Denmark could inspire a fix for St. John's harbour fence, N.L. architect says

It's a topic of contention for many St. John's locals. It obscures the view of the city's harbourfront and cuts residents off from the water they once could freely walk beside.

The black iron fence that lines St. John's harbour has divided residents for a decade. The city's deputy mayor, Sheilagh O'Leary — never a fan of the fence — said the current metal structure was not what was proposed to council. 

It reminds her of a prison.

"You sit down and you're staring at bars. You feel like you're incarcerated," O'Leary said.

But the city's harbour fence dilemma is not unique to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Patrick Handrigan is an architect from St. John's who currently lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He says an increasing number of cold, coastal port cities and municipalities are trying to shift toward people-friendly design.

"Cities are recognizing that both industry and places for people can be balanced," Handrigan told CBC News.

By making the harbour more accessible, he believes people will become more connected to the water.

"I think as Newfoundlanders in 2024, you can say we're much less connected to the water than we were in previous generations," Handrigan said.

"I think one step in trying to get us back to that strong connection that we have to the water, to the ocean, is allowing people to be upfront and up close, especially in urban environments."

Copenhagen faced a similar problem in the 1990s. 

"The city was very industrial, a ... port city. The water was only used for industry and not for people. But back then, the city recognized that this is an issue," Handrigan said. "They started the effort to start to clean up the harbourfront."

In 1999, the European Union officially declared Copenhagen's water clean. In 2002, the first public harbour bath opened. In 2019, CNN called Copenhagen "the best city in the world for swimming."