Reykjavik City Municipal Plan

Illustration of houses, cars and bicycle

The Reykjavik 2040 Municipal Plan is the updated and improved version of AR2030, adopted in 2014. The Municipal Plan was approved by the Reykjavik City Council on October 19, 2021, which also coincides with its approval on December 21, 2021. The Municipal Plan was signed on January 13, 2022 and entered into force with its publication in the Official Journal on January 18, 2022.

Strategic Objectives and Planning Provisions

The binding strategic objectives and planning provisions of Reykjavik’s 2040 Municipal Plan are set out in a memorandum (Green Segment) and on urban and municipal outline plans. The memorandum and the outline plans form Part A of the Municipal Plan. The planning documentation in Part A is the primary tool of the planning authority for day-to-day decision-making and the part of the Municipal Plan that is subject to legal changes under the Planning and Building Act. Environmental assessments, assumptions, and explanatory data are included in Part B of the Municipal Plan and should be considered, when called for, in the event of disagreements regarding the interpretation of individual provisions and objectives and in the event of individual future changes to the Plan or when deciding to reconsider selected aspects of the Plan. For other supporting documents, see the specification of the Municipal Plan. Documentation will also be made available in the Reykjavik City Urban Planning Viewer in the near future.

Vigorous City Development

The new key objectives, amendments, and other additions set out in AR2040, all aim to reinforce the implementation of the policy outlined in the previous Municipal Plan on sustainable development, condensed and mixed urbanization, and eco-friendly travel practices. The goal is to promote vigorous city development within current growth targets until 2040.

Binding Policy (Part A)

Guiding Assumptions and Explanatory Documentation (Part B)

The main assumptions, environmental assessments, ideology, and guiding priorities are considered when making further changes to the Municipal Plan, interpreting the binding policy, and, as the case may be, in shaping planning and decision-making at the lower levels of planning:

The older sections of AR2010-2030 are for guidance and they have been given a new title, with explanations of what has been repealed. All binding objectives and provisions set out in the relevant sections, which retain their validity, are also set out in the Green Segment of Part A. In the event of any discrepancy between what is established in Part A of the Municipal Plan and what is established in the below sections, Part A will prevail.

Pending Changes