Who says urban spaces have to be dull and unwelcoming for pedestrians? Certainly not Jan Gehl, the internationally renowned urban designer and architect.
The Copenhagan, Denmark, resident told visitors at a Downtown BID luncheon meeting recently that metropolitan areas worldwide should revert back to being “cities for people,” also the name of his most recent book, to ensure that cities are simultaneously lively, safe, healthy and sustainable.
Gehl told an audience of about 60 people that automobiles invaded public spaces in the mid-50’s and 60’s due to poor urban planning. Thus, cities became more car-centric than pedestrian friendly. Reversing this trend to transform urban environments into cityscapes on a human scale, he said, will reconfigure unworkable public spaces into “peoplescapes” that emphasize walking, biking, more sidewalk cafes and open spaces which move cities “from traffic places to people places.”
Gehl also shared some lessons he has learned in leading placemaking projects around the world. Most recently Gehl, a founding partner of Gehl Architects, has helped lead New York City’s World Class Streets initiative, calling for enhanced public and pedestrian space in such places as Times Square. He is widely credited with creating and renewing urban spaces in Copenhagen, Melbourne, London and other cities around the world.
The meeting, held jointly with the Coalition for Smarter Growth, was Gehl’s second visit to the BID. He led a placemaking workshop for the Downtown BID more than two years ago. “We hosted him for a day,” recalled Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “But we can always use more of him. Gehl is both a visionary and a pragmatic practitioner, and there is always something to be learned from him.”
Attendees from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the DC Office of Planning (OP), the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Capital Riverfront BID and other local and national agencies and organizations gathered at the informal lunchtime presentation, which was enlightening to all.
Gehl’s latest book, Cities for People, is published by DC-based Island Press.