Travbyen features in new exhibition on the cities of the future

On 5 October, the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) opened Cities for People, an exhibition developed in collaboration with internationally renowned architect and urban planner Jan Gehl and the design and urban strategy consultancy Gehl.

Featuring examples from New York, Copenhagen, Shanghai, Buenos Aires and Billund, the exhibition explores how cities can create better conditions for everyday life by placing people's needs and communities at the heart of urban development.

First life. Then spaces. Then buildings.

A central principle of Jan Gehl's work is that good urban development begins with people and life between buildings – rather than the buildings themselves.

This very principle has been fundamental to the development of Travbyen in Billund.

Working with Gehl, Travbyen has been planned from the outside in. First, the foundations for everyday life and communities were considered. Streets, courtyards and meeting places were then designed, with the positioning of buildings determined only afterwards.

The ambition is to create a neighbourhood where architecture supports vibrant everyday life, with space for people to meet, move, play and connect.

Travbyen as an example of future urban development

At the exhibition, visitors can explore Travbyen through a physical model of the neighbourhood, where they are invited to draw with chalk and discover how play can be integrated into urban spaces.

Travbyen is about more than creating attractive homes and green surroundings. Play, community and spontaneous encounters are designed to be a natural part of the neighbourhood's architecture, landscape and everyday life – for both children and adults.

While examples from New York and Shanghai demonstrate how existing urban spaces can be transformed to give people more room, Travbyen shows how the same principles can be incorporated from the very beginning when developing an entirely new neighbourhood.

In this way, Travbyen becomes part of an international conversation about creating the cities of the future with people at their heart.

The Cities for People exhibition opened on 5 October 2026 at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen.

Find out more on the Danish Architecture Center's website.