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traditional culture and residents' way of life.[31]In the initial stages of tourism

growth, communi-ties have faced consequences of adverse effects on social,

cultural, and environmental fronts, with economic benefits lagging behind.
[31]Consequently, the concept of com-munity-based tourism emerged as a response,

aiming to enhance the well-being of local residents while preserving cultural heritage

and natural resources through strategic planning and management.[31]In
community-based tourism, where indigenous residents play a pivotal role as direct
Thesis Report V-SPARC VIT
interaction points with tourists and as key stakehold-ers, fostering a positive

perception and attitude toward tourism is paramount.[32]Here, the notion of

empowerment emerges as a crucial element in shaping residents' percep-tions of
tourism's impact and their overall attitude toward tourism development. Thus,

achieving sustainable tourism development (STD) in communities necessitates a

bal-ance of authority, ownership and power in the tourist-resident relationship, with
a focus on enhancing residents' empowerment. [32] Empowerment, as evidenced by

research, serves as a valuable tool in enhancing the capacities and strengths of local

communities, both at individual and collective lev-els.[33]However, it requires
collective engagement and action among community members, rather than

individual efforts, to be truly effective.[34]In the tourism devel-opment context,

community empowerment emerges as a critical element in driving STD initiatives
forward.[32] It is often reasoned that employing a top-down approach to tourism

planning frequently results in conflicting interests between planners and indigenous

communities, thereby impeding community engagement and the overall progress of

tourism development..[35]Hence, advocating for a holistic, bottom-up ap-proach,
wherein communities are granted greater social power, can facilitate improved

decision-making and foster local capacity building. Ultimately, empowered

communi-ties are better positioned to harness the inherent benefits of sustainable
tourism devel-opment initiatives [36], [37]

2. 2 CopenHill And The Urban Neighbourhood of Copenhagen

CopenHill, or Amager Bakke, represents a paradigm shift in urban living

through its innovative fusion of waste-to-energy technology and recreational spaces.
Designed by the prestigious Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), CopenHill aims to not only

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