Hedonistic Sustainability: Building a SolarPunk City
The real value of the SolarPunk movement has always been in making a sustainable future look desirable. No one is going to buy into the idea of a sustainable future if it looks like a worse version of the world we live in right now. So if we are to build sustainable cities, they really need to be both sustainable and more enjoyable to live in than the cities and societies we have today.
In Copenhagen, Denmark they have an approach to architecture called Hedonistic Sustainability. This approach has been championed by Architect Bjarke Ingels who seeks to make sustainability both more desirable and more fun. Instead of architects and planners saying no to the local community and sustainability demands, Bjarke Ingels’ philosophy is to say yes. Through his work he has created a manifesto for inclusion where the demands of the people and the needs of the environment are put at the forefront of the decision making process, not at the back. What has resulted from this thinking is a number of transformative projects that tick both sustainability and liveability boxes and embody many of the principles of SolarPunk.
Havnebadet Islands Brygge is one example of this. Formally an industrial harbour, the area was transformed into a clean, swimmable public space, after extensive environmental remediation. The site features multiple pools and diving platforms, constructed from renewable Scandinavian wood and built on removable pontoons. This project not only revitalised the waterfront but also enhanced community well-being, making it a vibrant hub for recreation and social interaction in the heart of the city.
All images via: https://www.destinationdaydreamer.com/
As part of the transformation of Copenhagen’s North Harbour many of the pre-existing buildings were kept. The architects wanted to showcase the beauty of the existing buildings by preserving and transforming them. The city chose to give the buildings a new purpose, instead of pulling them down completely. The philosophy embraces the idea of “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Not allowing developers to pull a building down unless they have made sure nobody else wants it or can do something good with it. An example of this is Silo. A 17-storey former grain silo and the largest industrial building in the area was transformed into residential apartments and a space for public functions.
The idea of retrofitting instead of rebuilding is a core principle of SolarPunk. It’s great to see it being put into practice and working, which proves that SolarPunk principles are both viable and popular.
Another initiative running in Copenhagen is the Reduction Roadmap, which identifies where we are today, where we need to go, and how quickly we must reduce our environmental impact to stay within Earth’s safe operating space. It offers science-based transformation tools and a call to action for the Danish building industry and politicians, aiming to align all stakeholders with the physical limits of the Paris Agreement and Planetary Boundaries. This initiative has produced an excellent report that can be downloaded for free at: https://reductionroadmap.dk/beyond-the-roadmap.
To get to a SolarPunk future we need to prove that sustainable can be desirable and more fun. That we can build in a cost-effective way and people will want to live in these spaces. That is what Copenhagen is doing here. It’s not the end game but it is a good step towards a SolarPunk future. We need to shake off that sustainable image that has always felt like sacrifice and “doing without.” A sustainable future should mean a much better future for all, which is something I write about all the time on this blog. Freed from the consumerist rat race and the tyranny of materialism, we can transform our industrial cities into sustainable green, vibrant communities with safe streets for play and a renewed sense of connection and belonging.
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Featured image is from here: https://www.copenhagenislands.com/ Which is an interesting project and worth checking out.
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Participatory Urbanism: A beginners guide
I recently did a speech to my local Rotary Club about a Participatory Urbanism project I am working on. To my surprise, the audience appeared equally interested in the whole Participatory Urbanism concept, as much as the project itself. So I thought it would be good to put together a quick explainer, which I can point people to, if they are interested.
Participatory Urbanism is an approach to city planning and development that actively involves citizens in the decision-making processes, right from the start, to create more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable urban environments.
Urban planning, once the exclusive domain of architects, developers, and policymakers, is slowly opening its doors to the people who live in the neighbourhoods they are shaping. This movement—known as Participatory Urbanism—is about putting residents at the centre of urban change. Unlike what we see right now, where residents are on the periphery of any decision making.
Participatory Urbanism invites community members to co-create the future of their cities. It moves beyond consultation into real collaboration, where local knowledge, lived experiences, and collective imagination become essential tools in the planning process. Whether it’s redesigning a park, rethinking traffic flow, or creating more inclusive public spaces, the goal is to make cities not just more efficient—but more just, vibrant, and responsive to human needs.
This approach goes by many names. You might hear it called “collaborative urbanism”, “community-led planning”, or “co-design”. In digital spaces, it intersects with “civic tech” and the “smart citizen” movement, where data and tools empower residents to advocate for better services. In the physical world, it often overlaps with “tactical urbanism”—those DIY, grassroots projects that temporarily transform urban spaces to test new ideas.
What unites all these threads is a simple but powerful belief: the people who live in a place are experts in their own right. By making space for their voices, we build not just better cities—but stronger communities.
Right now we get community participation really, really wrong. Most civic systems are hierarchical, with decisions made by a few “experts” behind closed doors. Public participation is often tokenistic—last-minute, limited, and on the civic leaders’ terms. It feels disingenuous, formal, and uninspiring, excluding genuine input and creativity. The same voices dominate, while people are sidelined and are not truly at the centre of decision-making.
Participatory Urbanism ultimately means reimagining our cities as places shaped by the people who live in them. It shifts power from top-down planning to collaborative processes where residents have a real say in decisions that affect their daily lives. This approach fosters more inclusive, equitable, and responsive urban environments by valuing local knowledge, creativity, and lived experience. When communities co-create their neighbourhoods—whether through planning, design, or stewardship—cities become more vibrant, just, and resilient. Participatory urbanism is about putting people at the heart of urban change, ensuring cities are not just built for communities, but built with them.
There is no one single way to implement Participatory Urbanism. Lots of cities are trying to do it right now and we see lots of different ideas and models emerging. In reality there never should be one single approach/method/model because that flies in the face of the whole idea of consulting local residents. An approach that suits one city may not work in another. Fortunately there are lots of examples we can look at from around the world, and take inspiration from. I wrote about Bologna, Italy’s approach here: https://owgf.org/2024/08/02/should-we-follow-bolognas-model-for-participatory-urbanism/ There is also the Transition Network working on providing ideas for communities that want to organise, which I posted about here: https://owgf.org/2024/08/04/transition-togethers-free-step-by-step-guide/ Also a quick web search for “Participatory Urbanism Tools” will deliver more results than you can poke a stick at.
Our Wonderful Green Future will be a co-designed by the people, for the people.
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Our Wonderful Green Future
Our Wonderful Green Future
Our Wonderful Green Future