Blossom Plan
Copenhagen Finger Plan 2.0
Competition
2024
Finger Plan 2.0 – An open ideas competition about the future of Copenhagen’s capital region.
Greater Copenhagen has the potential to be a leading capital in becoming self-sufficient, by creating symbiosis with its environment through healing methods for nature and humans.
The challenges posed by climate change already compel us to reconnect with the natural world and seek solutions embedded in it. For instance, stormwater management relies on plants and roots, sea mussels help clean canal waters, and trees improve water retention and urban cooling. However essential those are, we need to think beyond these measures to shift the current trajectories.
We propose to create a new network of green and blue infrastructure that connects all the main green spaces of the Capital region. These new "Biodiversity Sloways" rest upon existing infrastructure and transform them into wildlife corridors, both on land and coastal sea. New programs structure these Sloways to connect people to the urban ecosystems, teach about Nature in cities, and empower communities in becoming self-sufficient through local resources.
Some animals offer invaluable contributions: bats and frogs eat mosquitos, worms enrich soil, birds and squirrels disperse seeds, and insects play a critical role in pollination. These interactions create a richer natural environment with profound health benefits.
The competition brief emphasized sustainability and provided valuable guidance, but its research remains largely human-centered, risking a repetition of conventional strategies in the solutions. Can we truly achieve sustainable planning without a deep understanding of local ecosystems and incorporating them into the design? Failing to do so risks perpetuating siloed approaches that overlook the interconnectedness of life.
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What if we allowed the green fingers from Copenhagen original “Finger Plan” to blossom through the urban fabric— weaving between parcel houses and spilling into courtyards? Could we give up parts of our gardens to allow the forest to return to where we live?
Nowadays forests have been separated, standing as isolated islands in a landscape of intensive agriculture and urbanisation. This leads to a loss of natural habitats and poses a great threat for species’ survival.
Here we propose breaking the barriers of modern, man-made territories, to create new wildlife corridors that allow species to cross from one forest to another. We must be critical of the existing suburban model, parcel house regulations and the way we plan the expansion of cities, as they still don’t take into account the large-scale network of local ecosystems.
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Everyone should learn about Nature – Ecosystems – Natural food sources – Animal needs. We proposed the idea of the Blossom Plan as a living frame in cities and suburbs for developing local Nature: we must view urban settings as part of a wider natural ecosystem and address the needs of both Nature and People through a large-scale strategy.
The Blossom Plan is about creating green corridors within the urban fabric to link parks and forests – allowing Nature and Animals to move safely across the city. This design builds upon existing green spaces such as parks, forests, courtyards, and green railways, reinforcing the presence of urban ecosystems.
By giving up space and reversing the hierarchy that places Humans above other species, we transform our relationship from one of domination to one of coexistence. The Blossom Plan provides a framework for interacting with Nature in two ways: the Nature we engage with – harvest – garden / and the Nature we leave undisturbed – let wild.
We believe this is key to fostering a sense of belonging among people and communities – by opening paths toward self-sufficiency. Re-establishing a lost connection to Nature is fundamental to strengthening local culture and identity.
Understanding Nature and local ecosystems also means understanding local resources – those we consume and those we use to build. Today, many of these resources are imported, causing serious harm to the planet through emissions and undermining social, community, and economic resilience. Reducing dependence on the global economy and its capitalist structures allows for the emergence of a local, circular alternative.
This brings us to the central question of cohabitation with other species. While the Blossom Plan remains a high-level strategy – a continuous path connecting Copenhagen’s Green & Blue infrastructure – it symbolizes connection rather than separation, typically produced by planning and construction. The Blossom Plan connects the green fingers and disrupts the direction of the urban sprawl of Copenhagen’s original Finger Plan. It is a vision not only for animals and Nature, but for Humans as well. Transforming our environment, our living habits, and experiencing the city through our senses, may be the only way to truly reverse our impact.
