Lyngby goes beta

Thanks to the construction of the new light rail system, Lyngby will be in a transitional phase over the next five years. This presents a unique opportunity to test mobility solutions from self-driving buses and digital platforms to car and bike sharing. The goal is to make life more enjoyable for tourists and residents alike – both during and after construction

Throughout the next five years, Lyngby will see incredible transformation, marked by the construction of the new light rail system. While this will make Klampenborgvej unusable, urban planners and business owners see this as a challenge and an opportunity to innovate Lyngby’s infrastructure and transform its culture.

According to Marianna Lubanski, CEO at the City of Knowledge, “We have a golden opportunity to test solutions that can regulate visitor movement patterns. For this, we are launching a steady stream of activities throughout Lyngby targeted to residents and guests who can benefit from improved mobility. It will be one big ‘experimentorium.’ When it is completed in five years, I hope that we’ll have incorporated the key learnings and technological tools that we acquired throughout this period.” During the construction phase, the “City of Knowledge” will focus their efforts on finding solutions that will improve the lives of citizens, employees, and students. This work will benefit from a partnership with DTU’s Smart Campus, where entrepreneurs and researchers will have the opportunity to test their technological solutions in real-time.

In Lubanski’s works, “The entire city can be a platform for entrepreneurs and innovative solutions. We will have a vast amount of knowledge in play for the benefit of the city, both during and after the construction of the light rail. We want to make the city a testing ground for new digital solutions so that entrepreneurs and businesses have the opportunity to test their new products in the real world.”

Learning what a city of the future should look like

Comparing this temporary phase with a beta version of software that is tested and refined until the final solution is realized, Lubanski envisions that the city will produce knowledge that will be combed over by some of Denmark’s sharpest entrepreneurial minds. She points to DTU Skylab as a prime example, claiming:

“Here you really get the feeling that there is a vibe and the buzzing of knowledge that is being transformed into new technology. That same ‘vibe’ should exist in central Lyngby. We must all learn what a city of the future should look like. It’s not because the city has to be different from what we know today, but we need to complement it with smart and innovative solutions so that everyone can get around and experience a city that just works. After all, technology is best when we do not notice it, when our everyday lives just work.”

From Lubanski’s standpoint, realizing this vision requires the involvement of all stakeholders and experts: “We must show that we can work together and that two minds are better than one. There is so much knowledge, data, and technology in Lyngby, and this is a prime opportunity to get it all into play.”