Jan Gehl Interview: How to Build a Good City

“We now know that first, we form the cities, but then the cities form us.” Meet the 81-year-old Danish architect Jan Gehl, who for more than fifty years has focused on improving the quality of urban life by helping people “re-conquer the city.”
Gehl has studied the relationship between life and form since the mid-1960s when he started questioning the modernist approach of looking at the architectural model from above instead of from the inside. The architecture of then was very often “an obsession with architecture for architecture’s sake” and took very little interest in the inhabitants. This made Gehl realize that “there was a fantastic gap between what the social scientists were doing and what the architecture and planning professions were doing.” Instead of looking at architecture as a form - which made it more like a sculpture - one had to look at all the components: “Architecture is the interplay between form and life. And only if life and form interact in a successful way, this will be good architecture.”
“We know that architecture and city-planning has an enormous influence on the patterns of life.” Gehl finds that the architecture of the last 12-15 years has changed for the better globally, and that there is much more focus on letting people move around without cars. By doing this, one also avoids the so-called “sitting syndrome”: For many years, people were invited to sit down, but now, architects must invite them to get up, to walk and to bike. In connection to this, he believes that when you make a successful city, you have to keep in mind the “human scale.” This is evident in e.g. Venice, where the streets are made for walking rather than driving: “Small dimensions actually work as long as we are moving on our feet, and moving with the speed we’re made for.” Moreover, including the young and the old is the ultimate seal of approval: “If you see a city with many children and many old people using the city, the public spaces, then it’s a sign that there’s a good quality for people in that particular city.”
Jan Gehl (b.1936) is a Danish architect and urban design consultant, who has focused on improving the quality of urban life by re-orienting city design towards the pedestrian and the cyclist - Copenhagen’s car-free zone Strøget, one of the longest pedestrian shopping areas in Europe, is primarily the result of Gehl’s work. In 1971 Gehl published his influential book ‘Life Between Buildings’. In 2007-8, he was hired by New York City’s Department of Transportation to re-imagine New York City streets by introducing designs to improve life for pedestrians and cyclists. Among several prestigious awards, he is the recipient of the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize (1993), the EDRA Award (1998), the 2009 NYC Award and the Prince Eugen Medal (2011) for outstanding artistic achievement in architecture (Denmark). Gehl is a founding partner of Gehl Architects. For more see: gehlpeople.com/story/
Jan Gehl was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner at ‘Gehl - Copenhagen’ in Denmark in March 2017.
Camera: Jakob Solbakken
Edited by: Klaus Elmer
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2017
Supported by Dreyers Fond
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[@Earth098]

'When designing cities, Aim for old people and children' Very true, because they are the two most vulnerable and sensitive groups. If the built environment is a good for them, most likely it's good for everyone.

[@augisr1877]

I feel that the focus of architecture has shifted somewhat nowadays, to include people and their lifestyles inside the planning process. This gives the best results afterall. We have made some progress towards this but we still have a long way to go of course. What Jan Gehl says here is true: First we can form the cities, but then the cities form us. I feel now that human psyche is greatly influenced by the city itself. New Yorkers often say that they love the "vibe" or the overall feeling and the atmosphere of the city, but i wonder how many people stop to think what actually creates the atmosphere of that city.

[@OneMeInMyself]

I'm fallling in love with Jan Gehl's work 🌱

[@renzomarsanochumbez3571]

Must have more arquitects like JAn Gehl worldwide. Thanks, extremelly good video.

[@kimrathsao9762]

just want to say thank you for posting many great videos with great architects, really thankful!

[@user-lv8if5qv7e]

His idea is just so unbelievably amazing

[@yeshmanthiekanayake7487]

This is so good! Everyone should watch this.

[@barryballinger6023]

The implications of this, how much space touches our everyday life and social interaction, is important to understand. Very little else we do as a society matters if we don't understand how the production of space impacts us.

[@owenkooijman5015]

Even just to hear him say “people”

[@intalik]

Bravo! What an inspiring and thought provoking interview.

[@CarlitoSA]

Very inspiring interview, thank you. It makes me nostalgic of my masterpiece country, Italy.

[@perraccca]

Great interview.

[@olivia_and_william1758]

Tks Mr. Jahn Gehl. this is very important for city planning in sub urban expecially in jakarta.

[@MakeSomeNoiseAgencyPlaylists]

Jan.....its JAN

[@MakeSomeNoiseAgencyPlaylists]

What a legend √♥️👍🏽

[@rosecachapero9451]

I like this views of interview very inspiring though of the architect who wants to make a project who teach as the good ideas and learn a lot of things

[@joaomauriciohackcardozo5590]

I really would like this fantastic architect make a project for Porto Alegre metropolis in South Brasil, a huge troubled city, which deserved a major transformation!

