Jan Gehl

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl in 2006
Born1936 (age 89–90)
Denmark
EducationRoyal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture
OccupationArchitect
AwardsSir Patrick Abercrombie Prize (1993)
Civic Trust Award (2009)
Global Award for Sustainable Architecture (2015)
PracticeGehl Architects

Jan Gehl (born 1936) is a Danish architect and urban design consultant based in Copenhagen. His career has focused on improving the quality of urban life by re-orienting city design towards the pedestrian and cyclist. He is a founding partner of Gehl Architects.

Early life and education

Jan Gehl was born in Denmark in 1936.[1]

He received a BA and then, in 1960, an MA in Architecture from the School of Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK) in Copenhagen in 1960.[2]

Career

Architecture and planning

Gehl practised architecture from 1960 to 1966.[3] In 1965, he and his wife Ingrid went to Italy on a scholarship from the New Carlsberg Foundation "to study the everyday use of public spaces and everyday public life in Tuscan and Umbrian cities, and in Rome". Here they were impressed by the human activity in the cities that had not been formally planned.[3] The results of their studies were published in a series of articles in the Danish journal Arkitekten in 1966.[3]

In 1966 he received a research grant from KADK to study "the form and use of public spaces". His book Life between Buildings (1971) reports his studies of public life in public spaces, and develops his theories about how city planning and architecture influence public life.[3]

According to the curators of the 2017 exhibition of Gehl's work at the Danish Cultural Institute, titled Changing Mindsets – Jan Gehl's life of work, his work may be seen as three major phases:[3]

  1. From the mid-1960s: research and theory development
  2. Starting in Copenhagen in the early 1970's: developing and testing methodology in real-life projects
  3. From the 1990s and onwards: Communication and expansion of methods and ideas through books combined with studies for cities across the globe

He co-founded Gehl Architects in 2000 with Helle Søholt, held a partner position until 2011, retired in 2016, but as of October 2026 remains an adviser in the practice. He also continues to undertake speaking engagements.[1]

Gehl has participated in and advised many urban design and public projects around the world:

  • In 2004 he carried out an important study in to the quality of the public realm in London, commissioned by Central London Partnership and Transport for London, and supported City of Wakefield and the town of Castleford in developing and delivering better public spaces, as part of an initiative known as "The Castleford Project".
  • In 2007–08 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. The DOT used Gehl's work to "directly inform" the implementation of their new urban planning and design policies and projects.[4]
  • Gehl has been influential in Australia and New Zealand as well, where he prepared Public Life studies for the city centres of Melbourne (1994 and 2004),[5] Perth (1995 and 2009),[6] Adelaide (2002)[7] Sydney (2007),[8] Auckland (2008),[9] Wellington (2004),[10] Christchurch,[11] Launceston and Hobart (2010).[12]

Academia

Gehl was professor of urban planning at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1966 to 2006.[1]

Between 1971 and 1978 he also spent long periods doing research as well as teaching in various countries as a visiting professor.[3]

Influences

Gehl credits the "grandmother of humanistic planning" Jane Jacobs for drawing his attention to the importance of human scale. "Fifty years ago she said – go out there and see what works and what doesn't work, and learn from reality. Look out of your windows, spend time in the streets and squares and see how people actually use spaces, learn from that, and use it".[13]

Gehl married a psychologist, and together they "had many discussions about why the human side of architecture was not more carefully looked after by the architects, landscape architects, and planners" and "set out to study the borderland between sociology, psychology, architecture, and planning".[14]

Influence

Gehl Architects' project for Brighton New Road employing shared space, awarded the UK Civic Trust Award

Gehl first published his influential Life Between Buildings in Danish in 1971, with the first English translation published in 1987, in which he advocates for a sensible, straightforward approach to improving urban form: systematically documenting urban spaces, making gradual incremental improvements, then documenting them again.[15] This book has been published in over 40 languages.[1] In 2012 the book was translated into a film by the same name, exhibited in a 24-metre (79 ft) curved room at the "New Nordic Architecture" exhibition Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and later at the Venice Biennale for Architecture.[15]

Gehl's book Public Spaces, Public Life describes how such incremental improvements have transformed Copenhagen from a car-dominated city to a pedestrian-oriented city over 40 years. Copenhagen's Strøget carfree zone, one of the longest pedestrian shopping areas in Europe. The first section of Strøget was transformed to a pedestrian street on 17 November 1962, and Gehl used it as a living lab for observing peoples use of public space. This book was also translated into over 40 languages.[1]

Later his influential reports and books led to a collaboration with the City of Copenhagen and its political shift towards promoting pedestrian zones and cycling.[16]

Recognition and awards

Awards

Honorary fellowships

Planning Institutes in Australia and Ireland.

