• • LOCATION: ELEV, DK
  • CLIENT: TÆKKER
  • SIZE: 220 HECTARES, 15,000 INHABITANTS
  • YEAR: 2006-2050
  • STATUS: CONSTRUCTION ONGOING SINCE 2014
  • ARCHITECT AND URBAN PLANNER: CEBRA
  • LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: LABLAND
  • PLANNING CONSULTANT: TERRITORIUM
  • WATER AND MOBILITY CONSULTANT: COWI
  • AERIAL PHOTOS: TÆKKER
  • PHOTOS: NAJA KIRKEDAL JENSEN, IB SØRENSEN, MIKKEL FROST

Nye is an entirely new suburb designed for 15,000 inhabitants once complete, exploring new ways of designing urban development with sustainability as a guiding and ever-evolving ideal. In close collaboration with Tækker Group, CEBRA has designed the master plan, which forms the foundation for the development of the entire 150 ha site. Located north of Aarhus, Nye is shaped by principles for urban planning that prioritise care – for the land, for shared resources, and for the community. The plan combines the best aspects of the dense city with open green suburbs. Simply put, in Nye, you have the city in your front yard and nature in your back yard. As of 2025, Nye is home to around 800 residents.

A master plan supporting community and nature
Rooted in the values Life, Variation, and Balance, the neighbourhood has been developed with nature and strong local relations at its core. One of the most apparent results of the master plan is the heartwarming connection between the locals. The mix of families, young people, couples and seniors sharing common outdoor areas creates a cohesive neighbourhood anchored by NYMA, the town’s grocer’s and vibrant gathering place. Investments have begun with the spaces between buildings, making social engagement and nature grow alongside the urban development.

Working with blue and green landscape strategies, Nye is the first urban district in Denmark to exclusively use rainwater for flushing toilets and laundering. Notably, this has reduced water consumption by 40% and led to a significant increase in biodiversity, from 29 to 147 plant and animal species.

Shaped by proximity
The overall spatial strategy behind Nye is based on proximity. To motivate residents to walk and bike, the area is divided into clusters with a walking time from the centre to the periphery of five minutes. The master plan organises Nye into six clusters placed around the city centre with a light rail station and shopping markets, distributed in dense hexagonal city blocks.

Each cluster will have a distinct identity, shaped by its proximity to the forest, the lake or open fields – a plan that blends urban life with landscape and makes nature a constant presence to support mental and physical health. Nye’s architectural expression is based on great variation in texture, colours, scales, and materials that appeal to our senses through high aesthetic value. Residents experience architecture such as wooden rowhouses, red-toned brick apartment buildings, and pathways that take them through the varied landscape with growing beds and views towards Aarhus Bay and the surrounding land. Here and there, you’ll meet an unpolished yet intentional aesthetic in surfaces and structures of new and reclaimed materials, shaped by culture, craft and creativity.

NYMA, along with shared cars and facilities such as common houses, tenants’ buildings and the ‘Fællesskabets Hus’ (House of Community), are all funded by Tækker and form part of a circular business model that invests in the suburb and gives back to the local area.

A long-term plan, step by step
In 2024, Aarhus Municipality approved the second stage of Nye, which is now effective. An innovative parking strategy will reduce roads, paving, and parking, continuing to make space for wild nature and collecting and recycling rainwater. At the same time, CO₂ emissions from construction will be radically reduced: all buildings below four stories will be constructed in timber, and recycled building materials will be prioritised. Moreover, Tækker will add social housing and new workplaces to strengthen social and architectural diversity. Meanwhile, a kindergarten is already in use, and a school building is underway, adding to the everyday fabric of the neighbourhood.

With the existing NYMA store’s ambiance extending throughout the neighbourhood, life in Nye will become even more vibrant. This will include new shops, an artisan bakery, restaurants, and a street market. The communal spaces will be expanded, supplemented by workshops, urban plazas, gathering places, and the first part of Nye’s main park, The Cultural Ring.

Learn more
About Nye
Danish podcast about the urban development of Nye