This thesis is concerned with defining the physical changes in the city of Aalborg from the start of the
industrialization until modern day. In 1840, the city was still a relatively small trading city, and today the city
is a regional center in the municipality of Aalborg, comprising a large part of the area around the Limfjord
running through the region. To examine the many changes that has happened to the city's housing,
infrastructure and industry throughout this period of growth, the thesis has set up different periods which are
characterized by different developments and ideas. To place the analysis in a theoretical framework, the
thesis draws upon and discusses Carlota Perez' term techno-economic paradigms, which serves as a model
for defining how technological changes impacts society in a broader perspective. To back this up, the
analysis will also look to Caspar Jørgensen, a danish historian, who has attempted to use Perez' theory in a
Danish context. The thesis concludes that the theories, concerned with either an international or a national
perspective, need to be modified before it can be used in an analysis of a limited regional area like Aalborg.
At the same time, it is necessary to look beyond the technological innovations of the theories to define what
has been the catalyst of the changes that the city has experienced.
The analysis has shown that five periods can be set up to define the changing paradigms of the historical
urban development of Aalborg. The first, initiated by the use of the steam engine, is characterized by a
population growth without a corresponding urban development. The many people coming to the city looking
for work in the new industrial workplaces, are forced to live in improvised spaces, and it is only after the city
is connected to the railway that the development of the city really takes off. The second era begins after the
trench in the eastern part of the Limfjord is deepened, allowing for bigger ships to reach the city. This means
that heavy industrial enterprises, mainly cement factories, are started around the city, drawing workers to the
outskirts of the city. Aalborg and the surrounding areas experience a massive population growth, and new
housing areas are developed close to the major industries. The third period starts with the regional election of
1925, where the Social Democratic party wins a majority for the first time. The following period is
characterized by an increased municipal involvement in the development of the city, characterized mostly by
slum clearance and urban renewal, resulting in a large number of new apartments in the city. Other than this,
the period is characterized by infrastructural changes to accommodate the rising number of automobiles, with
major roads in the inner city and the modern bridge crossing the Limfjord. The German occupation of the
city is a setback to these developments. After the occupation a new era began, characterized by the planning
act, which orders municipalities to create plans for the development of its areas. The plans of 1948 and 1951
outlines the development for the Aalborg area, focusing on the separation of housing, industry and green
areas. This is possible in part thanks to the mass production of concrete building materials, making it cheaper
and faster to build houses, and in part thanks to the car, which becomes widespread during the post war
period. This causes a new tendency of people moving to modern houses outside of the city, facilitating the
growth of suburbs, as well as the urban center of Aalborg being transformed into a car friendly commercial
center. This period is halted by the oil crisis of 1973, which ushers in a period of reorganization. Many of the
major industries are shut down, and the car's dominance in the urban development is questioned and
downgraded. As a result, renovation of the older parts of the city is prioritized more than in previous eras,
where housing clearance was the main tool in urban development. These changes has been taken a step
further after 2005, where the industrial areas themselves have becomes major part of the urban
redevelopment. The university and the service sector has taken over as the central forces of attraction,
changing the city's housing and public spaces significantly, and marking a new direction in the urban
development of Aalborg.