The environment has top priority in the Municipality of Kolding. In the urban area development plan the municipality has committed itself to work for an environmental friendly development in all areas. The environment determines the borders of development. The environmental impact must be reduced, the natural values must be secured, and the public atttitude must be changed to create an econimically viable development.

Three quarters of the citizens of Kolding live in the city, and the parks, which are the lungs of the city, and the open land are of decisive importance for their quality of life and growth. Consequently the natural values should be preserved and strengthened, and the access to nature should be facilitated.

There should be balance between the city centre and the local areas. Kolding City may well grow – just not too quickly. Part of the need for new houses will be solved by developing the Drejens peninsula, the area between Vonsild and Dalby and by rounding off the existing city areas.


Urban renewal
Besides development there should be a constant urban renewal to create variation and quality in furture houses. Kolding has the repuration of being one of the Danish cities, which were among the first to develop and has come farthest with urban renewal.

The urban renewal of Kolding aim at making worn quarters attractive to the people who live and work in them. Old, time typical and buildings worth preserving are restored and become good houses, and at the same time space and greeen areas are created.
Upon application the Danish government allocates an annual quota to urban renewal, and since 1978 Kolding has got around 25 million DKK annually for this purpose. During the last 15 years public and private investors have invested a total of 750 millionDKK in renewal of the city within the ring roads of Kolding.

The most recent measures in Kolding are renewal of an entire quarter with 5,000 inhabitants. The urban renewal has not only has involved renewal of buildings, but social aspects like establishment of rendezvous for both children and adults. Projects were established to create a sense of community among the residents; a traffic reorganisation was carried through, and efforts were put up against unemployment and abuse. Further, a strong improvement of green areas is an important part of this urban regeneration project. The project is backed by the National Agency of Enterprise and Construction, and the investement is expected to amount to 100 million DKK over years.


Organic urban renewal
Kolding is also far on with organic urban renewal. 40 properties with 130 flats built during the first half of the 20th century have been restored in the centre of Kolding, and house breaking has given light and air. The project also includes a glass pyramid, in which sewage water from the residents’ kitchens and toilets are cleaned biologically. By means of the pyramid, a small rush bed and a small lake the residents have become independent of the municipal sewage system. At the same time the ”bio works” in the pyramid gives production of fish, plants surplus heat.
During the autumn of 1995 the renewal of the property called "Solgården" with 80 flats started. Subsidized by the Danish Government the largest private power plant based on solar cells was established. Besides being financially justifiable the purpose of the project was to gain knowledge concerning the use of solar energy – both with regard to the environment and to strengthen Danish research and knowhow within this field.

From waste to energy
In Kolding the citizens produce more than 35,000 tons wast a year. Approximately half of the waste is recycled, a third is burned, while the rest is deposited or destroyed by Kommunekemi (a Danish company for treatment of hazardous waste and waste with an environmental impact).

The waste system is based on selective collection. It is common sense to sort and recycle waste. It means savings in raw materials and expenses for destruction or landfilling of waste.

The citizens in Kolding collect more than 1,200 tons newspapers, 1,200 tons leaflets and 1,500 tons glass and bottles a year. The refuseis sold and recycled. Newspapers and leaflets end as cardboard, egg trays and wallpaper.

The refuse, which is combusted at the Kolding Combined Refuse power and heating plant, is not wated. The heat from the plant covers almost one third of the district heating consumption of Kolding. Only cinders and fly ash remain, and the cinders can be used as fill material in road construction, as long as it does not contain too many heavy metals.

Good drinking water
The drinking water in Kolding is of high quality. The water from the three municipal water works and 16 private water works, which cover almost all consumption in the Municipality of Kolding , observes all limit values.

Both the water works and the 600 private borings are supervised by the tedhnicians of the municipality – both out of regard for the health of the zitizens and to protect the drinking water resources.


Cleaning of waste water
Efficient cleaning of the waste water is completely decisive to protect the ground water and the nature. It is carried out by the waster water utility of the Municipality of Kolding, to which all inhabitants and compaies except approximately 1200 householdes/properties in the surrounding area are connected.

The Municipality has three waste water treatment plants. the central waste water plant in Agtrup Forrest east of Kolding city plays the most importante role cleaning more than 20,000 cbm water water every day. The main part of the cleaned waste water is lead into the Little Belt at 30 metres depth. The remaining sludge is treated biologically in huges lagoons planted with reeds.

Since 1989 the cleaned sewage water has become markedly cleaner. But it is necessary to further reduce the pollution from both waste water treatment plants, householdes with septic tanks, agriculture, industry etc., as nature is under hard pressure.