Affordable housing is more important than parking spaces

Most architectural policies are, in fact, construction policies, as they primarily focus on measurable improvements to the framework conditions for building and civil engineering projects. And with good reason. Architecture itself is not an exact science; the only thing we know for certain is that the better the conditions for developing and realizing strong projects, the better the results will be.

In addition to a white paper, the expert group behind the national architecture policy has also published a catalog of recommendations, which highlights, among other things, the need to improve and make more flexible the framework for the public sector. This is something that deserves attention. Most recently, AKB Copenhagen announced that, under the current construction cost ceiling, it cannot complete its voluntarily initiated project, “Urbania,” which includes 88 small, public, sustainable homes (TV 2 Kosmopol).

More broadly, too few public housing units are being built, undermining the continuation and development of an important Danish architectural tradition—while housing prices, especially in the capital, are soaring across all categories. We have previously criticized the City of Copenhagen for not exploring the possibility of integrating as many as possible of the 40,000 planned new homes—including 10,000 public housing units—into existing buildings (Arkitekten 03/2024).

There may well be votes to gain by promising more parking spaces in Copenhagen, as mayoral candidate Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil (S) has proposed. But for a Social Democrat heading into the municipal elections on November 18, the main priority should be to ensure the provision of more affordable housing. MK