Honorary doctorates

Gehl has received honorary doctorates from a number of universities, including:

Other

Gehl also received the key to the City of Sydney.[1]

Selected publications

  • Gehl, J (1987) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space, translated by Jo Koch, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. (ISBN 978-87-7407-360-4)
  • Gehl, J. and Gemzøe, L. (2000) New City Spaces, The Danish Architectural Press. Copenhagen. (ISBN 978-87-7407-293-5)
  • Gehl, J. and Gemzøe, L. (2004) Public Spaces, Public Life, Danish Architectural Press. (ISBN 978-87-7407-305-5)
  • Gehl, J. et al. (2006) New City Life, The Danish Architectural Press, Denmark. (ISBN 978-87-7407-365-9)
  • Gehl, J. (2010) Cities for People, Island Press. (ISBN 978-1597265737)
  • Gehl, J. and Svarre, B. (2013) How to Study Public Life, Island Press

See also

References

  1. "Jan Gehl". Gehl. 30 October 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  2. "Jan Gehl". MIT Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  3. "Exhibition "Changing Mindsets" - Jan Gehl's Life of Work". Danish Cultural Institute. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. "New York City DOT Releases World Class Streets Report, Calling for Enhanced Public and Pedestrian Space". New York City Department of Transportation. 14 November 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  5. Melbourne 'Places for People' Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  6. City of Perth – Public Spaces Public Life Archived 2009-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
  7. City of Adelaide – Public Spaces and Public Life 2002 Archived 2007-09-12 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Sydney CBD Public Life and Public Spaces Survey
  9. "Auckland 2010: Public life survey" (PDF). Gehl Architects. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  10. "Gehl Architects report - Public Spaces and Public Life Study 2004". Wellington City Council. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  11. Gehl, Jan (2010). "Jan Gehl Public Space Public Life Study (Christchurch 2009, Public Space Public Life)". Christchurch City Council. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  12. "Hobart – A City with People in Mind". Hobart City Council. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  13. Anderson-Oliver, M. (2013) "Cities for people: Jan Gehl", Assemble Papers, 13 June 2013
  14. Paul Makovsky: Pedestrian Cities: An interview with Danish architect Jan Gehl on how public spaces work. in Metropolis Magazine August/September 2002, Retrieved 16 October 2010 Archived 4 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Life Between Buildings". Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  16. "'Copenhagenizing' the world, one city at a time". The Copenhagen Post. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014.
  17. "NYC Award presented to Jan Gehl". Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  18. "King presents Prince Eugen Medal". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  19. "C.F. Hansen Medaillen" (in Danish). Akademiraadet. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  20. "Global Award for Sustainable Architecture". Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  21. "Athena Medals". CNU. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  22. "An evening with Jan Gehl". CIHT home. 26 July 1997. Retrieved 27 October 2026. CIHT Institution Award - Previous Winners
  23. "Honorary Fellows". Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  24. AIA College of Fellows, Red Book Directory 2017 AIA College of Fellows History & Directory. 2017 Edition
  25. "Heriot-Watt University Honorary Graduates" (PDF). www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  26. "Convocation 2015: architect and urban designer Jan Gehl receives honorary degree". University of Toronto. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  27. "Introducing Dal's honorary degree recipients for Spring Convocation 2016". Dalhousie News. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  28. "Interview with the world-famous Danish architect Prof. Jan Gehl, Doctor Honoris Causa of Varna Free University". Варненски свободен университет (ВСУ) "Черноризец Храбър" - Начало. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  29. "Prof. Arch. Jan Gehl: I consider Varna Free University for my university!". Варненски свободен университет (ВСУ) "Черноризец Храбър" - Начало. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2026.