From streets to sensors: Copenhagen's first Datawalk explores health and urban living

Developed by the School of Global Health (SGH), the Datawalk is designed to take learning outside the classroom and into the streets.

“We created the Copenhagen Datawalk because global health is also local,” explains Joyce Anne Quinto, project and communications manager at SGH. “By stepping outside the university, we aim to connect with citizens in everyday spaces where health challenges can become visible, and where technology can contribute to solutions.”

Behind Copenhagen’s reputation as a green, livable capital lies a web of sensors and technologies. They monitor everything from pedestrian flows and traffic congestion to waste levels and water quality. This constant stream of real-time data helps city planners and policymakers make smarter decisions, reducing pollution and other health risk factors, encouraging active lifestyles, and improving quality of life.

The Datawalk invites participants to explore this invisible layer of the city and consider how smart technologies influence health, wellbeing, and sustainability. Along the way, they visit key locations where data is collected and transformed into solutions, seeing firsthand how technology and urban design work together to support a healthier, more sustainable future.

Inspired by a similar project in Brussels, the Copenhagen Datawalk also serves as a platform for dialogue. It brings together residents, policymakers, health professionals, and curious citizens to discuss how technology is reshaping urban life and what its long-term implications might be.

Adding a distinctly Copenhagen touch, the experience highlights the city’s commitment to sustainability and its vision of health that includes both people and the environment.

At its core, the initiative is about empowerment. “Building smarter, healthier cities starts with informed and engaged citizens. The Copenhagen Datawalk is an invitation to be part of that future,” says Quinto.

How to Join

The Copenhagen Datawalk is offered in two formats:

	Guided group tours Available through selected UCPH courses or by request. Please email sgh@sund.ku.dk.
	Self-guided audio tour Available for anyone to explore at their own pace through the app StoryHunt

Interested in the summer course 'Creating Healthy Cities'? Read more here.