Søren Hansen is a project director at Ramboll, an engineering consultancy, specializing in urban development strategies, master planning, and transportation planning. Ramboll has over 13,000 experts working across 35 countries. Hansen discusses Ramboll's work on smart, sustainable cities and liveable urban planning. He uses Copenhagen as a case study, highlighting projects like Nordhavn, a nominated "world's best masterplan," and Copenhagen's cloudburst management plan to mitigate flooding. Hansen emphasizes the importance of holistic, climate-responsive urban planning and public engagement to create highly liveable cities.

1. CITY MASTERPLANNING
SMART LIVEABLE CITIES
SOREN HANSEN M.SC. TRANSPORT AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT DIRECTOR
SH@RAMBOLL.DK

2. RAMBOLL IN BRIEF
• Independent engineering and
design consultancy and
provider of management consultancy
• Founded 1945 in Denmark
• 13,300 experts
• Over 300 offices in 35 countries
• Significant presence in the Nordics, North &
South America, the UK, Continental Europe,
Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, and Sub-
Saharan Africa
• Our Australian presence includes offices in
Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne and Perth.
• EUR 1.1 billion revenue
• Owned by Ramboll Foundation
Services across the markets:
- Buildings & Architecture
- Transport
- Environment & Health
- Water
- Energy
- Oil & Gas
- Management Consulting
- Planning & Urban Design

3. RAMBOLL WORLD MAP

4. ABOUT ME Søren Hansen, M.Sc. Project Director
• Urban development strategies; master planning;
urban and transportation planning and design;
environmental and sustainability assessments;
liveable cities.
• Studies have included cities, urban district
developments, airports, ports, roads, tunnels,
facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and public
transportation. Completion of work for a large
number of cities, municipalities and states, as well
as private development companies.

5. RAMBOLL ELEVATING TECHNICAL SKILLS TO STRATEGY AND
PLANNING LEVEL
Sector focus:
• Aviation
• Arts & culture
• Commercial
• Social housing
• Healthcare
• Higher/Further
Education
• Hotels & leisure
• Industrial & Science
• Government & Public
• Residential
• Retail
• Schools
• Sports
BUILDINGS
Sector focus:
• Airports & aviation
• Ports & marine
• Rail
• Light rail
• Public transport
• Transportation planning
• Roads & motorways
• Urban spaces
• Master planning
• Urban development
• Bridges
• Tunnels
• Geotechnics
• Asset management
TRANSPORT
Sector focus:
• Climate change
• Urban heat islands
• Environmental Due
Diligence
• Mining
• Nature
• Urban water
• Waste
• Waste water
• Potable water
• Soil pollution
• Air pollution
• Adaptation and mitigation
ENVIRONMENT
Sector focus:
• FPSOs
• LNG – Liquefied
Natural Gas
• Market and
distribution
• Offshore pipelines
• Offshore platforms
• Onshore pipelines
• Refineries and
gas storage
OIL & GAS
Sector focus:
• Planning
• District heating/cooling
• Production
• Waste-to-energy
• Onshore and
offshore wind
• Thermal power
• Biomass
• Biogas generation
• Solar energy
• CHP
• Transmission and
distribution
ENERGY
Sector focus:
• Central government
• Economics
• Education and
research
• Labour market
• Life science
• Regional and local
government
• Utilities
• Welfare and Social
Policy
MANAGEMENT
CONSULTING
PLANNING & URBAN DESIGN

6. Copenhagen
1950
1995
2010
Beijing
1984
2010
1950
A comparison

7. 0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1
1,1
1,2
1,3
1,4
1,5
Gross energy consumption
CO2 emissions
GDP
DE-COUPLING GDP AND CO2
GDP, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Denmark 1990-2013
Source:
Statistics Denmark and
the Danish Energy Agency

8. ACHIEVEMENTS
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
Number of deaths in traffic in 1972: 1762
Number of deaths in traffic in 2012: 167
Injured
Deaths
Number

9. COPENHAGEN IN TRANSITION:
RECESSION  SUSTAINABLE SMART CITY
Copenhagen 1980
Recession
Copenhagen 2014
European green capital

10. THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT VEHICLE IN COPENHAGEN
CHANGE OF ZONING
ARCHITECTS COMPETITION
METRO AND INFRASTRUCTURE
SALE OF BUILDING RIGHTS
5 Euro/m2
1,000 Euro/m2
MASTERPLAN
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
LAND INTERPOSED

12. ØRESTAD SOUTH VISION
CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

13. HOLISTIC URBAN PLANNING
SMART, SUSTAINABLE AND LIVEABLE
Best practice to next practice
o Best practice today is
sustainability
o Not content with best practice
o Best practice is retrospective
o Cities last for the next 100s of
years
o Best practices don’t consider
autonomous cars, e-trade, 3D
printing, social medias,
climate changes etc.
o Next practice is liveability
Liveability is main objective
• Prime enablers are:
o Sustainability
o Smart city
o Mobility
o Viability
o Resiliency
o Coherency
o Flexibility
o And………

14. MORE MOBILITY – LESS TRAFFIC

15. NORDHAVN – next practice
NOMINATED ‘WORLDS BEST MASTERPLAN’
Sustainable, smart, liveable
• 40,000 inhabitants 40,000
workplaces
• CO2 neutral and energy plus
• Design for passive energy saving
• Smart city solutions
• Public transport prioritization
• Parking strategy
• Super bicycle paths
• District heating and cooling
• High performance building
envelopes
• Large energy store
• Sea wheat for bioethanol and
biogas
• Intelligent waste handling
• Solar systems

