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How can we rethink suburbia as a modern and sustainable place where it is easy to form communities and where everything a family needs is ‘in the neighbourhood’? And how can the development of a new urban neighbourhood contribute to revitalising an entire area? These are some of the central goals of the new urban development project Nærheden, which Realdania By & Byg is developing in partnership with Høje-Taastrup Municipality.
Nærheden is a varied neighbourhood of built-up and low-rise areas with extensive communal facilities and easy access to public transport, schools, shops, leisure activities and nature.
In developing the area, particular attention was on making it easy for residents to unite around common interests – and on making everyday life easier, with easy access to shops, leisure activities, schools, public transport and outdoor activities.
Nærheden has been conceived as an attractive residential area to attract new, affluent residents to Hedehusene; but the new development will also serve as a catalyst for a revitalisation of the entire area. With this in mind, a new bridge has been constructed over the railway line between and Hedehusene and Nærheden, along with a new, green, circular thoroughfare, conceived as a new high street for pedestrians and cyclists from both neighbourhoods. From 2021 onwards, children from the entire area will attend school in Nærheden, while Hedehusene will primarily serve as a shopping district.
Nærheden will accommodate 3,000 homes and, in time, become home to 7,000 people. Terraced houses, communal apartments and flats will all be built in Nærheden. There will also be a new school, shops, public services, office space, and much else besides.
The new district is being constructed on a 65-hectare plot of land south of Hedehusene Station in Høje-Taastrup, 28 km from the heart of Copenhagen and 20 minutes’ commute from Copenhagen Central Station. The completed project will also feature a green oasis with a lake. Nærheden is situated just a few hundred meters from the extensive green area of Hedeland, with its alpine ski slope, amphitheatre, running and cycling routes, vintage railway, golf course, riding clubs and much more besides.
The homes will be constructed by private contractors who purchase the building plots from the partnership NærHeden P/S, owned by Realdania By & Byg and Høje-Taastrup Municipality. The construction projects have been developed in collaboration between the building contractors and NærHeden P/S, and they conform to a series of quality requirements.
The NærHeden P/S partnership was established in 2013. Construction of the first homes commenced in 2017, and in 2018 the first new residents moved in. In 2021, Høje-Taastrup Municipality will open an ambitious new science school in collaboration with LEGO Education.
Nærheden is a new type of suburb, combining the built-up, varied architecture and urban life of the city with the green spaces and safety of the suburbs. A priority when developing Nærheden was to create a new framework for communities, both in the urban space and in the individual housing developments.
The new neighbourhood is expected to bring more general growth to Hedehusene. New, inviting homes will attract new, affluent residents, and the town's 7,000 new inhabitants will stimulate new growth in the town's shopping district and business community. Moreover, the Nærheden development will provide a new school and new sports facilities.
In addition to Nærheden, Realdania By & Byg is engaged in urban development projects in Køge Kyst, Kanalbyen in Fredericia and the In the Middle of Nature project in Ringkøbing-Skjern in partnership with the local municipal authorities in those areas. All four projects provide tailored solutions to the challenges faced by the cities of the future, and by committing long-term investment over three decades, Realdania By & Byg – by virtue of its knowledge and experience in the field of sustainable urban development – is helping keep long-term priorities in focus and guarantee high-quality solutions.
Credit: Claus Bjørn Larsen
2013-2035
Zealand
Urban Development