21st century and plan for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, not cars. Voilà.

Remember this vertical garden from last year? See how far it has come:

This is the best form of advertising I have seen to date. I want to shop with someone who gives this to the city, instead of obnoxious banners that become outdated within weeks. The city should invest in vertical gardens too, as they help clean the air. Some say we have a few in Copenhagen, but other than the one from the European Environmental Agency back in 2010 that is long gone (but why?), I have not seen any. And you know I have hungry eyes...

It's not that I want this for Copenhagen, I demand it. Ha.

(Oh, I’m gonna spam you so hard)

Helmut Lang with a twist. The repetition, and the contribution from the street.

I'm the only one here! I wonder if I will ever stop feeling that way.

Beautiful store signs, such diversity and originality.

Something old.

Something truly original.

Something... something.. hahaha.

Did I mention the cyclists? The numbers are nowhere near Copenhagen's, but they are obviously serious about it, and you can pick up a street bike on nearly every corner. Our old street bikes were more of a cosy joke, and they have now been permanently retired. A new bike-share-system is in the works, paid for not by the city (so odd), but the train company. The priorities in my city, I don't always get them...

Moving on to yummi doors.

Door detail. Everywhere you look, there are door details.

Beautiful decay. I don't know the man, but his picture ages really well.

These fences are lining all the garbage containers at construction sites. People use them to attach flyers, and once removed, little pieces of tape and paper are left behind like confetti stuck in the moment. A celebration of whatever you want it to be.

Sometimes, simply everything is beatiful.

(intermission, brace yourself for part two)

♥

Fried brain

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:40:00 +0000

This is going to be a this and that post, because my brain is fried. A little glass:

The cyclist's basic nightmare. A weekend special, always keep an eye out on Sundays, and don't get too close to the sidewalk.

Sunday I crashed the flea market in Jægersborggade with a packed bike's worth of stuff. I nearly parted with this beautiful glass brooch, until I realised it could be used as a freaky lens. This is exactly why I still have too much, too weird stuff cluttering up my house.

I seriously need a break, so I am on one. View from the train:

To be continued...

(And I promise next time I will be back with something more than just a fried brain)

A useless currency

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:28:00 +0000

Yesterday I got two emails with requests to use my pictures for credit. It happens all the time. My camera is dying, and all these generous offers of photo-credit are useless when it comes to paying rent or buying new camera equipment. There should be a bank for photo-credit deposits, and stores where you could spend it. If you pay with photo-credit, you should also be obligated to accept it as a currency, wouldn't you say? Otherwise you are just telling people that their time and effort are worthless.

As an alternative to this useless currency, I have come up with a fixed low price for commercial use of my pictures online. One of the ladies (employed by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of all places) took the time to get back to me with this: "thank you, but we found the same motive elsewhere free of charge". Can you believe the nerve? I look forward to the day, someone volunteers to do her job for free. At this pace, it won’t be long.

Har du shoppet dig lykkelig? / Have you shopped your way to happiness? by Gal Kunsti.

Would you look at this crap?

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:41:00 +0000

This is me, any given day of the week: WOULD YOU LOOK AT THIS CRAP? And every single time, my friend will look at me in slight confusion: what? This is an example:

Most common response: oh, I didn’t notice that. How about this, then:

"Nope".

I will then bring up examples of entire public squares in Copenhagen destroyed by wall-to-wall spam, like this:

"Byens Hegn" the city's metro fence. Allegedly there to display selected street art. Lamest excuse for raking in advertising money that I have ever heard of.

Again they would say, is there even advertising there? Didn’t notice that either.

So what is the big deal then, you may ask? Well, it is pretty serious. This spam filter that we have developed on places like the internet, is now applied to our daily lives. We (most people) don’t see our surroundings anymore. We are simply blinded by full body ad buses and taxis, even houses covered in scaffolding wrapped in ads and overloaded fences and metro stations. Or the flickering screens at shops, banks and gas stations, and inside taxis, buses and trains.

Full body advertising is the only language spoken here. This is the metro.

And what is behind this advertising? You probably guessed it already...

