Biking in Amsterdam vs. Copenhagen

After a stressful travel day and the biggest summer storm in Amsterdam history, I wasn't liking Amsterdam too much and I didn't "get" the cycling and infrastructure here compared to how naturally it came to some other people. But, the other day it finally clicked and I had a great day exploring with purpose and understanding things here, so now I feel like I can reflect and compare Amsterdam to Copenhagen.

But first, Clog Bakfiets!

Before I go into the comparison of the systems, I just wanted to show off that I got to ride a clog bakfiets!!

Me riding with Emma (top) and Sydney (bottom) on the clog bakfiets

Observations about the Dutch System

Alexanderplein, an intersection with no traffic lights or stop signs

My first observations about the Dutch system were about the flow of everything. One of our assignments was to obstruct traffic and in doing this I realized that people on bikes and on foot will just flow around you even if you step out in front of them. This is made possible by the low speed of travel and is pretty cool because nobody will get hurt if someone makes a mistake, so it makes the system welcoming to beginners. It also makes it so that they don't necessarily need stop signs or traffic lights at every intersection here because people can yield when needed and flow around each other.

A red painted cycle track

I also thought it was hard to read and get used to the system at first because you're not sure of where you're allowed or supposed to be, but once you figure out that you can be anywhere with red paint, it helps you feel a lot more comfortable. There are also many other people on bikes you can follow to  make sure you're doing the right thing, and as I mentioned above, if you make a mistake people will just flow around you.      

Cobblestones on a bike street

Another thing I noticed is the presence of cobblestones on cycle tracks in much of the city. Some places are smoother than others but I was surprised at how bumpy some of the cycle tracks were. My only guess on why this might be is because many of the bumpy areas were in the city center where there are many pedestrians, so it is to keep cyclists slow enough so that they can stop to let pedestrians cross the street.

A speed bump

Lastly, the thing I notice the most here is the usage of infrastructure to drive behavior. Instead of signage or lights, infrastructure is used to be sure that people follow the rules. For example, on our biking tour, we were told that whichever road has a speed bump coming into an unmarked (no stop signs, yield triangles, or lights) intersection is the road where people are supposed to yield to others, but if you didn't know that rule, you would still be fine because the bump would slow you down enough to yield, which would not have happened if there was just a sign telling you to yield. 

Comparisons between the systems in Amsterdam and Copenhagen

Woman stopped in the middle of a cycle street talking to us; people just went around her

The main difference between the systems is how strict the "rules" are. Copenhagen has rules about how to make a left turn, hand signals you have to use to stop, etc., but Amsterdam has more of a flow where people use body language to communicate what they're doing and their judgement to determine if it's okay to turn left when they want. You can still follow rules in Amsterdam if you want, and use hand signals to signal stopping, but people won't get mad if you don't.

An intersection with no lights or stop signs

There are also a lot more lights and stops in Copenhagen than in Amsterdam, even in the cycle superhighways. Here, you are kept from going on autopilot as you ride because you have to think through intersections, so you will never find yourself forgetting how you got somewhere or if the light was green, like people do when they drive.

Intersection with no foot rests

One big difference between Amsterdam and Copenhagen is that Amsterdam has none of the little things that make biking a bit easier in Copenhagen, like foot rests, trash cans, and the yellow light before it turns green. While the system is generally better here in Amsterdam, I definitely notice the absence of those add-ons and I think Amsterdam would benefit from including them in their infrastructure, at least at the intersections where people will be waiting and could use them.

Cultural Differences

Someone sitting on the back of someone else's bike

Both places have a bike culture, but the bike culture in Amsterdam is a bit more developed and people here seem to trust cars more. The other main difference is that in Copenhagen the infrastructure use is very rule-oriented, and in Amsterdam it's chaos that flows. I think this probably has to do with how people are raised differently in the two cities, because the Amsterdam system might not make sense to people from Copenhagen and vice versa. This is important to remember in planning, that just because something is intuitive for you, doesn't mean it will work for everyone, and that's why community input is so important.

Convenience and Safety

I feel safer in Copenhagen because there is more separation and less shared roads which feel unsafe to me. Part of me knows that I shouldn't feel unsafe on them because the people driving there probably ride bikes too and will treat me like a human, but I am used to cars being aggressive at home, so it's still a bit scary. 

