City P, Odense
Tale of two cities
Underground car park and road - Odense city centre
A historic city, Odense was once home to the author, Hans Christian Anderson and has been described as the fairy-tale capital of the world. Back in the 1960’s, a major road was built to make it quicker and easier for heavy traffic to access Odense’s busy industrial harbour.
Unpopular with many locals from the start, this had the unfortunate effect of dividing the old city in two. Years later, it was agreed that Odense city centre should be healed, and plans were made to redevelop the area.
Original character
A city rich in culture—its colourful townhouses and crooked old streets enough to charm any visitor—the challenge was to reclaim the character of the city by reducing heavy traffic into the centre, whilst at the same time making sure that it remained car-friendly.
The bold decision was taken to close the original four-lane road, which was overbuilt to create a whole new neighbourhood in the middle of the city. The road below was kept open for slow traffic only, and the remaining space was used to create one large car park for the whole city centre.
By redirecting cars underground, on street parking was no longer necessary, and keeping the lower road open to vehicles retained an important connection between the north and south-side of the city.
“This unique carparks sets the bar for future infrastructure as it enables car to get into the city centre, while keeping the cars off the streets. It enables the city centre of Odense to thrive and unlock it’s full potential”
Johan Juncker, Business Development Manager at Q-Park Operations Denmark A/S
A road reimagined
Making use of the existing road structure, meant it wasn’t necessary to develop additional car parks and because the original road was now a car-free district, only pedestrian access was needed. We created 26 different access points with both stairs and lifts, to make sure the whole city centre was easily accessible to all. And, particular attention was paid to encourage cycling, with extra wide bicycling lanes and dedicated bridges, turning Odense into Denmark’s most cycling-friendly city. The whole project has had a unifying effect on the city, and supports a more sustainable, liveable environment for all.
Parties: City of Odense (Developer); Realdania (Developer); Catella Parken Europa (Investor)