Name: Jolene Dreier
Home University: University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Summer Courses at DIS: Livability in the Modern City, Positive Psychology
I have been in Copenhagen for two weeks and am just now starting to find the balance between touring this city and living in it. There is so much to discover and explore that I almost feel guilty for taking the time to catch my breathe. Luckily, the course I’m studying here at DIS let’s me get the best of both worlds. In Livability of a Modern City, my first session course, I have been given the opportunity to uncover more of this city than I knew was possible.
The course is built around the question, “How do we make our cities livable in the face of population growth, traffic congestion, competing claims on urban space, and economic decentralization favoring suburbia?” We have spent a majority of the time with our instructor, Bianca Hermansen, going on cycling excursions to places all around the city. Using Copenhagen as our classroom, we have been able to investigate how design can shape the urban environment and quality of life. This hands-on learning approach helps me visualize the concepts and puts everything in perspective. I can’t wait to take everything I’ve learned back to my own city.
Through this course I have been able to tour the city like a true Dane. Not only do I get to see each notable park, side street and pedestrian square but I also get to discuss the goal of each space and why they were planned. Copenhagen is such an interesting city that it’s nice to have a instructor guiding you through all of it.