In February 2014 the Danish Government set out a policy for architecture in Denmark in a well-illustrated publication with the title Putting people first. This is available on line in English and is important because it helps the visitor and architects and designers from other countries to understand why there is such a broad appreciation of good architecture in the country and why so much value is placed on an imaginative approach to the use and development of public space.

It is not a vague government promise of something that might or might not be done in the future but seems to reinforce and codify an attitude to the built environment in Denmark that has evolved and developed over many decades if not, in fact, over many centuries and it indicates a social and political context without which good architecture and good design could not be so strong or so important.

In the introduction is the crucial statement that:

“Danish architecture and design on all scales has helped shape our welfare society into a form that is characterized by humanism. The architecture reflects our democratic and transparent society. It binds us together and gives us an identity, both in local communities and nationally.”