More advertising, blinking at you manically from big screens. Because with the most expensive public transit in the world, you just haven't paid enough for your ride.

But it is not just advertising that goes in the filter. Litter goes in the spam filter, too. As does any non-commercial attempt at communication, even the beauty of the city, hidden underneath it all. This eye-rape is the equivalent of yelling at people uncontrollably, how can you expect anyone to listen when you actually have something important to say? Mostly I am just afraid that it is too late to intervene. The fact that no one seems to notice it anymore, completely unaware of the high price they are paying... is it too late? Please tell me you see it too?

(I can't tell you how much it kills me to show you something so ugly, dammit!)

(I have to leave you with something beautiful, OK?)

On a recent trip to Malmö, Sweden, I was blown away by the simplicity and raw beauty of the new train station. Here, the customer is valued, and not treated as a cash cow. Raw concrete walls, and what is displayed for your viewing pleasure? Beautiful old strips of movies of train rides across the world.

Made to look like you are on the train, as the landscape passes you by.

Copenhagen has a long way to go.

And Sweden rocks!

(end rant)

♥

Rickshaw goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:47:00 +0000

I joined the first Ageless Cycling event “Cykling uden alder”, the great initiative offering elderly rides in rickshaws. (Remember when we went to pick them up?)

Check out these rockstars!

The five in front, on a quiet Sunday. For any other day of the week, I would suggest some form of sign, urging people to be patient and not stress out the driver or the fragile passengers. People can get really irritable on the bikelanes, if they are slowed down.

The following.

Proud mom of Ole, the man behind the initiative. Utter coolness.

Ah, just looking at these pictures makes me smile, it was such a good day.

I was reminded that hanging out with good people, puts you in a good mood. It is so simple, really.

♥

Everyone counts

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:42:00 +0000

The first thing I spotted when I returned from Amsterdam, was the small memorial site on the bridge corner. At first it was only flowers, but in the coming days pictures and small notes were added revealing that the hot dog vendor had suffered a heart attack and passed way too early. I was not a customer, but I was touched that someone cared enough to remember him this way. The idea that we are not invisible in this world, and that someone will remember you when you are gone, comforts me.

I wish I knew more of the locals, and that we were better at maintaining a community spirit. That it was not just about the individual co-ops and their little fenced off backyards, but rather the understanding that we are all in this together.

Last week I spotted another memorial site by the lakes, with flowers and candlelights. I talked to one of the locals, who were also wondering what it was about, he too felt the need to know. The site is widening and today I saw a guy adjusting some of the flowers, scattered by the wind. I asked him if he knew who had passed, and I was oddly touched by his reply: "No, I live down the street, and I come down here at night to light the candles. My friend was killed by a bus in Rantzausgade recently, so I know how much these memorial sites mean" (Ugh, I didn't know how to respond, having read about the poor guy on his bike, in that insanely dangerous street so unfit for cycling).

Now I need to know what happened here. Not knowing is like accepting it doesn’t matter, and I need it to matter. I can’t even tell you why.

Odes to Copenhagen

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:39:00 +0000

Mellemblond "Et Øje"

Ulige Numre "København"

Ukendt Kunstner (feat. Murro) "København"

And a the suggestion from a reader:

Tina Dickow "Copenhagen" (Lazy-Loop remix version is the only one with Copenhagen pics)

♥

The pedestrian pace

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:29:00 +0000

On the rare occasions where I leave my bike chained and encounter my neighborhood by foot, I always spot different things. Like this old painting left for sale in the street, showing a vintage street scene from Copenhagen, possibly Town Hall Square.

I watched an old man with a cane linger in front of this, for a while. At first I waited impatiently for him to move on, so I could get my shot, but then I realised it probably brought back good memories. What is a five minutes wait, anyway? Must learn patience, ugh.

Curly words in the tunnel by the lakes.

No matter how slow you go by bike, there are things you are bound to miss. Smells too. Just remember to breathe through your mouth.

This is quite possibly the coolest rear view mirror I have ever seen. Classic Copenhagen Award good. In a category to be announced at a later point.