A car-free street

In terms of convenience, I think Amsterdam is better because the bike network connects you directly to destinations rather than just following the roads. It's also easier to stop and get off of the cycle tracks because there isn't a huge grade difference and you know people won't be angry.

My Preference

A graphic printed on a shared road that says "cars are guests"

Overall, I think I like Amsterdam better but I can understand why the Copenhagen system might make more sense to some people. Amsterdam is more chaotic and a bit overwhelming when you begin, but once you get the hang of it, you can appreciate how beautiful the flow is and have fun participating in it. Amsterdam does protection better with a lot more space between the cycle tracks and they do shared space better by making sure cars know that they are guests on the road, but Copenhagen is better with rule following and order. I think which system you like depends on your preference, but as someone who really appreciates rules and specific directions, I'm surprised that I love Amsterdam so much. 

Things to Transfer Back Home

A street designed so that it's one way for cars and two ways for bikes

The most important thing that I think would be really valuable back in the US is the design of infrastructure to drive behavior. I think a lot of Americans don't really obey signs, and it's hard to do so when the roads aren't designed in alignment with the signs; for example a really wide road that encourages speeding with a low speed limit that contradicts the design. The traffic calming and infrastructure design here that forces people to follow the rules is really interesting and allows for there to be intersections with no lights or stop signs. It is also legible for everyone; no matter what language they speak or how well they can read, the infrastructure will force them to slow down or yield without having to read and obey a sign.

An example of a ramp in Amsterdam

I also like the elevated lanes with a clear cut curb as protection and I think that would be very beneficial in America because it gives the cyclist a sense of protection  and it prevents the driver from easily driving onto the lane, which would allow people to ride more because they feel more safe. As long as there are ramps where people need them, whether asphalt or the more developed ramps here, the elevation is a good way to protect cyclists.

Someone riding in a shared "cars are guests" area between cars and bikes

All in all, I think the clear cut design of Copenhagen would be best to take back to America because it is easily readable for newcomers and we haven't developed a cycling culture as much as any of these cities have. In America, we wouldn't be able to simply put "cars are guests" on the road to have drivers be more respectful because we already have a culture of aggressive driving and car dominance. However, if we added Copenhagen-like infrastructure, I think it would make a lot more people feel safer cycling in the US. 

Random Thoughts

At this point in the study abroad it's hitting me hard how grateful I am to be here and to be surrounded by people that know what I'm talking about when I talk about bike infrastructure or planning because I don't have anyone like that back home. I'm very happy that I'm getting to participate in this wonderful experience with all of the other students and I'm having a lot of fun in Amsterdam. It's super cool to see that the "magic" of Dutch cycling is very real after only watching videos of it and reading about it for so long.

Scavenger Hunt Reflections

For most of our time in Amsterdam, we participated in an infrastructure scavenger hunt made by the Urban Cycling Institute to better understand how the cycling infrastructure here works. It included different "missions" to different places to learn about the history of the place and how the present cycling infrastructure is efficient.

Highlights of the Scavenger Hunt

Community Input

The most valuable parts of the scavenger hunt were when we were able to talk to residents of Amsterdam about how they're feeling about certain projects.

Central Station underground bike parking

First, we talked to people about the new underground bike parking garage at Central Station. All of them said that they like it and use it as often as possible, or whenever they're using public transit. Everyone is able to park their bike in the same place and easily know where it is, and it is inside so their bikes won't get wet while parked.

The new street design on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and the cafe on the right

Next, we talked to a business owner on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal about the street redesign process there. That street used to be a road for cars with car parking on the sides, but its median was turned into a park with vegetation and tram tracks where cars can't get through, but people can walk across. We talked to the owner of a small cafe that was on this median and she said she was very happy with the changes that had been made. She said that the old road was very chaotic with cars, but now she's much happier because it's more quiet and she has more seating available for customers.

The Weesperstraat pilot project

Lastly, we talked to people about the controversial street pilot project on Weesperstraat, where the usually busy road is closed to cars from 6 am to 11 pm every day. Most of the people we talked to really loved it. One woman who lives nearby didn't have a car and she thought it was better for her pedestrian experience, and even her boyfriend, who has a car and has to take a longer, less direct route home, loves it and wants it to be permanent. Another person loved it because of the lower noise levels, and she thinks the city should be more car-free so that people can get around safely and easily. There were also construction workers that liked it because it gave them a job, but they also thought it was visually pleasing. The person who didn't like it as much was a delivery man, and he said it's hard for those who deliver things. He thinks that the concept is a good idea but he thinks they should've picked a street that was less important.

