Denmark today: city and outskirts – and everything in-between. What if everything was connected? Distances are not physical on the new map of Denmark. It is all about the time between regions. Time is limited, so the point is to use it effectively.

When the digital age took off, distances were diminished just a bit with the help of online meetings and home offices. But the value of physical presence cannot be replaced. The dynamism, spontaneity, and cultural opportunities of urban areas cannot be digitalized. The sensation of peace in rural areas, nature, the sea, and the horizon requires a body to be present.

Distances are considerably greater in neighbouring countries, but an effective prioritisation of the rail system has helped keep their different parts connected. Denmark’s railway system, on the other hand, is characterized by so many detours and tortuous routes that the distances seem greater. The periphery should be so close to the centre that these slightly boring concepts will lose their meaning.

New thinking about Denmark’s infrastructure is needed in which environmentally friendly high-speed trains will be closely connected to already existing transportation networks, airports and the rest of Europe. The existing solutions must not only be patched, the whole network must be reconceived from the ground up. The current linear structure should be replaced by a circular rail ring. If we imagine that quite ordinary technologies used today by many foreign railroads were implemented in Denmark, we would be able to make the entire circuit in a couple of hours.

It will no longer be crucial to live near the capital to have access to a vigorous and rich business and cultural life. Growth and abode will be more flexible when everything is connected. Urban development in the future should be dense and near stations. The business areas that are spread out over the outskirts of every major provincial city and along motorways should be established in accordance with a national strategy in which they are accessible to stations and have a minimal footprint.