Christian Erhardt Bredsdorff, commonly known as Peter Bredsdorff, (1913–1981) was a Danish architect and urban planner who is remembered for his Finger Plan for the development of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. In this connection, his name is included in the

Danish Culture Canon The Danish Culture Canon () consists of 108 works of cultural excellence in eight categories: architecture, visual arts, design, design and crafts, film, literature, music, performing arts, and children's culture. An initiative of Brian Mikkelsen i ...

."Peter Bredsdorff"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 17 January 2013."Fingerplanen"
, ''Kulturkanonen''. Danish Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 17 January 2013.

Early life

After matriculating from high school in 1932, Bredsdorff studied

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

under

Steen Eiler Rasmussen Steen Eiler Rasmussen, Hon. FAIA (9 January 1898 – 19 June 1990) was a Danish architect and urban planner who was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and a prolific writer of books and poetry. He was made a Royal Designer ...

, winning the grand gold medal in 1935."Peter Bredsdorff"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 17 January 2013.

Career

After working for Steen Eiler Rasmussen from 1935 to 1942, Bredsdorff opened his own studio in 1940. He headed the first planning office for the urban development of Copenhagen from 1949 to 1952 and became a professional member of the urban development committee as well as head of the secretariat. In 1955, he was appointed urban planning architect for

Copenhagen Municipality Copenhagen Municipality (), also known in English language, English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the Capital Region of Denmark, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other three ...

and head of the newly established general planning department. From 1955 to 1973, he was a professor at the Academy's architecture school specializing in urban planning. In addition to his official responsibilities, Bredsdorff and his firm advised and oriented a large number of municipalities across Denmark, frequently responding to planning competitions. In collaboration with the landscape architect Sven-Ingvar Andersson, his firm drew up a plan for a completely new urban development in Gullestrup near

Herning Herning () is a Denmark, Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 51,782 (1 January 2025)

. Bredsdorff's most influential period was from 1947 to 1955 when he was involved in planning urban developments for the city of Copenhagen and for Copenhagen Municipality.

Awards

Bredsdorff was awarded the C. F. Hansen Medal in 1973 for his outstanding contribution to architecture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredsdorff, Peter Danish urban planners 1913 births 1981 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Architects from Copenhagen Recipients of the C.F. Hansen Medal 20th-century Danish architects