Other Interesting Highlights

The Alexanderplein intersection

One cool thing I got to observe was Alexanderplein, an intersection without any stop signs or street lights. There are yield triangles on the ground and crosswalks, but other than that, traffic flows and people crossing, cars, trams, and bikes figure out when to move forward. When I first saw this, it blew my mind and it was really interesting to watch the flow happen for a couple of minutes. I didn't see a single accident, and the closest it got was cars not yielding when they were supposed to, but not close enough to hit anyone.

The inside of Huis de Pinto

Another cool thing was that we were able to get a tour of Huis de Pinto. We walked in to try to find the hidden bike in the artwork, but a nice man gave us a tour because he thought it was cool that we were Americans. This was the house in the neighborhood where "urban renewal" (not like American urban renewal; in the Netherlands that is what they describe as the period where they retrofitted and preserved historic buildings) began. We got to walk through the house, see the courtyard, and look at old structures hanging on the walls. It was also very cool that the street it was on was the end of an old planned highway that was never built there, and that it is now a car-free street with only trams and bikes on it.

Reflection

A busy, car-free street

Debriefing at UvA after the scavenger hunt, the main thing that my group took away was that if you cater towards what people want in their community, you'll have a more efficient, lively, and activated use of space. Through our interviews with many of the residents, we realized that the places we went that the majority of people said they liked were the places where you could see lots of people, community plants around, etc. creating a lively and used space.

Our connection map

To wrap everything up, we made a map connecting the Environmental/Spatial and Political/Social aspects for the causes of a high level of cycling in the Netherlands and the consequences (positive and negative) of it. Our main conclusion from this was that community and bike infrastructure are very intertwined through community input into the planning process to provide access for all people including kids, lower-income people, and those with disabilities. This provides positive consequences to that community in the form of air quality effects, less car crashes, and better cardiovascular health. 

Rural Amsterdam Reflection

The Switch from Urban to Rural Infrastructure

Our first sights of the more rural infrastructure by a windmill

Going from the urban environment to a completely rural area in and outside of Amsterdam takes about 20 minutes, and there is generally no suburbia you go through to get there. As you move through, the infrastructure changes as well because there is less traffic on the roads. 

Rural infrastructure with two cars passing at once

Most of the rural infrastructure includes one shared lane for car traffic going both ways in the middle and two painted bike lanes on either side. There are also speed bumps and curbs to narrow the streets every so often. After riding on this for a while, it was clear that it worked because there was rarely two cars passing each other going different directions, and the traffic calming kept the cars going at such a low speed that if another car was passing in the opposite direction, there was enough time to figure out who would slow down to let the other car pass.

Why This Might Not Work in the US

Despite this infrastructure working well for the rural area here, I don't think this would necessarily be a wise idea for the US.

The Netherlands has a developed bike culture and most people in cars also ride bikes, so they treat cyclists like human beings and don't come close to killing them over road rage every day. This allows for the shared car lane and the unprotected cycle lanes to work in this instance. In the US, however, we do not have this developed culture, and while this might work in truly rural areas, I don't think it would be best for the more suburban areas where it issometimes proposed. The one way that this might work is with serious traffic calming measures, like narrowing the lanes and curbs, but it could be dangerous to do with the car dominant culture in America and most cyclists would appreciate more protection. 

Rural Activities and Bike Access

Swimming

The lake we swam at

Outside of Amsterdam, there is a lake where we went to swim, which was cool to see within the rural part of the country that wasn't near the coast and it included a restaurant and grassy areas to give the people living there something fun to do on a summer day.

Bike access (top) and bike parking (bottom) at the lake

The best thing about it was that the bike access was clearly prioritized, and we didn't even realize there was car access at all because the car parking was so out of the way. The cycle tracks were directly connected to the lake and there were large bike parking facilities right as you entered, which were both completely separated from the car parking facilities and the roads. It was pretty cool to see biking being prioritized at a swimming spot, because I've never seen that before at any beaches or lakes I've been to in the US, and it seems intuitive to want to bike back and dry off in the fresh air after going swimming.

Cheese and Clog Shop

The cheese part of the shop (top) and the clog part of the shop (bottom)

We went to a farm where cheese and clogs are made, and although it was a weird experience, it was cool to see how they prepare cheese and make clogs in the rural Netherlands. There was also a lot of farmland nearby, with bike infrastructure flowing through it, which was nice to bike through. The journey to the clog shop was very bike friendly and we were able to bike side-by-side for most of the way. The driveway to the clog shop was also very narrow and clearly meant for bikes to be arriving.