And spring also means we are entering the cup litter season. As a rule people will go to great lengths to avoid dumping cups. They don't just discard of them, like they do cigarette butts, but rather they place them at elevated points. I cannot unsee this crap now, how about that?

Oh, I am in a good mood today, this spring thing is tricking my brain into thinking I am in love. It is the weirdest feeling.

I hope you have a really nice weekend too!

Rusty love

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:42:00 +0000

I'm just gonna go ahead and call this spring. Daylight is back, the lakes are slowly defrosting and street art is coming out of hibernation. Tejn has graced Copenhagen with another heavenly batch of rusty, recycled scrap iron lock on's.

The attention to detail really get to me, one visit is never enough.

A hammered tank.

Is it even possible to portray these creatures without talking to them in a soothing voice and give them a gentle pad on the back before you move on? I think not.

If I had a gallery, this would be the show. I just want to climb up on a roof with a monster megaphone and alert people to this crazy goodness. Is this not the most generous thing you have ever seen?

Linkfest:

Tejn's own page

More Tejn on the blog here and here

On Brooklyn Street Art blog

The lock on set on flickr

♥

Operation Cherry Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 16:19:00 +0000

Blogging about Copenhagen takes a backseat to fighting for trees at the moment. Somehow I have told myself that the two subjects don’t mix, even if the tree hugging is taking place in Copenhagen. Maybe I am wrong? I do feel like showing you an amazing thing that took place this week: I witnessed a cherry tree transplant.

In total fifteen trees were rescued from the chainsaw. If these trees had been on the other side of the fence, they would have been the territory of the park people of Copenhagen, and gone by now. As it is, they belong to the Department of Health Services, and this is why instead of a muddy field, the elderly of Copenhagen in De Gamles By now have a small cherry tree forest. So cool! This is how it's done:

Before moving day.

The grabbing, executed by Nordisk Træflyt. It works like a big hand with claws, grabbing, closing and digging in the "claws" one by one, to scoop up the root and 3.5 ton of the surrounding soil.

Scoop it up.

Transport it to the hole you prepared.

Position the tree, retract the claws one at the time and gently release.

There.

Scoop up a soilplug to fill tree hole.

The rescued cherry tree garden.

And on to the next emergency.

Why would anyone cut down a perfectly healthy tree, where we need them the most, when this can be done? I really wish they would leave healthy trees alone in the first place, but short of that, a rescue should be the only other option, if at all possible. I can't wait to return for the bloom.

♥

So close...

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:19:00 +0000

Is there something to the theory that you get blue and exhausted in between seasons? Spring is not here yet, but there is a promise of spring... something in the air. Hope, I guess. Impatience. Get here already!

Hello postcard.

It is so much colder than it looks.

Oysters. With a little imagination. You need a little imagination to get through the day.

Homeless, by Spyo.

Blød Lykke for the love of Copenhagen.

I want my energy back dammit, I have so much to do!

Verdict is in!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:06:00 +0000

Remember August last year, when the city of Copenhagen got ready to demolish forty WW2 bunkers? Including the ones on the bridge corners, standing to cost us all the big old trees? It was so close, by September they were scheduled to be removed, to make room for flat lawns and twiggy replacement trees, as someone in the city administration believed this was a better way to utilise the area.

We made noise, the media picked up on it, and with that the demolition was postponed and the local councils were consulted. They asked us, and an overwhelming nine out of ten voted to keep the bunkers. Since that we have been waiting for the final decision, and now it is here: we won!

Yesterday I stopped by one of the old bunker trees and released it of its "endangered tree" banner. I had my first real tree hug, took an evening swing and tried to let it sink in how close we came to losing them all, and how they are all here because of our actions. It just makes my heart swell.

Links to the bunker posts in chronological order:

August 17 2012, when we first learned about the plans.

August 21 2012, the media took interest and the mayor listened.

October 8 2012, a call for help.

October 14 2012, testing the democratic process.

October 25 2012, the swing garden created a whole new group of users.

And today we won. But we will keep an eye on the bunkers anyway, just to be safe.

I am so happy.

