Copenhagen
Long regarded as the benchmark of cycling cities, Copenhagen has led the global movement for decades, shaping how the world thinks about bicycle infrastructure. Its extensive network, consistent investment, and deeply rooted cycling usage have made it a global reference point. As new questions emerge about how already mature cycling cities continue improving, Copenhagen is preparing to respond. The city’s largest-ever cycling budget, approved for 2026, signals renewed ambition of a new wave of innovation, hinting that the best may be yet to come.
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Copenhagen has long defined the global standards for cycling infrastructure and design, maintaining the highest infrastructure density in the world with 52 kilometers of protected bicycle tracks for every 100 km of roadway. This network supports an impressive 29% modal share of all trips by bicycle and continues to evolve to address new challenges. In recent years, Copenhagen has expanded its playbook of solutions by finally introducing bicycle streets in dense corridors such as Nyhavn, Rantzausgade, and Nordre Frihavnsgade, where cyclists eventually lead the flow. The Dybbølsbro area illustrates this evolution, with Copenhagen accommodating high cycling volumes on tracks up to 9 meters wide, while in other parts of the city, street profiles have been reimagined to incorporate green infrastructure for rainwater management.
Yet the next chapter for Copenhagen lies not in the quantity, but in rebalancing the city for all forms of life. As car numbers rise, the challenge is to strengthen traffic calming, expand 30 km/h speed limit zones, and create car-free areas around schools, while simultaneously expanding green-wave corridors and climate resilient street redesign. These measures will sustain Copenhagen’s renowned livability and bolster environmental leadership. Over the past five years, the city has invested nearly €38 per inhabitant annually in cycling, a level of consistency that makes evident Copenhagen’s long-term commitment to everyday cycling.
What is continuing to distinguish Copenhagen is not only the scale of everything it has already built, but its habit of continuously refining, updating, and improving its streets in response to real world challenges. The city remains one of the most influential references in globalized bicycle urbanism, a place where principles of design together with a culture of planning have shaped cycling policy far beyond Denmark’s borders.
“ What distinguishes Copenhagen today is its ability to keep improving a model the world already looks to. ”
The recently voted cycling budget paired with an ambitious program for the upcoming years mark an important step for Copenhagen, even when the real test will be what the city can ultimately deliver. The projects announced for implementation, from new cycling connections to safer school streets, address precisely the areas where Copenhagen must continue evolving. If effectively carried out, these improvements will strengthen the city’s weakest links and reinforce the qualities that have long made it the global reference. This is why Copenhagen remains the city to watch: it stands out at a pivotal moment where a committed resolve and firmness of purpose may well define the next chapter of cycling leadership.
