( 2.5.1). Providing employment, (2.5.2.)Sustaining businesses, economic development

1. Copenhagen - Business network Nordvest

Background

The neighbourhood of Nordvest has a rich and varied business life with some 17.000 jobs. The companies are mainly situated in three older business areas also containing some of the oldest buildings in the neighbourhood. The older business areas were built from 1900 onwards and are a mixture of different kinds of businesses and a mixture of business and residential buildings.

The mixture of business and residential areas used to be a problem because of noise and pollution, but apart from a few examples – such as car-painting companies – this is no longer a problem. The mixture gives the neighbourhood a more dynamic and mixed character and might have a possibility to develop into an attractive neighbourhood.

Apart from the many companies in the business area there is a number of public institutions in the neighbourhood – the biggest of which is Bispebjerg Hospital with a staff of over 3500.

It is difficult to characterise the companies in the neighbourhood in a few words. Many lines of business are represented. Previously it was production and industry, but today it is mainly service – that is offices.

Of the production companies in the neighbourhood only a few are companies which are noisy or demand a lot of space. Typically it is companies such as producers of elevators and escalators – and companies that has greater Copenhagen as their working area.

There is a considerable number of companies using the synergy of being close to each other as customers and suppliers and using the proximity of the central city and the expertise of newly education workforce in the city.

The regeneration project of Femkanten was established in 1997. By 1998 it was decided to focus on business development and employment. It was important to find out what sort of companies were located in the neighbourhood and how they regarded the process of regeneration – and employment. We wanted to get in touch with the companies, get to know them and their need for staff.

We handpicked 31 companies. The criteria for choosing them was size: They had to be big enough to have the resources to co-operate with us, and they also had to represent various lines of business.

In the process of picking the companies we discovered that there was a significant majority of modern companies. Today the companies work with IT, graphic industry, advertising and movies – and not with traditional industry.

Already at this point we could see that there was an imbalance between supply and demand of staff. This is well known from other neighbourhoods in the municipality of Copenhagen. The available work force is often unskilled, while the companies demand a skilled staff.

Our plan was to interview the companies 30 to 60 minutes on how they saw themselves in the neighbourhood. We would tape the interview and produce a report. Much to our surprise everyone agreed to participate. The results were just as surprising. There was a myth that the companies of the neighbourhood were on their way down or stagnated.

Nothing could be more wrong. Among the companies we met the biggest sound-studio in Denmark, the biggest media company, the biggest service organisation (250,000 employees world-wide) and the winner of the Companies in Growth Award 2002. Most of the companies had deliberately picked the neighbourhood and liked the environment. The rents were fair and there were shops and a good infra-structure. One statement said “once we have had customers from abroad, they will never forget being here.”

When the report was finished we presented it to the companies. At the same meeting we suggested forming a business network as a separate organisation. The regeneration project would pay for the running costs the first year and they would also supply the necessary staff – that is the business consultant. The companies backed this suggestion and this was the start of the network

Purpose

The purpose of the organisation was:

- to improve the physical environment – including streets and squares

- to secure a continuous development

- to secure traffic and parking conditions to the benefit of residents and business

- to develop a local business policy to promote growth and employment

- to develop a local employment and labour market policy within the framework of a socially balanced labour market

- to arrange common activities for the organisation members and to assist them in promoting the commercial and business activities of the neighbourhood

Content

The network was formed in February 2001 and had 15 members. In February 2003 there are 41 members – probably it is the biggest local business network. The members are not only private companies, but also include public companies and schools.

The first task was to create a web-page with all the relevant information and activities (www.bispeerhverv.dk - Danish text). After some discussions the network in 2001 made a catalogue of ideas for future action.

In 2003 the network is deeply involved in at project with the regeneration project and local residents. The project concerns the renovation a street – as a good example of the mixture of housing and business. In order to get public funding it is important that the network is an active participant. If this project is successful it will be one of the first times that a partnership is established where the private companies will also be paying for part of the work – as they have to finance more than 50% of the costs.

In 2002 the network together with the regeneration project applied for an Agenda 21 centre. The application was successful – not least because the network was a part of the application. This was yet another example of the partnership with businesses as an important partner.

In 2003 we will focus on business development and employment. We will arrange an education event where companies and schools can meet. The companies here get a chance to tell the young students what kind of education is in demand.

In November 2001 the regeneration project helped to establish a network for the local shops – but they have not been very successful and now the two networks will fusion into one. This will increase the number of members to about 70.

Economy

As mentioned earlier the first year was financed by the regeneration project. But since 2002 the networks has been paying all their expenses such as administration and projects. Members pay a fee of €190 a year.

Experience

The most important result of the network is that the businesses of the neighbourhood have become much more visible and is actively participating in the democratic process of regeneration. In short the companies have learned to understand the wishes of the residents, and the residents have come to understand the businesses' need and demands. And there is actually not that much difference in the way they regard the development.

It is important during the whole process to focus on the anchoring of the network. They have to be self running by the time the regeneration project stops.

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