Overall, the rural experience was very cool and it is super interesting that we were able to make it to all of these locations in under an hour on our bikes.

Amsterdam Bike Infrastructure After a Storm

A large puddle (top) and a tree down (bottom) after the storm

Amsterdam just had its biggest summer storm in history, which was almost like a hurricane with high winds and rain, so it was interesting to see how this impacted the bike and public transit infrastructure.

People riding after the storm

Directly after the worst parts of the storm when we were supposed to stay inside, there were trees down everywhere, some in the bike lanes and some in the sidewalks, and a lot of debris and large puddles. There weren't many people out biking, but as the day went on there were more and more, even when it started raining again. Most people here seem to continue to bike even in the rain with little to know rain gear, which is pretty interesting. They don't mind being uncomfortable for a bit because they know they will dry if they get wet.

A tram being towed

Because there were so many trees down and some issues with power, the trams and trains were not running, so there were trams stopped all around the city, sometimes with cars backed up behind them (an instance when it would just be best to cycle). These trams were being towed away from the busy streets, and after they were towed, a cleaning vehicle would come up to clean the tracks behind them.

A path through cycle track debris (top) & debris in the park (bottom)

The cycle tracks were cleared pretty quickly, and by the evening there was not much debris at all. In the parks there were still some fallen trees, but people were able to create paths where it was possible to swerve around them so that nobody fell off of their bike going over large sticks. It is very refreshing to see bike infrastructure being cleaned so quickly coming from a place that always has debris in the bike lanes. Two days later, most of the infrastructure is back to normal and everything is running again, so Amsterdam was able to bounce back from this pretty well with a fast cleanup and priority for bike and public transportation infrastructure.

Malmo: Biking & Walking in a New Town

We're on our last day (day 3) in Malmo, Sweden, and although it's a short stop and we only had bikes for 1.5 days, I have some thoughts about the bike/pedestrian infrastructure and use here. 

How things work

Here in Malmo, most lanes are bidirectional, so one side of the street will have a wider cycle track, and the other side will be a side for the pedestrians. It's much less orderly than Copenhagen, and there's no specific ways to turn or to signal that you're stopping; people just figure it out with the yield signs. There is also no paint on the cycle tracks to indicate which side someone should stay on for which direction, and they are most often at the same level as the pedestrian walkways, just separated with material type and color.

Things that are done well

A bidirectional cycle path

My first impression of the bidirectional bike lanes was that they were a bad idea and when bike traffic got worse and they had to switch to unidirectional lanes, they wouldn't be able to do it. After giving it some thought and speaking with some other people, I've changed my mind and while I don't think they're ideal, I think they are a realistic first step that many cities in the US could benefit from, especially because using space for bike lanes is such an issue and having a bidirectional lane on one side will take away less parking. I also can understand how it might not be so bad when the switch from bidirectional to unidirectional lanes happens, because originally I thought that the bidirectional habits would be engrained in peoples brains and it would be complete chaos, but I realized that if people take these routes every day, they'll be able to figure it out and they'll notice the construction. Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the two-way lanes, but I know that in many US cities it's a more realistic step to getting safe bike infrastructure.

A continuous sidewalk and cycle track intersecting with a street

Another thing that is done really well in most places around the city is their traffic calming infrastructure. I've noticed that crosswalks are often at narrowed parts of roads, there are many traffic circles, and there are continuous sidewalks that stay at the same height where drivers have to go over cobblestone to get up to the sidewalk height. In the areas with this infrastructure, you can see the difference in the behaviors of drivers and how much better they treat cyclists and pedestrians in these places.

Bike parking with a car structure

They also seem to have really nice bike parking in most places here. Many people have told us that bike theft is a big issue, so its nice to see them starting to prioritize parking where you can lock your frame to the structure instead of just the wheel. It also seems like they generally have enough parking for everyone near busy places, like the mall and their pedestrian streets. You can also see cool parking structures around the city that have car structures attached to them, which serve the purpose of making sure people park their bikes on a certain side of the street, as well as showing how many bikes can fit into one car parking space, and the small amount of space that bikes take up, which can help people understand how they are more efficient and sustainable.