[@marchanteve]

Or maybe a brazilian architect who understands these concepts! There are many new urbanists focused on these subjects and with tons of hope to make the cities from Brazil better for people. I was born in Porto Alegre, recently graduated as an architect in Salvador, and I really hope to contribute to my birth city in the future :)

[@congamonga7039]

@@marchanteve Sao Paulo é a cidade pior

[@BawazirSaeed]

المشكلة في الوطن العربي أن من يتحكم بالمدن مجموعة من الفاسدين لا هم لهم غير الكسب المادي السريع بدون أي مراعاة لحقوق المواطنين لتطبيق أفكار كهذه انت بحاجة لتوعية كبيرة للشعب لمعرفة مصالحهم والحصول على حقوقهم

[@hkmusic9937]

وكبار السن، يجب أن تحب الناس حقًا وتفكر في رفاهيتهم. في دبي، يتم بناء الأبراج الحضرية، لكنها لا تخلق مدينة يمكن للجميع العيش فيها.

[@NadeeEkanayake97]

From where can I find the 12 quality criteria he is talking about?

[@user-kv9eh3dz5t]

Really hope you can help Taiwan out... the city now is like a hell for people especially pedestrian in Taiwan.

[@WalkableCity69]

雀食

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

such a great vid but why's the music so loud relative to Jan's speech? thanks for posting!

[@arvesolheim2832]

Så opplagt riktig, men så sørgelig lite fulgt

[@jukio02]

Do you think the new city Xiongan is people friendly?

[@kiaa11]

can someone please spell the name he mentions at 5:14? thanks

[@philipstiernstrom7950]

Kane walpole

[@kiaa11]

Philip Stiernström thank u !

[@cezarymarek4556]

Kenneth Warpole ( www.worpole.net/ )

[@julesd3645]

Yes aborigine & japanese are the same kind of creature, that's why they both built such similar societies.

[@Papirblomster]

I have never heard of Jan Gehl before, and I am very surprised of Jan Gehl praising himself, danish architects and Copenhagen, when I think of all the wonderful trees that has been slaugtered in Copenhagen in later years. Some of them at the old Carlsberg building ground, in order to make room for the most bombastic and ugly buildings we have seen in later years. In a time, where most educated people realize the importance of trees in big cities, Copenhagen has cut down wonderful old trees, and squares have been established without a flower container or trees of any kind. Even benches for old people or anybody using the square for a short rest, has been denied the citizens of Copenhagen. The Opera and the stone garden near Royal palace are abominations, and there is no place for people hanging around or enjoying a meal or a coffee after going to the New ugly Opera. Copenhagen seems to have learnt nothing, and the new buildings in the suburb of Amager is a place people just want to avoid at all costs.

[@mikkeljacobsen6846]

5G DOES NOT LIKE TREES ,,,,, hidden controlstructure being implemented everywhere,,,,,all over the world,,, to my knowledge ,,,the only Danish politician ( NOT elected ) that talks criticly about this issue is Mads Palsvig,,,,

[@Papirblomster]

@@mikkeljacobsen6846 I have never heard of him. Danish politicians are mostly a waste of time. And they are especially a waste of time, when it comes to trees and comfort in the city for the danish people.

[@holgerjrgensen2166]

In the whole of CPH's history, there have never been so many trees as now, in these years there is planted 200.000 trees, mostly 10-20 years old, so they will survive. Kgs Nytorv got 80 kejser-lind, in near future Carlsberg also get 80 kejser-lind, The newly planted walnut-tree in Eng. Plads is 67 year old, and there is more than three times so many trees as before the Metro station. In the new quarters in the harbor, big trees is planted before the buildings is finish, also big, 10-20 years old.

[@Papirblomster]

@@holgerjrgensen2166 This is a lie. Two streets in copenhagen does no longer have the rows of trees they were famous for. One of the the streets with these old trees, were called the Climbing Wood, because it accommodated the city children with a place to play. Some of the really old giant trees have been cut down, Latest the old trees at the Carlsberg area, where they are now building some of the ugliest houses you could think of. Planting new trees, does not make up for the old gigants we no longer have. Der er fældet to alléer i København og adskillige af de kæmpe store træer. Det kan du ikke replante. Mange små træer erstatter ikke hvad der er blevet fældet.

[@holgerjrgensen2166]

@@Papirblomster Jeg kan godt huske Srd. Boulevard, og da elmesygen gjorde den øde i mange år, men har Du set den nu. (this is a lie ?) Et er de mange nye højhuse i Carlsberg, men der står 80 kejserlindetræer og venter på at blive plantet, Jeg gætter på at de er 20 år gamle. Hvor er 'climbing wood' - Alle' ? Jeg er 66, kan godt huske Borups Alle'', før tunellen, men der er ikke færre træer, end før. Der har ikke været så mange træer i hele Kbh's historie som nu. Der findes 400 år gamle træer.

[@swoondrones]

Any good architect knows this. To design without knowing or planning what you want people to do isn't architecture. Is he going to talk for an hour on this? Architects aren't stupid. Modernism has it's place. It's jsut executed so badly most of the time. Outside inside. Start from that.