Postcard from heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:06:00 +0000

This is weird: I have spent four days of this week in Amsterdam, and I don't have anything to say about it. I just collapsed as soon as I got there, in the good way. Ate, slept, biked, ate, slept, biked and took only very few pictures because like Copenhagen it was half snow/half rain and all grey. But oh, Amsterdam how I needed you.

I spy a reindeer.

I spy a friend. Usually it is dogs over anything, but this girl is the exception.

From Athens to Amsterdam, fight for anarchist social spaces. Solidarity is so sexy.

Peace, with a slice of heaven.

Albert Heijnstein...

..a spin on my favorite supermarket chain Albert Heijn.

Amsterdam is vintage bike heaven.

Vincent van Gogh. Immortal.

Enough said?

(Wow, just realized this was my 555th post! That answers the question then, haha)

♥

Liberation day

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:16:00 +0000

For the past few days I have passed this incredible eye sore on my favorite Copenhagen bridge. Another serious litter situation, rows of this crap:

I wrote to ask them if they had actually paid someone to get a permission for that mess (not that it would make any difference, mind you, I was just curious), or they had just taken the liberty of destroying the most beautiful view in Copenhagen, to push a product. No answer. Well, you know how I feel about litter on the bridge.

Garbage goes in the garbage can.

Liberated!

♥

A cargo mission

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:14:00 +0000

A friend of mine has taken the initiative to offer rickshaw rides to the elderly in Copenhagen retirement homes. The department of health services wisely went on board with the idea, and picked up the tab. The rickshaws were built in free town Christiania, and yesterday we went to pick them up.

I almost never go to Christiania. Mainly because you are not allowed to bring a camera (you risk being threatened or beaten, if you pull one out), and I usually feel like an intruder when I go there. Uninvited. I don't know.

But yesterday I was on a mission, and I even snug my camera out to steal a few shots (see? It pisses me off, that I should feel afraid of pulling out my camera in my own city). I love the wilderness of this place. And so do the gangs, who have taken over parts of the free town. Gangs don't like cameras.

But the bike guys were the kindest people around, and the sun was out in a big way. Blue skies, spring breeze, it was intoxicating.

PS! People who bitch about cargo bikes on the bike lane better re-f*cking-lax. Just be grateful that it is not a car, stinking up your airways. There, did I manage to piss everybody off now, or did I miss someone?

Hahaha.

The carcass

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:13:00 +0000

The carcass, first comes the picking:

Then comes the mocking:

♥

Copenhagen light

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:07:00 +0000

The shortest month of the year ended with the longest day. There have been so many heavy posts lately, they have been exhausting to write and probably to read as well, so I will keep this one light. I got a call from P4, a radio station inviting me to a brief interview yesterday morning, along with the man in charge of the Copenhagen trees. We had a talk, and he agreed to at least try out moving healthy trees instead of cutting them down.

Then came a call from local TV station Lorry, we did a shoot on the scene of the latest deforestation, and Red Byens Træer (save the city trees) is now gaining support fast. Hold the chainsaws, please.

A tree with lips. Who cuts down a tree with lips?

Some want free weed for the people. We want a free people for the weed.

Danske Æbler / Danish Apples. Oh, vintage yum!

And just when you think a good day can't get any better, this:

Van of the Copenhagen Rickshaws.

Have a beautiful weekend!

♥

I quit you not

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:11:00 +0000

Update on the Test Tubes! If you have never heard about them, here is an ultra brief introduction:

Copenhagen has a cup litter problem, trashcans are filling up too quickly especially during the summer months, creating a mess in certain areas, like those around the lakes and on Queen Louises Bridge. I made a tube for stacking the cups without the lid, and mounted it on the side of the trashcan. And it worked. With pressure from the internet and media, the city finally agreed to make a test run.

The test was supposed to run until the end of September 2012, but they only now got around to dismounting them. Officially the experiment is over, although I am not sure you can call it an effective one at that, without an evaluation. I made my own, of course: obviously they worked, day and night, summer and winter, people stacked cups like their lives depended on it. The crew emptying the trashcans were not amused, as they got another task on their hands, but the "snappers", those who pick up individual pieces of litter, were really happy. I talked to one who confirmed that the cup litter problem was gone on the bridge.

Test Tube jackpot!

