Jan Gehl is a Danish architect who pioneered the field of urban design focused on improving public spaces and making cities more people-friendly and livable. Over the past 50 years, he has consulted on urban design projects in many cities around the world. His research and public space surveys have helped shift planning priorities from cars to pedestrians. Many cities like Copenhagen, Melbourne, and New York have implemented his recommendations to create more walkable and bikeable streets and public spaces that improve quality of life.

1. Making People Visible
Annie Matan & Peter Newman
People
Life and Legacy of Jan Gehl
Cities
1965
Jan Gehl
Livet mellem
husene
(1971)
Jan Gehl
Cities for
People
(2010)
1970 1980 2000 2010 2015
Jan Gehl
Life between
buildings /
English version
(1987)
Jan Gehl &
Birgitte Svarre
How to study
public life
(2013)
Jan Gehl &
Lars Gemzøe
New City
Spaces
(2000)
Jan Gehl &
Lars Gemzøe
Public Spaces -
Public Life
(1996)
Gehl, Gemzøe,
Kirknæs &
Søndergaard
New City Life
(2006)
1990
Perth
1994
London
2004
Sydney
2007
New York
2009
Moscow
2013
Projects
Research &
Communication
Gehl Architects
founded 2000

2. Arkitekt M.A.A.
Had to go back to Architecture School
and study 40 more years
Making People visible

3. All Cities have Traffic Departments
and perfect statistics concerning
traffic and parking
*
Do you know of any Citydepartment
for pedestrians and public life?
Hardly any City have statistics and
data concerning the people who use
the city

5. CITIES FOR PEOPLE 2010
2010 – 2017 24 Languages + 8 contracts

7. Copenhagen
London
Edinburgh
Oslo
Perth
Adelaide
Hobart
Cape Town
Seattle
San Fransisco
Wellington
Auckland
Christchurch
Istanbul
Amman
Muscat
Stockholm
Riga
Rotterdam
Zürich
Sao Paulo
Major City Improvement Projects:
New York
Brisbane
Sydney
Melbourne
Reykjavik ?
Current Projects
Previous Projects
GEHL-Architects, Urban Quality Consultants, Denmark
Moscow
Nuuk
Shanghai

8. Many of the reports can be downloaded as PDF-files on our website www.gehlarchitects.dk
Data is key
- Making People Visible in Planning
Public Space - Public Life surveys

9. 1960- ……. Carinvasion
becomes domminating paradigm for Planning

10. Scene 3: The car is King (Moscow)

11. Scene 3: The car is King, (Dhaka )

12. ACer 50 years:
A disEnct change of
Paradigm
WANTED:
- Lively, Liveable City
- Sustainable City
- Healthy City

13. Lively, Liveable City

14. Sustainable City
A good Public Realm is a crucial factor
for good Public Transportation

15. Problem: “The sitting Syndrome”
Healthy City

16. WHO
(World Health Organization)
Global Action Plan
2008
” – introduce transport policies that
promote active and safe methods of
travelling to and from schools and
workplaces. Such as walking or
cykling- ”

17. Copenhagen, Denmark (1,5 Mio)1962 – 2017:
From traffic place to People Place
- 55 years of people first policies!
Inviting Pedestrians & Public Life?

18. In 1962 all 18 squares were parking lots
- now they are all people squares

19. Public Space-Public Life Surweys: Copenhagen 1968, 1985, 1995 (+2005)

22. City of Copenhagen
New Strategy 2009
“Best City in the World for People”

23. New Copenhagen Street:
2 car lanes
Street trees
2 bikelanes
2 sidewalks
-and a good median for
safe streetcrossings
”Old” Copenhagen Street:
4-5 car lanes
Phase 4:
General improvements
for pedestrians and
public life throughout
the city.
Walk, be safe, enjoy

24. -on a citywide network of bicycle lanes
Bicycling in Copenhagen

25. 2015: 45% use bicycle
An impressive culture of using
bicycles has gradually evolved

26. Melbourne, - 3 mio. Inh.

27. The Age c. 1980
The Donut

28. When it comes to street life and ambience
Melbourne has by now a distinct touch of – say –
PARIS!

30. A CITY GOOD AT PARTIES, OLYMPICS and SUMMITS….

31. ….. BUT NOT SO GLORIOUS FOR THE EVERYDAY LIFE

32. Main Street in Sydney to be transformed
to Pedestrians, Bicycles and Light Rail
Present situation George St. After conversion

35. Sydney, Australia
2007 -

36. Sydney: Mayor Clover Moore

40. 1. Copenhagen
2. Melbourne
3. Helsinki
4. Tokyo
5. Vienna
6. Zürich
7. Stockholm
8. Munich
9. Sydney
10. Auckland
WORLD’S MOST LIVEABLE CITIES,
MONOCLE 2013

41. GREATER NEW YORK A GREENER,
2007

42. New York: Mayor Michael Bloomberg

44. Phot:DOT/NYC

45. Moscow, Russia: Where car is King
Moscow 2012

47. Tverskaya
Main Street,Moscow
December 2011

48. “Towards a great city for people”
Gehl Architects, July 2013

49. Moscow: Mayor Sergej Sobianin

50. July 2013

51. July 2013

52. Tverskaya, Main Street, Moscow
December 2011 July 2013

53. 2012 2016

54. 2016

55. 2016

56. Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin

57. MAYOR OF VILNIUS, LITHUENIA:
“THIS MAY TEACH YOU NOT TO PARK IN MY BICYCLE LANES”

59. Prof. Peter Newman
CurEn University
Perth, Australia
TED-Talk
”Are we winning?”