Translating ‘New Compactism’, circulation of knowledge and local mutations: Copenhagen’s Sydhavn as case study

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The international circulation of urban design concepts often leads to their characterization as transferable ideals defined by a set of universalized ‘best practices’ that are simply implemented in new localities, as is typical of top-down approaches to planning. Recently, the compact city and New Urbanism have become trendy concepts informing the development of urban projects across geographies. This research draws on ANT sensitivities and policy mobilities studies to examine the regeneration of Copenhagen’s Southern Harbour (Sydhavn) wherein the compact city and New Urbanism ideals, together with a declared inspiration from Dutch architecture, were originally incorporated in the masterplan. Through the analysis of documents and semi-structured interviews, the paper illustrates how these ideals – merged as 'New Compactism' – were mobilized and re-intepreted by local actors in Sydhavn. It thus adds to our understanding of how the circulation of such ideals is not a matter of implementation, but a complex social process of translation that entails struggle and transformation.
Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Planning Studies
Volume27
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)173–195
Number of pages24
ISSN1356-3475
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sep 2022

    Research areas

  • Urban planning - Sydhavn, new urbanism, compact city, urban transformation

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