266 / 318
T O W N P L A N N I N G P O W E R S
The town planning pow ers o f our time partip date back to the middle
ages. Thus the idea o f expropria tion fo r the benefit o f the general public
mag be vaguelg seen in Jacob Erlandsen s Municipal A ct o f 125b. The growth
o f provisions making town planning possible through building legislation
has com e about by degrees, conditions, now in one field and now in another,
making such measures absolutely necessary. The necessity oj reducing the
fire risk was a fa ctor o f special importance at a time when the town consisted
mostly o f thatched and half-timbered houses.
By Royal Order dated 27th February, 1683, certain building regulations
were imposed, providing, fo r instance, fo r the alignment o f fro ntage s and
fo r principles o f house construction designed to reduce the fire risk.
7
he
fire regulations were further elaborated a fter the Great Fire in 1/95. A
maximum building height was fix ed on the same occasion.
In 1851 increasing interest in im proved hygienic conditions resulted in
demands fo r a Building Act. Copenhagen had its first provisional Building
Act on 19th March, 185b, which was rep laced by a new A ct on 17th March,
1856. The first Building A ct meant a considerable progress, but was n ever
theless far from satisfactory. It was amended in 1871 and 1875, and in 1889
it was superseded by a new Building A ct which remained in operation fo r
50 years.
As
during that time Copenhagen was growing rapidly, large parts
o f the town show the influence o f this Act. The A ct o f 1889 brought about
considerable improvem ents
—
especially as regards the construction o f the
houses
—-
but, at the same time, the rules fo r expropria tion were weakened
so much as to render them practically useless, and the town planning re-
quirements as to light, air, and open space were insufficient.
The lack o f town planning provisions in the older building-codes resulted
in various bad types o f building as exem p lified at pages 269, 272, 275, 276,
28b, 285, and 286.
Building in blocks has d eveloped satisfactorily and more in line with the
requirements o f the time, due to the faet, among others, tliat the possibilities
o f the A ct o f 1889 were not fully taken advantage o f (old er types o f dwelling
houses see pages 287—290). This favourable developm en t became particularly
marked after W orld W a r 1, when a period o f Government loans fo r building
began (n ew er types o f dwelling houses see pages 291, 292, and 299).
As
the understanding o f the importance of improved housing conditions
grew, it became increasingly clear that the requirements o f the old Building
Act with regard to light, air, and spacing o f buildings had becom e out of
date, and there was soon general agreement as to the need fo r a revision of
the law. It was an intolerable position that, by stretching the law to its limits,
it was possible to build houses which did not comply with the hygienic de
mands o f the time. The growing dissatisfaction with the A ct o f 1889 first
resulted in the drawing up o f a Building Bill in 1915. Although this Bill was
never enacted, it nevertheless exerted an influence in the years that follow ed .
During the years from 1929 to 1937, a Bill was prepared, based upon
entirely new principles. The Bill was enacted as the Building A ct o f 29th
March, 1939. The most decisive new factor in this A ct is that building enter-
prises are no longer considered independently. Building projects are, in
all cases, to be exam ined with a view to the surroundings, to the town as a
whole, and particularly in relation to existing or future building on adjoin-
ing sites. New are also the provisions fo r recreation grounds and childrens
’
playgrounds fo r blocks o f flåts. Also in the case o f business prem ises, recrea
tion areas are required fo r the em p loyees, but in special cases such areas
may consist in roofgardens or the like. An important new feature o f modern
town planning is the zoning o f districts regulating the use o f the buildings
-— fo r industrial, dwelling or m ixed purposes. Also in administrative respects,
the Building Act contains several new departures.
The A ct of 12th March, 1918, on the Preservation of Buildings, lays down
rules fo r the preservation o f buildings o f architectural, historical, and cul-
tural value.
MUNICIPAL ACTS
ROYAL ORDERS
BUILDING ACTS
185b— 1889
BLOCK BUILDING
DEMAND FOR REVI
SION OF BUILDING-
CODES
BUILDING ACT OF 1939
PRESERVATION OF
BUILDINGS
260