Territorial Review Copenhagen - Region Hovedstaden

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were strong competitiveness and strong cohesion, to be achieved by worldclass
education, research, entrepreneurship and innovation. Among the
quantifiable targets were a goal of 50% higher education attainment, 3% of
GDP on R&D expenditure and the largest number of business start-ups and
high growth start-ups in Europe. The globalisation strategy mentioned 350
specific initiatives. Copenhagen was not specifically mentioned in the
document, but an action plan was drawn up in which the initiatives were
outlined in more detail and funded. The national government and the
regional Growth Forum of the Capital Region have made an agreement on
partnership for growth for 2007-09. The agreement is to link the national
globalisation strategy and regional growth strategies, and the agreement
contains initiatives from both strategies.
ii) The City of Copenhagen. The City of Copenhagen formulates in its
City Development Strategy Paper 2007 its ambition to grow intelligently. Its
development strategy stresses sustainability, affordability, accessibility to
the water and economic dynamism. In the City Development Strategy 2005-
2009, eight ―creative zones‖ were selected in which conditions were adapted
for creative industries. The need for clear international branding was
emphasised. City Council decisions that were in line with this strategy
included the creation of a one-shop stop for business, reduction of red tape,
more affordable housing and the creation of a think-tank that would devise
proposals to turn the city of Copenhagen into one of the leading knowledge
cities. The foreign investment attraction agency Copenhagen Capacity,
covering the whole Capital Region, has published its own assessment of
Copenhagen‘s particularities that can be summarised as ―you can have it
both‖. According to this assessment, the uniqueness of Copenhagen lies in
its ability to combine productivity and quality of life, economy and ecology,
technology and design, etc.
iii) The Capital Region. A Regional Business Development Strategy for
the region, called ―Partnerships for development of knowledge, growth and
welfare‖ has been made by the Growth Forum of the Capital Region in
2007. Members of this Growth Forum are representatives of business, trade
unions, academia and regional and municipal government. Growth Forum
initiatives are co-ordinated with national initiatives via the Danish Growth
Council. The ambition expressed in this strategy is that in 2015, the Capital
Region should be Northern Europe‘s most attractive metropolis for living,
work, study, doing business and visits.
The Business Development Strategy provides an analysis of strengths
and challenges on the basis of which several actions are formulated. Its
assessment of the strengths of the region stresses its skilled population,
education and research, flourishing clusters and its user-driven innovation. It
suggests that the values and work methods in Copenhagen are characterised