Hey, I'm not saying there is no room for improvement, only that it works. Let's take it from there!

Dealing with the cleaning department is another challenge. They are under the impression that we don't have a cup litter problem in Copenhagen (!?).

All that tells me is that the people in charge of keeping the city clean, don't live here. And, come summer the bridge and the lake area will once again be a mess. Unless someone very stubborn takes the test to the third phase...

I named this one Houdini, he is hiding in the lake.

We don't know how to quit, do we?

The Test Tube follow up in today's Copenhagen Post

The first post: The Test Tubes

The second post: Big news!

Invisible details

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:02:00 +0000

Yeah, so not every day has a higher purpose. Sometimes it is just about staying afloat and recuperating. Walking around the lakes, and bending a good friends ear. If she knows you, she will not frown when you make irregular stops to take pictures of the invisible details along the way.

Hand painted plastic strip garland.

Cat King crown, a leftover from last weeks Fastelavn, our Halloween for kids. Getting that crown is a big deal when you are a kid. Keeping it, apparently not so much...

Blue shoes in motion. Salt used for melting the ice is a killer of trees, roads and paws, lately I have noticed more owners taking precautions like this. I like people who like dogs.

The city of Copenhagen.

One mocca-latte-ice-extra-skim-milk-low-fat to go, please.

If only someone could come up with a solution for this cup litter plague..

That time

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:59:00 +0000

It is that time at the year. The daylight hours are increasing slightly, and fences, bikes and sidewalks are once again abloom with the fuzzy fruit.

Reaching.

But all you can think about is this:

If you see the sun, say hi from me.

♥

To arms

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:56:00 +0000

The green spots of Copenhagen are disappearing fast. What can we do to preserve what is left? First, we can look at why the trees are cut down.

Some are sick.

Among other things disease travel with the young trees imported from tree nurseries. How is that for irony? If we were not so busy cutting down healthy old trees to replace them with young, the risk just might decrease. Other trees are weakened by pollution and things like heavy salting during winter. I was just in Berlin, where they used gravel on sidewalks instead of salt. Just as fine, but not as damaging to the environment. Incidentally the Berlin trees are huge, healthy and plenty. Why be stuck in our ways, when they are not working for us? How about we rethink that?

Then there are the major construction projects.

The most damaging one is currently the new metro line, and in this case someone actually came up with a solution. Jørgen Dahl Madsen rescues trees, and relocates them for the cost of the transportation. Using a tree transplanting machine that gently lifts the tree by the roots, preserving the base, so it can be replanted somewhere else.

Halfway in during the cutting down of the 80 famous Kings New Square trees "Krinsen" (you can spot them behind Bert here), he managed to stop the process and rescue the remaining 52. So far, he is up to a total of 300 relocated "metro trees", bringing new life to school yards, kindergartens and backyards, and he has created a small forest of 100 trees in the windblown Ørestad. I hope I get the chance to document one of these rescues myself one day, but for now I have borrowed his own images:

Removal on Kongens Nytorv/Kings New Square, Krinsen.

In transit.

The transplant.

I am torn between being deliriously exited that it can be done, and incredibly frustrated that we are still cutting down trees that could have been rescued by this method. This should be the only option when dealing with healthy trees. Transplanters comes in all sizes, the city should invest in a fleet, and put our savior of the trees in charge of operating them.

The flatteners and the profiteers:

Which brings me to another issue. Don't allow the architects to flatten our landscape, but instruct them to implement trees that have been part of the cityscape for hundreds of years. Like the ones by the farmers market (see previous post). There was no reason why these trees could not still have been around. If it meant narrowing the space between the glass houses slightly, then so be it. Preserving majestic old trees should be prioritised. We can't leave that call up to a greedy real estate developer, and expect him to do anything, but what lines his pockets. He should be ordered to respect our trees. And he deserves our wrath for robbing us of something so precious. I am not in a forgiving mood.

I have to show you this one. Perhaps to boost the image of Copenhagen as a green city, they have made this set of trees on wheels, to be pushed around for the perfect photo op.

I can't... I can't... find the words.

