The city of the future demands a bold new approach

A new model for the city of the future

Fælledby is a real-world example of how this approach can succeed. From the beginning, the project was designed to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians. A clear value framework was established even before regulatory approval, prioritising circular design, a sharing economy, and an ambitious material strategy. At 220,000 m², it’s the first large-scale urban district in Denmark to be built primarily with bio-based construction materials.

Years later, these early decisions have proven to attract like-minded partners and suppliers with strong ambitions for low-impact urban development. Together they’ve produced solutions that go even further than the original vision. For instance:

1. Local energy production and sharing: Every rooftop in the district will be fitted with integrated solar panels, connected in a local energy community. The energy will be stored in batteries, traded and shared between residents, and sold back to the grid when needed. Public institutions and social housing providers can join as members under a cooperative governance model.
2. All-electric car-sharing infrastructure: Instead of conventional parking, the district prioritises space exclusively to shared electric vehicles. The car-sharing service launched before there was a critical mass of residents, ensuring that early movers helped set the tone and become ambassadors for low-impact mobility. The initiative is rooted in behavioural science, which shows that people are more open to lifestyle changes during transitions like moving to a new home. To make it viable, Fælledby received substantial innovation funding from the Danish Transport Agency.

Each initiative is embedded in cross-sector partnerships – from energy providers and tech startups to mobility operators and design consultants – who follow the project through to reporting, evaluation and eventual scaling.

Strategic partnerships: The key to innovation and funding

Delivering on this vision requires bold investment in cross-sector collaboration. Fælledby’s approach includes:

Specialist insight from leading advisors in energy, mobility and design, ensuring that initiatives align with emerging trends and technologies. For example, experts helped Fælledby become the first site in Denmark to plan a Super Smart Charging Hub (SSCH), integrating solar energy, battery storage and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.

Collaborative funding strategies involving actors like the City of Copenhagen and energy technology providers. This has unlocked national support from the Danish Transport and Energy Agencies and paved the way for EU-level funding through programs like ‘Interweave’ (energy) and ‘Reimagine’ (mobility).

Shared ownership of results, so that key learnings are disseminated across both public and private sectors, amplifying the impact beyond the project itself.

The local community as a driver of change

Even the smartest systems rely on people to bring them to life. That’s why it’s not enough to build infrastructure –we must build community.

At Fælledby, future residents are seen as active contributors. The first 200 of the 2,000 new households have already taken part in events, surveys and workshops to shape how mobility and energy services are delivered. Instead of relying on past behaviour, these efforts explore people’s future expectations, aligning with their desire for a simpler, climate-conscious lifestyle.

Naturally, Fælledby’s values and storytelling attract residents, businesses and partners who already identify with this mission. That in turn reinforces the project’s momentum and gives it credibility not just among residents, but among the entire supply chain.

This is how culture is formed, not by rules or systems alone, but by people who choose to make the vision their own. In the end, there’s a straight line from the values and design parameters proposed in the design phase to the choices and preferences of Fælledby’s residents.

This is how we realise the vision

To design cities that accelerate the green transition, we must be willing to rethink how we plan, invest and collaborate, with both people and systems in focus. Three conditions are essential:

1. Cross-sector collaboration. Urban planners, architects, engineers, mobility operators and energy providers must work together from day one. In practice, this often requires the project owner to take leadership to align commercial interests with long-term public value.
2. New investment models and early risk-taking. Innovation often begins before a solution is proven at scale. Fælledby shows that when both public and private actors invest early in pilot projects, new standards can emerge. But this depends on early design decisions and on a clear story that inspires partners to join, even before the payoff is certain.
3. Regulation that keeps pace with innovation. Many of the necessary technologies already exist; what’s missing is regulation that allows them to flourish. Fælledby demonstrates that solutions like V2G and energy communities are both viable and in demand. Now the legal framework must catch up.

The cities of tomorrow must not merely withstand change, they must be catalysts for it. When urban design brings together energy, mobility, community and values from the start, it lays the strongest foundation for a thriving, climate-conscious future. It proves that the future is not something we wait for – it is something we design with the aspiration and hope for real change.

About Fælledby:

Fælledby is Copenhagen’s first all-timber neighbourhood, setting a standard for how modern communities can live in harmony with nature. Designed by Henning Larsen, the project reimagines urban development through a close relationship with the landscape, establishing ecologically responsive housing units organised according to the ’rural village’ model.

The authors:

Signe Kongebro, Global Director, Future Resilient Design, Ramboll
Robert Joseph Martin, Partner, Betamobility
Simon Madsen, Communications manager, FaelledBy