16. LIVEABILITY AND SMART PLANNING
IMPROVE MOBILITY - REDUCE TRAFFIC
Definition of 5 minute city
• The five minute city makes it
possible to reach basic shops,
institutions, work places and
cultural facilities within 5
minutes walk
• Or within 5 minutes walk to a
public transport mode leading to
the destination
Why?
• To create urban life
• Social interconnectedness
• Networking
• Sustainable behaviour and
transportation

17. HOLISTIC URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Yesterday Todays Tomorrow
Urban context Urban context Urban context
Homogenous Multi-cultural No borders
Locally anchored Diversified Global partnerships
Physical defined Transboundary No physical dependency
Demarcated
• Smart cities are created through networks
• Public authorities – states, regions, municipalities
• Citizens – communication, transparency an ownership
• The private sector – investors, innovators, start-ups,
industries
• Long term strategies
• Future trends
• Co-creation of physical urban space solutions and
technological

18. COPENHAGEN HARBOUR - AFTER (2014)
CLEAN WATER AND NEW RECREATIONAL USE

19. NEW DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE HARBOUR
HAS DIRECT ACCESS TO THE WATER

20. CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE BIG GAME CHANGER
High end liveability
Sustainability, aesthetics, innovation,
learning, transparency
Intermediate liveability
Enhanced infrastructure, safety, supply
stability,
Diversity in population
Basic liveability - survival
Place to sleep and shelter (buildings),
basic utilities (water, heat, power), basic
infrastructure
Cities: Singapore, Sydney, Hamburg,
Montreal,
Copenhagen
Etc.
Cities: Rio, Sunderland, Gdansk,
(the “classic” industrial city)
Cities: Manila, Jakarta, Nairobi, Hanoi, (third
world cities)
Climatechange

21. • Buildings edges
• Clustering of buildings
• Orientation of buildings
• Old and new developments
• Complex layout
• Green areas
• Influence by environment
• Infrastructure
MICRO CLIMATE PLANNING TOOL TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT

22. CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN
PASSIVE STRATEGIES FOR OUTDOOR COMFORT

23. CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN
PASSIVE STRATEGIES FOR OUTDOOR COMFORT
Wind flowKing Abdullah financial district, Riyadh Wind velocity Air ventilation
Temperature reduction of 8-10 oC, by
passive strategies for outdoor design
• Landuse, orientation, design, materials,
planting, cooling, exhaust

24. SMART THINKING IN THE URBAN WATER CYCLE
Three challenges,
1. Water scarcity
2. More frequent and heavier rainfall
3. Lack of green urban spaces
ABC Design Guidelines,
PUB, Singapore 2011 (co-created
by Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl)

25. COPENHAGEN CLOUDBURST PLAN
CATALOGUE OF SOLUTIONS
27
”
”
1. Create interaction between the
cloudburst solutions and the
upgrading of existing squares,
streets and parks
2. The cloudburst solutions shall
seek to support the city life –
increase liveability – and be cost
effective

26. SAINT JØRGENS LAKE – CENTRAL RETENTION

27. SØNDER BOULEVARD - CLOUDBURST STREET

28. SØNDER BOULEVARD - CLOUDBURST STREET

29. SØNDER BOULEVARD - CLOUDBURST STREET

30. USING STORED RAINWATER TO COOL URBAN SPACES
SMART CITY SOLUTIONS CONTROL WATER USAGE
Permeable paving
Drain PipesSmart Valve WellGravel Waterproof membrane Sewer
CHURCH STFENNELL ST

31. SANKT ANNÆ PLADS – PRIZE WINNING
COPENHAGEN’S FIRST CLOUDBURST STREET

32. WE MUST BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER
TO CREATE THE LIVEABLE AND CLIMATE
RESPONSIVE CITY
34

33. URBAN INNOVATION – ROAD TO SUCCESS
1. A strong and guiding political vision
• Quality of life (Liveable, clean, safe, diverse, sustainable)
• Growth (knowledge, innovation, employment)
2. A holistic approach to planning urban developments/retrofitting
• Acknowledgement that investments in physical infrastructure need to be viable and go
hand-in-hand with investments in social and cultural infrastructure.
3. Structured approach to dialogue with citizens and investors
• Open dialogue with investors on need for municipal “trigger investments”. Transparency in
political decision making and trust in the future.
• Involvement of citizens. Not only in hearings and formalized engagement processes. But
also in structured co-creation processes

34. 1. Ramboll Head Quarter
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN
Architect: Dissing & Veitling
Engineer: Ramboll
40.000 m2

35. 6. Ottetallet – 8-building
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN
Architect: BIG - Denmark
Total: 62.000 m2 - Mixed use
Apartments: 476
Worlds best residential building 2011 (WAF, Barcelona)

36. 7. VM Mountain
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN
Architect: BIG - Denmark
Total: 62.000 m2 - Mixed use
Apartments: 80
Worlds best residential building 2008 (WAF, Barcelona)
Parking: 650 spaces

37. 8. Tietgen Dormitory
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN
Architect: Lundgaard & Tranbaek - Denmark
Apartments: 360

38. 10.Northern Harbour development
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN
10
Design: Ramboll and COBE - Denmark
Total: 3.200.000 m2 - Mixed use
Residents: 40.000
Jobs: 40.000
CO2 neutral
Nominated worlds best masterplan 2009 (WAF, Barcelona)

39. 4. Harbour swim bath
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN

40. 5. Sluseholmen
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INSPIRATIONAL TOUR OF COPENHAGEN

41. THANK YOU
SOREN HANSEN
PROJECT DIRECTOR
TRANSPORT AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
RAMBOLL DENMARK
SH@RAMBOLL.DK