Jan Gehl- Space is for sharing

Jan Gehl- Human Design we can all share

Jan Gehl is a Danish Architect and urban designer. Born in 1936, he came to prominence with his book 'Life between building' published in 1971. It focussed on how small changes could over time improve urban spaces. He documents in his other popular book 'Public Spaces, Public Life' how Copenhagen has slowly over time transformed itself from a car focussed city to one focussed on pedestrians. His work can be described as New Urbanism yet his work is distinct and expertly put together.

Gehl has been prominent in the UK also, where he has led public realm studies for 'Transport for London' and was commissioned by New York City to help them redesign New York streets to be suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. He has also taken on many interesting projects in Australia and New Zealand where he prepared public life studies for major Australian cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

Integrating Cycling and green travel into cities is one of Gehl's interests

His work is influenced by the work of Jane Jacobs,  a leading light in urban planning and design or as Gehl calls her 'the Grandmother of Humanistic planning'.

Gehl recently interviewed in Copenhagen had this to say about how he thinks cities should change-

'To me, a sustainable city would be a very people-friendly city. It would be a city with good public spaces and a city that is rather compact. It would be a city that really invites people to walk and bicycle as much as possible. A good walking and cycling environment with a good public realm is also a good environment for public transport, so there is an important connection here as well.'

Gehl's updated Herald Square in New York

Ref-http://www.dac.dk/en/dac-cities/sustainable-cities/experts/jan-gehl-making-healthy-cities/