The Alfred Herrhausen Society and JOVIS Publishers invite to an evening with the architect and planner Jan Gehl on occasion of the first German edition of Cities for People.

For more than 40 years, the architect and city planner Jan Gehl has been involved in redesigning or creating new designs for squares, streets, even entire city districts, for the benefit of the residents. By observing megacities in detail himself, Gehl develops methods and strategies for bringing significant positive change to dysfunctional and inhospitable urban landscapes. The most important principle behind Jan Gehl’s urban planning on a human scale is that the urban space has to be experienced at the speed of a pedestrian, instead of from a vehicle. This is the only way to succeed in making both traditional metropolises and rapidly growing cities in developing and emerging countries into “cities for people”.

The book presentation will take place in English.

In certain parts of the world, the founding of new towns and extensive urban development are still going ahead rapidly at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In Europe, however, which already has a high degree of urbanization, more cautious interventions into the urban structure are required. By means of both permanent and temporary interventions, attempts are being made to meet the complex requirements of a changing modern society. The interdisciplinary cooperation of partners from different fields-—such as culture, architecture, and economics—, and the participation and initiatives of citizens play an important role in this.

This volume pursues the question of how individual projects not only stand out within the complexity of urban structures but can also bring about long-lasting change. This book presents fortyseven European examples from the Urban Intervention Award Berlin that showed quite surprising solutions, and which received awards from the Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment in 2010 and 2013. 

PROGRAM

“Kölner Perspektiven zum öffentlichen Raum” is a series which focuses on the need for a better quality of public spaces. The city Cologne and its partners present excellent European examples of well-planned cities and invite internationally well-known planners to talk about their visions for public spaces. The question is: how can we make our cities more attractive, as well as change current open spaces and design future-oriented?

With Jan Gehl, Gehl Architects. Author of the book Cities for People (Städte für Menschen)

The architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners are leading stadium builders worldwide. They were significantly involved in the building of three new stadia for the soccer world championship 2014. The restructuring and renovation of two legendary arenas and a completely new stadium will be presented in this exhibition.

The concentration on the essential served as the basis for planning the three stadia—the Brasília national stadium, the Arena Amazônia in Manaus, and the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte. This meant a highly efficient interaction of architecture and construction. Integrated in a dialogue with the cultural background of the country and the identities of the places, all three stadia can be seen as exemplary architectures.

Large images of the well-known architectural photographer Marcus Bredt will be shown; models, plans, and texts elaborate the projects.

All three stadia are presented in the publication 3+1 Stadia for Brazil. Belo Horizonte – Manaus – Brasília – Rio de Janeiro.