Øresund: Copenhagen

Øresund - also known sometimes as Ørestad - is Copenhagen's newest and most dynamic neighborhood. Until fairly recently an area of reclaimed heathland on Amager Island between downtown Copenhagen and Kastrup Airport, it is now Denmark's architectural playground, as well as the hub of an exciting new business area that connects Denmark with neighbor country Sweden: Thanks to the Øresunds Bridge and the high-speed rail connection, Swedish city Malmø is less than 30 minutes away.

The Øresund region is also the site of brand-new high rise hotels like Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers and the Daniel Libeskind designed Cab Inn Metro, as well as the expanding conference and exhibitions center Bella Center – that also has plans for a new hotel in May 2011. Other attractions here include Scandinavia's largest shopping mall Fields; national broadcasting association Danmarks Radio's headquarters and national concert venue Koncerthuset, a futuristic, radiant blue cube designed by renowned French architect Jean Nouvel; and the brand-new campus of the University of Copenhagen.

With this in mind, it's not hard to see why The New York Times dubbed Øresund 'A Danish Dubai', describing the area as, "a futuristic master-planned community of state-of-the-art architecture." © NileGuide