Case Studies   The Danish Neighbourhood Regeneration Programme. Kvarterløft in Copenhagen

Establishing a business network

From the start of the regeneration project employment was a central issue – and the new and growing business area an obvious focus point. So this was the starting point for a co-operation. Just like in Nordvest a business survey was conducted and the local business consultant from the Green Jobhouse and the regeneration secretariat had several meetings and conferences to engage the local companies in this work. But the qualification gap proved to be a major obstacle. So therefore the focus gradually shifted towards engaging the companies in the general development of the neighbourhood. And after a series of meetings it was decided that the one issue that really was important to all the companies – big or small-was transport. Therefore this became the focus point for the formation of a business network.

The Kongens Enghave Enterprise Network was formed in August 2002 and is a partnership for all kinds of enterprises in Kongens Enghave. There is only one condition for membership: that the company is located in the neighbourhood. The members range from very small companies with just a few employees to large international companies. The annual fee depends on the size of the company. Small companies with less than 25 employees pay €70 a year, and bigger companies pay €140.

4.2 The Business Network in Kongens Enghave. 4.2.1 The decline of the harbour    4.2.3 The purpose of the Business Network