The Irish Times

It is extraordinary that two cities of approximately the same scale, and both capitals of countries with much the same population size, should be as different in appearance and character as Dublin and Copenhagen. The Danish city can offer its Irish equivalent a great many lessons in good urban design. Copenhagen, for example, manages to accommodate car drivers but not at the expense of pedestrians and, despite a climate which is considerably harsher than that of Dublin, the abundance of cyclists on the streets is a striking sight. Similarly, the preservation of the city's architectural heritage seems to have been managed much better in Copenhagen than in Dublin; the former's historic centre looks remarkably free from ill-considered and insensitive intrusions over the past half century and while there have been some unfortunate developments, these are far fewer than has been the case in our capital.