Are Denmark’s Green Futures Hidden in its Grey Cities?

TRANSITION Dialogue with Simon Kjær Hansen, Queen Mary Centre.

Cities are often portrayed as obstacles in the transition towards a more sustainable society – crowded, noisy, and polluted. But when we look at the data, a different picture emerges. Urban residents in Denmark generate less household waste, use less energy to heat their homes, cycle more, and drive less than populations in many rural municipalities. In fact, per-capita CO₂ emissions in Copenhagen are less than half the national average, even before emissions from agriculture are included.

In this TRANSITION Dialogue, Simon Kjær Hansen invites us to explore why that is. He argues that the very features often criticised in cities – the density of people and buildings – may be key to Denmark’s green transition. Rather than treating cities as part of the problem, he suggests we consider how their everyday infrastructures and ways of living might be part of the solution.

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Biography

Simon Kjær Hansen is Head of Centre of the Queen Mary Centre at the University of Copenhagen and has worked for many years with climate policy and urban development. He is the former Global Director in the climate network C40 Cities and previously served as Deputy Director in Copenhagen’s Technical and Environmental Administration. Earlier, he worked in the Danish Ministry of Finance and the UK Cabinet Office. Simon has studied political science at the University of Copenhagen and the New School University in New York and has taught on cities and urban policy.

Format

TRANSITION Dialogues create a conversational space where researchers, practitioners, and invited guests reflect together on themes central to understanding rural–urban transitions. Each Dialogue begins with a short input from our guest, followed by an open, exploratory conversation with all participants. The aim is not to reach consensus but to share perspectives, probe assumptions, and think collectively across disciplines and experiences.