Forests in an Urban Context

Why has so much valuable land close to Copenhagen been given over to forest?

I've spent a few recent posts talking about Danish Greenspace as it relates to the Danish state of mind. I've found there is a connection to landscape engrained in the mindset of Copenhageners that makes amazing things possible.

I bring this up again because I think it has everything to do with today's blog question. The immediate cost of devoting enormous chunks of prime real estate to forest seems unfathomable. In the United States, our traditional model is to build out from a city center, densely at first, then slightly more spread as one approaches the suburbs. The rationale with this model of concentric circles is that being closer to an urban center is better – and that's it. It's a one-track philosophy that doesn't prove out. In reality, most of those cities don't have adequate public transport, and if you're more than two miles from town you won't end up walking anywhere, making your distance from the urban center irrelevant. So everyone needs a car. And because there's no room for public greenspace, everyone needs their own yard – which is treated with weed killers and mowed weekly and almost never taken advantage of.

Rant over. My point is that the United States has been extremely short-sighted in its building of cities, with no thought given to residents' ability to access wilderness. The US is so vast, so seemingly untamed, that we take for granted our mountains and rivers and forests. Though I oversimplify and leave out exceptions, I think it's safe to say that as a nation, we simply do not understand the value of smart urban planning.

Danes have it figured out. Bringing us now back to that unique Danish perspective on land, we see that Copenhagen has done a real cost-benefit analysis. This is a city that understands the traditional city model and why it doesn't work; a city that has rethought urban planning and design, coming up with a new way to integrate urban centers into a small and densely populated country – namely the five finger plan. Danes understand that by setting aside forested land, the more densely populated spaces are healthier, happier and more valuable. Folks, that is a solution that satisfies environmental, economic and social values.

So this blog question has more specific and granular answers – such as the readings we did on the National Forest Program – but I think this blog should be about reflection and critical thinking. And to me, it is all coming back to a national state of mind. So cheers, Denmark! You're a role model to the rest of the world.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Here are some pictures of semi-urban forests I've experienced in class. Amazing what a twenty minute train ride will get you here.

Robin

click to enlarge! gotta love iphone panoramas.