By Line Vestergaard Cramer.
13.05.2025.
Yesterday there was a conference at the Danish Architecture Center about the architecture of the future, when the expert group for National Architecture Policy has submitted its recommendations for a future national architecture policy.
With their new report, they focus on some of the problems in urban planning and architecture today. At the conference, Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Minister of Social Affairs and Housing Sophie Hæstorp Andersen and Minister for Urban and Rural Areas Morten Dahlin participated in the debate, among others.
Now the expert group is ready with a white paper containing analyses, models and recommendations for future architectural policy, as well as a recommendation catalogue with 24 specific recommendations for the state, regions, municipalities and industries. The focus points of their latest recommendations are to recycle and transform more, create more space for nature in and outside the cities, and achieve more quality and cooperation in the development of cities and diverse housing types.
Their basis for the white paper and the recommendation catalogue is based on a thorough analysis of the Danish architectural world. In their analysis, they have involved professionals, municipalities and the industry and contacted all mayors in Denmark in an open call, as they believe that architecture is an important social issue. The outcome is eight dogmas that are intended to act as a vision document for architecture and push for a cultural change in our approach to architecture and urban planning. The eight dogmas are:
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Prioritize care and beauty
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Maintain, renovate, transform
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Build circularly
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Create space for nature in cities
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Strengthen holistic spatial planning
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Cultivate local values and cultural heritage
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Create diverse housing types
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Prioritize new, binding coordination
The expert group for national architectural policy wants the established dogmas to be implemented and disseminated in the Danish municipalities, regions and industry as a common overall goal for a better and more sustainable architectural future.
The Expert Group for National Architecture Policy has been established by the Minister of Culture to analyze how architecture in our cities has managed to support modern life. The expert group consists of Pil Høyer Thielst, Helle Søholt, Ellen Braae, Kent Martinussen, Marie Stender, Ellen Højgaard Jensen, Lene Dammand Lund, Lars Autrup, Anne Mette Exner, Claus Sivager and Sigrid Dahlerup. For more information: https://kum.dk/kulturomraader/national-arkitekturpolitik
Image above: The white paper and recommendation catalogue. Photo: Line Vestergaard Cramer.