A pedestrian shopping street

Lastly, they seem to have a large amount of walkable areas that they have turned pedestrian only for such a small city, which is very exciting to see. They have many pedestrian streets that are either summer only or year-round, and it seems like they are so successful to the businesses that people are pushing to make most of them year-round. On all of these, even in the rain and wind, I have seen a lot of people walking through and in the businesses, so they are clearly working to bring economic gain as well as to bring the community closer together.

Things that are done poorly

One thing I don't like about the Malmo infrastructure is that, because there is only one side with a cycle track, there is usually only one side with good pedestrian infrastructure as well. This makes it hard to walk around because you're never sure if you're on the right side and you can't walk on whichever side you want to.

A busy intersection with traffic from many different ways

Another thing I don't like is that the intersections can get confusing with bidirectional lanes, especially during the switch to unidirectional lanes. There are some intersections that have bike traffic coming from five places that are all bidirectional, and it's hard to navigate that along with car and pedestrian traffic. It might have been okay when there were less people using the cycle tracks, but at the current traffic capacity, it doesn't work very well. Speaking of which, the bidirectional lanes cannot accommodate for a lot of traffic, so especially as bike traffic increases, it's hard to have so many people going two different ways in one cycle track, which pushes people into the pedestrian areas and makes things unsafe.

Being forced to ride on the sidewalk because the street felt too unsafe

I also don't like how many of the cycle tracks are disconnected and will end abruptly and you will be out on the road without a painted lane all of the sudden. Because the culture of respecting cyclists is not as developed here, it feels very unsafe to ride on the street and almost felt like we were back in America. Because we felt so unsafe, we began to ride on the sidewalk, but even then we got yelled at by pedestrians because we weren't supposed to be doing that. It feels like there are a lot of recreational paths here that are connected to some things, but not everything is connected, especially as you get out towards the edge of the city. In that sense, it is a bit like Columbia, MD, but I might go as far as saying that Columbia is more connected than here.

Malmo planners with photos of what the road looked like before the cycle tracks

Lastly, it seems like the funding is lacking here to do things they want with the streets. When listening to the city planners, it seems like they don't have much funding and have to do what they can instead of fully completing projects, and it seems like a lot of people still prioritize cars. This can also be seen from the behavior by people barely stopping for crosswalks and passing very closely when there is no bike infrastructure.

Malmo compared to Copenhagen

Coming straight from Copenhagen, Malmo was a bit of a downgrade and I am not the biggest fan of the city, but I also feel like I didn't have enough time or good weather to see all of it, so maybe I am making judgements based on a part of the city that is too small.

Copenhagen is a lot better in their bike infrastructure, but it is also a lot more developed and I do feel like Malmo's bidirectional lanes were a good start for introducing this infrastructure to the city without so much pushback, and they do have some good pedestrian infrastructure in their walkable areas.

A cycle path with no elevation change between the pedestrian walkway

One thing that is better in Malmo is that the cycle tracks are elevated from the road, but often times they are at the same level as the pedestrian sidewalks, with a material, color change, or signs to differentiate the two. I think this works a lot better than the asphalt in Copenhagen because it's easier to get off onto the sidewalk, and in places where a grade change is needed, they have one. This also ties in to how much more accessible Malmo is for people with disabilities than Copenhagen, especially people who use wheelchairs, or people who are blind and have a higher chance of tripping when stepping down. Malmo also uses a lot of smooth stone walkways rather than cobblestone, which still serves the purpose of a change in material and easy removal for maintenance, without the inaccessibility.

Overall, Malmo is okay, but not as good as Copenhagen, and I am interested to see how the switch towards unidirectional lanes in some areas will go moving forward.

Copenhagen: Presentations & Tours

Our time in Copenhagen included a couple of super interesting presentations and tours that gave us some special insights into the city, specifically into their long and safe cycle ways, their architecture principles, and their waste management.

Cycle Superhighways

An orange circle with a C, marking the cycle track as part of a cycle superhighway

What are they?

Cycle superhighways are cycle routes in Copenhagen that are made for people to commute into and around the city. They are safe and connected routes where the commuter is the priority, and they are comparative to the S train network with an average of 13 km covered for each route. The goal is to make intuitive cycle routes so that the people that commute into the city can do so on their bikes. This is done by tackling the little things, such as adding foot rests at stoplights, and the bigger things, such as making sure there are a minimal amount of lights that people have to stop at on their way into the city.

How are they made?

