Date of Award

Spring 2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Urban Studies

First Advisor

Garth A. Myers

Abstract

In Europe or North America, suburbs are often considered the desired area in which to live and are expected to be the new form of a “city”. With this being so, cities are expanding 1 their footprints at a fast rate. My stereotypical suburb is a formerly rural area with houses and great spaces separating them from one another. Along with this stereotype, the only transportation system readily available is a private automobile. However, after travelling to Copenhagen, I found that in Denmark, suburbs are where people strive to live. They are less congested than the city center and have the same great amenities that one would find in Copenhagen’s city proper. Transportation is one of the first things that is thought of when building out of the center of Copenhagen. Public transportation is ultimately what ties the city together with its suburbs. Given their transportation infrastructure needs, are all aspects of suburbs in Copenhagen sustainable?

While Copenhagen wants to maintain its sustainable backbone, it also wants to urbanize and broaden its footprint. Can a city have extended urbanization and sustainability at the same time? This question targets Copenhagen initially, but is also important to understand when studying suburbs all over the world. Sustainability is a concept that is easily overlooked by certain cities, especially when focusing on suburbs. As the environment is becoming more important globally, we have to understand the way people are living and what sustainable choices can be made individually and city-wide in order to improve the quality of life for a greater number of people in metropolitan areas.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford CT for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies.

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