CONSTRUCTION BOOM IN THE LARGE DANISH CITIES

Jul. 25, 2011 | Topic: Property and Construction

The five largest Danish cities are planning to jointly build 66.000 new homes over the next 20 years. The population is expected to increase and this enhances the need for urban expansion.

When Denmark fully escapes the grasp of the financial crisis, a real boom in construction is expected to take place, writes the Berlingske Tidende daily newspaper. The municipalities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Esbjerg are busy preparing new city developments which are intended to accommodate and employ more citizens.

The majority of the new constructions will be family homes and the remainder will be housing for young people and senior citizens.

Additionally, the construction projects will include new schools, child care facilities, shops, service facilities and integrated transport systems.

The population of Copenhagen alone is expected to increase by 29.1 percent over the next three decades. A survey by Berlingske Research illustrates that a key aim of the development projects is to attract and accommodate plenty of skilled foreign labour. According to Christian Wichmann Matthiessen, professor of geography at Copenhagen University, the strategy is paying off, seeing as the majority of national growth will occur in the major cities.

In the construction industry, CEO Lars Storr-Hansen is prepared to meet the challenge.

- According to our analyses, growth will occur mainly in Copenhagen and Aarhus, and we have the capacity to make these investments. But we have to get started now while we have some breathing space, because currently the construction industry is extremely quiet after the excellent years of 2005, 2006 and 2007, says Lars Storr-Hansen.