Since I have brought this subject up, I am approached by people who share my concern. Some have documented old trees being cut down to make space for parking. The examples keep pouring in, indicating that the problem is big and pressing. I would suggest that the city appointed an advocate for the trees. Someone to keep an eye on new projects, who could step in and ensure that the remaining vegetation is properly protected.

Here we go again.
Currently the city plans to demolish the only 30 year old retirement home Sølund, just around the corner from me, destroying everything that grows there, including rare and giant trees. And, by the lakes a row of ancient chestnut trees are in danger of being cut down, to make room for... asphalt. I beg you?

If you have any ideas how to turn this around, please leave a comment, we need all the help we can get. Also, we have made a group on facebook, where you can come up with suggestions, report endangered city trees and keep up with the latest news: Red Byens Træer (in Danish).

Maybe we can make a difference? We have to try.

♥

The asphalt jungle

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:22:00 +0000

Calling Copenhagen a green city is nothing but a marketing strategy. A closer look reveals a set of very different priorities. For instance, urban vegetation is the first to go when a new plan is set in motion. The unprecedented eagerness to destroy and build from scratch is tearing Copenhagen up and leaving it as an unattractive asphalt jungle. And they move fast. I have split this subject into two posts, this one will be highlighting the problem, the next will address possible solutions. Here we go:

The Farmers Market (Torvehallerne):

Remember how joyful it all was, back when we heard that the farmers market was finally returning? Here is what the square looked like before:

Look at the beautiful old trees. The real estate developer Jeudan were encouraged (but not obligated) by the city to preserve the vegetation, and they did put on a show for a while, sparing the old trees. You can even follow the progress of the construction site in aerial view (link), on their own website.

If you click on the link, try scrolling down and enlarge these two pictures:

October 2010: Vegetation is still around, they are even describing how beautiful the trees are in fall.

December 2010: All gone! No mention of them again.

By opening day, the old trees were replaced with young twigs, so skinny that they are barely visible on this picture. Bean counters logic: a tree is a tree.

(PS! It gets a lot worse, just wait for it)

I contacted Jeudan to ask why they initially preserved our old trees, just to cut them down in the end? The answer: "The old trees were removed, and replaced with new ones". Move to strike as non responsive. Any further attempts to reach someone in the administration was shut down. This runaround tactic tells us that they know they are in the wrong. But nobody calls them on it. So next time they take a bite out of our city, and they are big eaters so you know they will, they are bound to repeat this behavior.

But it doesn't stop there. No sooner had they finished (!) the farmers market, before the next big project was launched. Right across is Israels Plads, playground, fleamarket and urban oasis. This is when it gets really ugly.

Israels Plads:
The city of Copenhagen is actively involved, so you would assume that preserving the trees were a priority, green city and all. I hitched a ride with Google Streetview and counted more than eighty bushes, plants and trees.

One guess what the city did as the first order of business? Exact same spot below:

They cut it all down.

Clearly the architects were not instructed to preserve the existing vegetation and work around it. Nor was removing the trees and replanting them somewhere else considered a priority. I would really like to know how the administration of Copenhagen have the nerve to call themselves green? And what kind of selfrespecting City Architect allows this to happen on her watch?

The Salami Method:
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation has named this the Salami Method: cutting away a little bit here and a little bit there. Disregarding protected land, terminating the status at convenience. Building a metro on a cemetery or drying up a protected lake, transforming it into a construction site. Or, in the case of the proposed harbour tunnel, building a freeway right across it. Anything is possible, nothing is safe. Green is just a word.

In this "green" city, healthy old trees are cut down to make room for parking, or even for no reason at all, like it very nearly happened on the bunker corners. Had we not made noise, the bunker forest would have been long gone by now. We simply can no longer afford to just shrug our shoulders, and write these losses off as sacrifices made in the name of progress. When what is going on, is the exact opposite.

Welcome to the jungle.

Links:

Jeudan aerial shots

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation (introduction in english)

Danmarks Naturfredningsforening on the Salami Method (in Danish only)

Saving the bunker forest, an ongoing story, part one, part two, part three, part four... (jury is still out, the only thing they do quickly, is destroy)