Iceland review - 2015, Side 76

74 ICELAND REVIEW
Once a sparsely-populated settle-
ment of farmers and fishermen but
now the heart of a 220,000-strong
metropolitan area with 120,000 people
living in the city, Reykjavík—the world’s
northernmost capital—has developed into
a flourishing mini-metropolis in the past
century; boasting a world-renowned art
scene, an increasingly diverse population,
and an enviable reputation for being one of
the safest capitals in the world to live.
However, an influx of new residents,
coupled with Iceland’s booming tourism
its citizens, and that’s very close to recrea-
tional areas,” explains Dagur B. Eggertsson,
Reykjavík’s current mayor. “I want a city
that is not only attractive for people to
live in but also hospitable for business
development, which comes down to com-
petitiveness. … There are also a lot of
people studying here, which means we want
Reykjavík to be a fun, vibrant city with lots
of things to do.”
Mindful of the city’s recent popula-
tion growth and emerging housing crisis,
Dagur’s administration is devising plans
industry and consequential high-rise hotel
construction, has brought Reykjavík to a
crossroads. These rapid social and eco-
nomic changes have prompted municipal
leaders to make tough decisions about how
they want to shape Reykjavík’s image in the
coming years.
A RAPIDLY-DEVELOPING CITY
“My vision for Reykjavík’s image is of a
green city that deals responsibly with cli-
mate change, that creates quality of life for
Reykjavík has undergone significant change in recent decades.
As the little city cherished for its relaxed atmosphere and creative vibe
grows up, leaders are hard at work finding solutions to the capital’s
future planning problems while shaping its future image.
CAPITAL AT A
CROSSROADS
BY ELLIOTT BRANDSMA. PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.