For more than forty years Jan Gehl has helped to transform urban environments around the world based on his research into the ways people actually use or could use the spaces where they live and work. In this revolutionary book, Gehl presents his latest work creating (or recreating) cityscapes on a human scale. He clearly explains the methods and tools he uses to reconfigure unworkable cityscapes into the landscapes he believes they should be: cities for people.
Cities for People
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'This book elaborates on many of Gehl's seminal ideas, examines some of the world's cities that have successfully improved over the last few decades, and states the challenges for the future. Many generations will lead happier lives and cities will be more competitive if their leaders heed his advice.' --Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota , Colombia
'Jan Gehl is our greatest observer of urban quality and an indispensable philosopher of cities as solutions to the environmental and health crises that we face. With over half the world s population now in urban areas, the entire planet needs to learn the lessons he offers in Cities for People.' --Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation
'Jan Gehl is our greatest observer of urban quality and an indispensable philosopher of cities as solutions to the environmental and health crises that we face. With over half the world s population now in urban areas, the entire planet needs to learn the lessons he offers in Cities for People.' --Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation
About the Author
Jan Gehl is a founding partner of Gehl Architects Urban Quality Consultants. He is the author of Life Between Buildings and Public Spaces, Public Life. He has received numerous awards for his work and is widely credited with creating and renewing urban spaces in cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Melbourne, New York City, London, and many others. He lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Alex in Leeds
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
I love this book. It is stuffed full of interesting graphs, food for thought and lots of photos showing both good and bad design in action around the world. Starting from a premise brilliantly summarised by Richard Rogers in the Foreword:
"Well-designed neighbourhoods inspire the people who live in them, whilst poorly-designed cities brutalise their citizens."
Gehl goes on to show how making cities more accessible to their citizens - more pedestrianised, more bicycle friendly, more active and interesting ground floor frontages, even just adding more benches - can make cities safer, more healthy and more attractive to both businesses and people.
What I found so very enjoyable about this book is the explanations included in the text about why certain spaces appeal to us or don't. There is a human scale for what makes us comfortable, the distances at which we can hear, see and be involved in city activity all impact on why some streets and buildings `work' and others clearly don't. Adapting cities from human-scale streets to car-scale roads over the last fifty years has led to disconnected citizens and cities without hearts or souls. Gehl showcases schemes from all around the world which have focused on making cities more natural and welcoming and rolling back some of that car-obsessed development: Melbourne insists on active, open shopfronts instead of closed, shuttered frontages, New York doubled bicycle use in 2 years by adopting safer roads that planned for more bicycle use, Copenhagen has pedestrianised much of the city centre and thrives as a result.
Overall this is a generally optimistic (but solidly realistic) book that shows what can be achieved when designers plan for the people will use their buildings and spaces, not generic users... and what has happened when they refused to.
"Well-designed neighbourhoods inspire the people who live in them, whilst poorly-designed cities brutalise their citizens."
Gehl goes on to show how making cities more accessible to their citizens - more pedestrianised, more bicycle friendly, more active and interesting ground floor frontages, even just adding more benches - can make cities safer, more healthy and more attractive to both businesses and people.
What I found so very enjoyable about this book is the explanations included in the text about why certain spaces appeal to us or don't. There is a human scale for what makes us comfortable, the distances at which we can hear, see and be involved in city activity all impact on why some streets and buildings `work' and others clearly don't. Adapting cities from human-scale streets to car-scale roads over the last fifty years has led to disconnected citizens and cities without hearts or souls. Gehl showcases schemes from all around the world which have focused on making cities more natural and welcoming and rolling back some of that car-obsessed development: Melbourne insists on active, open shopfronts instead of closed, shuttered frontages, New York doubled bicycle use in 2 years by adopting safer roads that planned for more bicycle use, Copenhagen has pedestrianised much of the city centre and thrives as a result.
Overall this is a generally optimistic (but solidly realistic) book that shows what can be achieved when designers plan for the people will use their buildings and spaces, not generic users... and what has happened when they refused to.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Doug
Format:Hardcover
This is a book that all Architects, Town Planners and Urban Designers should read at regular intervals. It looks at our towns and cities in terms of what makes them enjoyable places in which to live and how this can be facilitated. Gehl is one of the most influential urban thinkers and practioners of our time - more power to his elbow!
By sash
Format:Hardcover
I ordered the book because I study architecture in Novi Sad (Serbia) and my professors often reference to this book, so I wanted to read all of it. It is very helpful and interesting. I didn't regret buying it.
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