The district consists of three separate areas, referred to as the White, Grey and Brown Kødby for the dominant colour of their buildings.
It is also home to DGI-byen, a sports, swimming and conference complex, and the exhibition hall Øksnehallen, originally a stabling place for 1,600 cattle before slaughtering.
A municipal master plan aims at creating a mixed-use area, encouraging cultural, design, and gastronomy businesses to settle there, while retaining the meat industry.
The smaller grey district has been revitalized to a lesser extent than the aforementioned white and brown areas, still having a low-scale meat industry.
[1] In 1671 a cattle market was established at the private initiative of Court Butcher Niels Olufsen at the border of Frederiksberg and Vesterbro.
A municipal committee suggested a location at Kalvebod Beach, which at the time was situated where the square Halmtorvet (English: Haymarket) is today.
The market, stretching from Halmtorvet to the gasworks harbour, was bissected by a broad internal road lined with cattle stables, sheep pens and dealers offices on both sides.
From that date forward all trade in pork at Gammeltorv was prohibited, although the so-called Chicken Ladies were still allowed to sell poultry by the Caritas Well.