Cycle superhighways are made by working together with municipalities and they are built with national funding. Routes are connected through existing infrastructure like puzzle pieces to create pathways, and standards are set for planning, building, way finding, and maintenance (it's cool to see maintenance included because one of the biggest problems with our bike lanes in MD are that they aren't maintained very well). 

In the presentation, it was stressed that communication is one of the most important factors in getting people to use their lanes. If they don't know its there, they won't be able to take advantage of it, so advertising that there is a safe and connected route into the city is super important to make it last and to be able to build more, especially when mayors are involved and residents feel like they're part of a story.

Effects

• Average of a 36% increase in bike traffic with superhighways
• 65% of Danes have a commute of 12 miles or less
• Data showed a socio-economic return on investment: if you invest in cycle infrastructure you get it back, especially because of the health benefits
• People have realized realized that it's possible to bike with the good infrastructure, signage, and communications

Gehl Architecture

A lot of the Gehl principles were very interesting to learn about and helped me take in the surrounding city in a new perspective. Here are some of the points that stuck with me:

• Learn how people behave and the life they want, then shape the landscape around that
• An example of this is desire paths, and creating real paths from dead grass that people have been walking over showing that they want a path there
• Think of streets as both links to destinations and as places themselves
• This helps people think of streets in a different way so that they can be made with care for all modes of transportation, places for people to stop or play, and aesthetically pleasing aspects of design
• Active edges can improve people's experience on streets and help them perceive their travel time to be lower
• Active edges are edges of buildings that are activated in some way through the architecture, showing that the space is used so they provide stimuli for people experiencing the environment
• Choosing the right place for pilot projects is important
• If you add a bike lane on a street that people don't use to get to work, people might not use it and you won't have the data that would show people that another bike lane could be helpful, but if you pick the right street that people use every day, the uptick in cyclists using the bike lane could be supported by that data
• It's better to put a bike lane in where it takes you somewhere instead of just a random place
• You don't have to fully remove car parking; you can change it to fix your streets
• Removing street parking for a bike lane might be a mandatory concession on some streets, but on others, changing car parking to diagonal parking spots instead of parallel parking can help narrow the road and serve as traffic calming
• People are more likely to be okay with street parking removals if it is replaced with something that enhances the community, like trees or a common area
• In places where the bike commuter culture isn't already prevalent, it can take some time for bike lane usage to increase
• Some places take 4 years to develop a bike culture, so it could take that long for the data to show from them using the bike lane
• This relates to my transportation pre-assignment because the bike commuter culture is beginning to develop in Columbia, which could also explain the small amount of people using the Oakland Mills road protected bike lane

Copenhill

Me with the outside of Copenhill

Copenhill (or Amager Bakke) is a large ski hill, rock climbing facility, and rooftop bar, with a plant under it that turns Copenhagen's waste into energy for electricity and heat.

Waste-to-Energy

Our group 10 stories up inside the plant (top) & waste arriving to the plant (bottom)

Copenhagen collects household waste with electric trucks, and has large recycle stations for people to recycle and re-use. Commercial companies deliver their waste to the plant and have to pay based on how much waste they have. This waste is then used at Amager Bakke to produce heating through district heating and to produce electricity. The emissions from this plant are very low and far below many of the standards that have been set, and the gas coming out at the top is very clean, which is why it is able to be so close to the city and people are able to live right beside it.

Carbon Capture

A banner inside the plant that says "we capture CO2"

Amager Bakke has been a pilot project for carbon capture, and would be able to do carbon capture if they were able to get more money. The goal of the pilot project was to learn how to capture carbon and do it in an energy efficient way. They did this by using chemicals to capture it, then using the heat produced from capturing it for district heating. The plan when they are able to get more funding is to put the carbon into reservoirs where natural gas and oil have previously been taken out, use it to make ammonia fertilizers, or use it to make artificial fuels for ships/airplanes/trucks.

Rooftop

The ski lift (top) & the Copenhill rooftop (bottom)

The rooftop of Copenhill is an area where many people do grass skiing, rent out the bar area with games and tables for their company, or come up for a nice view of Copenhagen. The rooftop is completely unaffiliated with the waste-to-energy plant below (and we got kicked off of the roof during our tour of the plant, because even though we were approved to see that, we weren't allowed to be on the rooftop). This was a pretty cool use of space so that instead of just leaving the plant as is, the top and sides were converted into recreational areas.

- Lauren