In the hopes of becoming the next Silicon Valley, Denmark is embarking on a massive land reclamation project that involves the creation of nine new islands to the south of Copenhagen. Designed by the Danish office Urban Power, the Holmene project will create 3.1 million square meters of land to serve as a new business and infrastructure district for tech companies and green industries. The company expects the expansion to bring 380 new businesses and 12,000 jobs. 

Amid a housing and office shortage, the government has been increasingly looking to land reclamation as a potential solution aimed at addressing the city's development and growth. Back in October, for instance, the city of Copenhagen announced a $3 billion plan to build another island, to be named Lynetteholmen, for 35,000 people in order to help alleviate its housing shortage.

Both projects, in addition to growing space for business and more people, will help Copenhagen address issues of climate change by serving as "natural" flood barriers protecting against rising sea levels. In Holmene's case, as the future site of Northern Europe's largest waste-to-energy conversion plant, the technologies and infrastructure built up will provide 25% of the population with green energy. 

"The project addresses several needs of the area: a growing demand for sites for knowledge intensive industry, fossil-free energy production and a flood barrier to secure both existing and future areas" explains Urban Power. If all goes according to plan, construction on the project is scheduled to begin in 2022, and will complete in 2040.