Smart Parking in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is not only the world's leading smart city, but also one of the happiest cities in the world. It was once selected by UN-Habitat as "the world's most livable city" and rated as "the best designed city". The city of Copenhagen has launched a "smart parking system", in which parking space sensors send data to a smartphone app, allowing users to know where to find available parking spaces. The relevant authorities in Copenhagen said that the prompt question of the vehicle's movement was linked to the parking fee. The system will initially be tested in the area between Vester Voldgade and Andersen Boulevard, near City Hall, and begin operating in summer 2015.

Copenhagen's smart parking is not limited to mobile phone applications. Bike Kingdom has a new initiative to solve the problem of bicycle parking. The global cycling boom has created an unexpected problem for many big cities: a lack of bicycle parking. Here are some ways Copenhagen has solved this dilemma. In 2011, Copenhagen trialled the "flexible parking law", which allows car drivers and cyclists to share some parking lots. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., spaces are reserved for bicycles; at night, cars have priority. The idea is to meet the huge demand for bicycle parking, especially near schools that are flooded with bicycles during the day. Copenhagen has piloted the scheme in five locations and is considering it as part of a "bike to school" scheme. Bike thefts in Copenhagen are rare, but the scheme would require the use of racks and fences to prevent bike loss if implemented in other cities.

In addition to the smart parking measures mentioned above, Copenhagen has also established a building that takes into account the city's scale, history and future regional culture - a three-dimensional parking building. The space of the three-dimensional parking building is mainly for local residents and workers. Garages provide bicycle parking, a key need in Copenhagen. The parking building can accommodate 485 vehicles, and there is an amusement park on the roof, which aims to serve the neighborhood. Public space is a way of invitation. When different people meet in the same place, there are more opportunities to communicate with people. This three-dimensional parking lot embodies design everywhere, making people feel a warm and friendly appearance. The rust-red building is particularly eye-catching among a group of gray buildings. Seen from the street, the brightly colored staircase with red handrails invites people to climb up. Giant stairs are interspersed on the façade with planting troughs hanging outside, and green plants climb on the wall.

This three-dimensional parking lot also has a thoughtful interior design. The interwoven grid allows the air to circulate freely, and at the same time allows the sunlight to flow in naturally, using natural lighting, which is very environmentally friendly. The plants covered outside block part of the sunlight, avoid direct sunlight in summer, and keep the interior of the car cool, which can be said to be a great boon for the parking lot in summer. In addition, the interior of the parking building adopts a multi-floor parking method, which maximizes the utilization of resources in the smallest land area.

The most attractive part of this three-dimensional parking lot is the sports playground on the roof. It has no obvious age limit and has been well received by many people. The design of the playground continues the red background of the parking lot. In addition to freely choosing the above facilities to play, people can also choose horizontal bars, open-air yoga room, small football field and rock climbing. It has fully proved that a vibrant urban space can improve people's quality of life. What's more, it's open 24 hours.