Oresund Bridge

6/18/12

This morning, we heard our first presentation on Danish innovation. The lecture focused on the Oresund Bridge that connects Copenhagen to Sweden and the upcoming Fehmarnbelt Tunnel network that will connect the Danish islands to Germany. What I found interesting were the purposes of the projects. My assumption was that these projects were mainly about transportation--creating necessary connections between major population centers. According to Prof. Christian Matthiessen, however, these projects have a much broader goal. The Danes want to create a globally competition economic center. By merging the populations, economic capacity, and research facilities of Copenhagen and southern Sweden, they want to become a stronger global force. By connecting themselves to Hamburg in Germany they can access more consumers and integrate into the European high-speed rail system. My big question was how to overcome the cultural distinctions between the societies. Will these Swedes and Danes identify themselves as part of a Oresund region rather than their native ethnicities? After all, I live in a region identified as the Triangle that emphasizes the same things things that they are hoping to accomplish. I think that the region does a good job of presenting a united front while also celebrating the unique qualities of each city, but we don't have to overcome political and cultural differences. I was also shocked to hear how much the current system of ferries cost in Denmark. To take a car on one of these ferries--within Denmark, to Sweden, to Germany--can cost upwards of US$100. Here we are in North Carolina debating over whether to add any toll to our government-owned ferries, and the Danes are paying huge sums on their privately-run boats. That was a contrast I did not expect.

Talking with one of the presenters (and apparently, my shirt buddy)