Jan Gehl—Cities for People
On February 18 the Danish architect and city planner Jan Gehl talked about his principles in urban planning, which focus on the human scale. He presented numerous international projects that have integrated these principles—among others his hometown Copenhagen.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Alfred-Herrhausen-Society to present the first German edition of Gehl’s international bestseller Cities for People (Städte für Menschen).
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. He bases himself on insights that he has gained through many years of studying city situations in various countries. 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”.
On February 18 the Danish architect and city planner Jan Gehl talked about his principles in urban planning, which focus on the human scale. He presented numerous international projects that have integrated these principles—among others his hometown Copenhagen.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Alfred-Herrhausen-Society to present the first German edition of Gehl’s international bestseller Cities for People (Städte für Menschen).
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. He bases himself on insights that he has gained through many years of studying city situations in various countries. 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”.