Rasmus Koustrup Larsen | Nordic Path

Time to cure the #imaginationcrisis

Meanwhile, in Copenhagen

Top reasons I’d stay in Denmark:
1. Active shooter drills aren’t a thing
2. No medical bankruptcy
3. You don’t need a car to exist
4. My kid can nap outside a café in a pram safely
5. Trains between cities
6. Actual sidewalks
7. The military isn’t deployed against civilians (minor plus)

But still roaming the roads - On roads where you need to know the rules and regulations. Seriously bonkers 🙃

What? License free cars? 🫣😳🤯

Copenhagen bicycle culture - Where even the sewer cleaner makes sure that bikes go uninterrupted.

Low friction solution - Keep on biking!

www.man.dtu.dk/myndighedsbe...

3/3 Street space allocation is one of the most powerful tools cities have, as it produces and reproduces mobility patterns.

Car-centric cities are shaped by policy and design options. That means we can change it. Space for cars induces car use. More space for walking/cycling induce active mobility.

2/3 Resistance is often strongest before implementation and driven by uncertainty, rather than observed outcomes.

When streets become safer, quieter, and more attractive dwell time often increase which can support local retail. This has been observed since Jan Gehl counted pedestrians in the 1970’s

Politicising sustainable urban mobility: shopkeepers’ frames of street-space reallocation measures Transport is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and public health costs, with passenger cars among the main contributors. Sustainable mobility policies promise cleaner air and healthier cit...

1/3

A 2026 study examined shopkeepers’ views on reallocating street space away from cars.

Key finding: retailers often overestimate how many customers arrive by car and underestimate walking, cycling, and public transport (car users are simply more visible).

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Samfundet tjener 8,39 kr., hver gang du cykler én km i stedet for at tage bilen Hver gang en dansker hopper på cyklen frem for at tage bilen, er det godt for både den enkelte og for samfundsøkonomien. Selvom effekten er lavere ved elcyklen, er der stadig en solid samfundsgevinst ...

Those are outdated numbers. The number is actually much higher, mostly because of the health benefits, and the 2025 numbers are more than 1.20$

www.trm.dk/temaer/samfu...

Preferences for urban street space reallocation to encourage cycling: A Best-Worst Scaling profile case approach Traffic restrictions and the construction of cycling infrastructure are effective strategies to reduce private car use and promote active travel in ur…

A new study finds broad public support for reallocating street space to cycling.

Highest support for replacing car lanes, not pedestrian space.

The main barrier is not public opposition.

It is the continued prioritization of cars in how space is allocated.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...?

It’s not radical to take space away from cars and give it back to people.

Honestly, it’s common sense!

Accepting the status quo is what’s truly radical.

Tak for deling Søren. Helt ny og grøn på Bluesky, men jeg lover der kommer meget mere om byplanlægning, særligt med fokus på mobilitet 🚲

Active mobility versus motorized transport? User choices and benefits for the society Measures promoting active mobility – walking or cycling – are often seen as an effective strategy to meet multiple urban objectives. The advantages of…

Link to research: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

What if just 10% of car trips in Europe shifted to cycling and walking?

€15 billion saved every year. Cleaner air, less congestion, fewer crashes, lower CO₂, better health.

Paris shifted 12–13 percentage points away from cars in under a decade. Cycling now outnumbers cars trips in the city center!

The backalleys of Copenhagen.

I tend to walk in when a gate is open (and it usually is because we live in a high-trust low-crime society).

I always encourage my urban planning students to get lost in the city. The hidden gems often tell amazing stories. Just imagine the life in here 100 yrs ago!

Copenhagen is changing the green wave - from cars to bikes 🚲🚦

15 major streets will now give cyclists coordinated green lights, reducing stops and improving flow. A small but important shift in who the city is designed for.

Read more: www.nordicpath.dk/copenhagen-i...

We often frame mobility as a question of individual choice.

But in reality, mobility is largely determined by the system people are placed within.

Infrastructure, distance, safety, and urban form shape behavior long before individual preference enters the picture.

If we build it, they will come.