Company Profile
Making Cities for People
A people-first approach is needed more than ever.
Cities are facing complex, systemic urban challenges such as climate change, social mobility and social justice, faltering transportation systems, growing insecurity due to terrorism and societal unrest and declining health impacted by lifestyle diseases. We believe that the public realm can be part of the solution. In the last decade there has been a growing interest in making cities more livable and responsive to people’s needs. Planners and architects have developed many strategies to address the physical composition of our urban environment, yet ‘public life’, the very essence of cities, has not always been considered in the planning and design process. Public life is created when people connect with each other in public spaces – like streets, plazas and parks. It’s about the everyday activities that people take part in when they spend time with each other outside of their homes, workplaces and cars. Now more than ever cities are realizing that cities with a robust ‘public life’ that offer a high quality of living are able to address some of these systemic urban challenges, thereby connecting people to opportunities, and cities that invite for diversity and proximity.
Designing for sociability
At Gehl, we have found that ‘public space’ acts as the societal glue. We want to see cities become lively places where neighborhoods provide access to the necessary social infrastructures, while offering a wide range of opportunities for all. We believe that by applying a people-first approach to the planning and design of our cities, we are able to both solve some of our cities' most pressing challenges while making cities vibrant places where people are invited to interact and connect with each other.
Gehl people are passionate about cities, people and the challenges we face as a society. That is why we develop close, long-term relationships with the people who work with us. At the start, we take the time to find the right mix of skills and disciplines to build a team that
best suits the project needs and that is nimble enough to take-in and take-out the people and groups who are relevant at the different project stages. Throughout, the Gehl team uses their communication skills to help clients tell their story in a compelling and heart-felt way.
Photo: Peter Helles Eriksen
Our mission
Our mission is 'Making Cities for People'. Gehl is an urban design consultancy offering expertise in the fields of urban design, architecture, and city planning. We apply a people-first approach, utilizing empirical analysis, strategic planning and human-centered design, to empower citizens, decision makers, company leaders and organizations to create a better everyday life for all people.
The team
Gehl people are ... a dynamic, talented, international team, from varying backgrounds, who share the values and ambitions of ‘Making Cities for People’.
Urban Designers
Social Scientists
System Thinkers
The team
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Cop en ha ge
We are based in ....
San Fr ancisco
Our 6 services use a people-first approach.
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Cities for People
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Masterplanning Frameworks
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People First Design
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People-First Mobility
Urban Strategy
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Public Life Putting people first by studying, surveying, engaging and understanding public life.
Public Life
Masterplanning Frameworks Masterplanning Frameworks Valuing co-creation, the human scale, mixed neighborhoods, public spaces, and integrated mobility through the creation of masterplanning frameworks.
Urban strategy Urban Strategy Making urban strategies that help in the transition towards a more liveable city.
People Mobility PeopleFirst First Mobility Looking at people first mobility not just as the journey, but as a route towards a balanced mobility that accommodates all user groups.
People First Design
People First Design Designing attractive, diverse and networked public spaces with a relationship to the wider urban context that are driven by public life and people first design.
Process Leadership Process Leadership Bringing the outside perspective needed to facilitate process leadership through creative and facilitative processes with clients in leadership positions.
Our way of working
People-first approach — a process for solving the big challenges in cities and ensuring visible change.
1 Meet at eye level We aim to understand the context, challenges and opportunities presented in a place by creating a shared vocabulary. Either through walking tours, orientation meetings, scoping or identifying indicators for success, we want to frame the projects together.
2 Learn what you care about Surveys, on site interviews, workshops, citizen engagement and obser vational analysis of public spaces are conducted to gather knowledge on what matters most. This exploration forms the basis for our people first approach.
People First Mobility — process We deliver
Pedestrian Plans
3 Strategize for everyday life Our projects always look to the big picture to create a holistic vision and set of recommendations. We envision a framework that puts people at the center of all design solutions.
Strategies
Bicycle Plans
• Evaluation & data collection
• Evaluation & data collection
• Strategy & guidelines
• Strategy & guidelines
• Quality evaluation & data collection
• Quality evaluation & data collection
• Training and change of mindset
• Training and change of mindset
We deliver
Pedestrian Strategy
Infra conc
We deliver
Bicycle Strategy
Transit nodes
Mobility Strategy
Plans & guidelines Street design guidelines
Parking strategy
Revision of existing policies
• Quality criteria for transit nodes • Mobility linkages & integration with urban fabric • Passenger experience • Identifying development potential in station precinct
•D
•C p
•P s m
•L i
•I f t
-K s t
Our way of working
4 Apply people-first design We employ a series of early interventions throughout a project’s life, to evaluate success and inform final implementation. This results in quick wins that move a project from the planning phase to action. Private space
Shared private space Semi-public space Private facility Semi-private facility Buildings
5 Share & scale-up impact The project process finishes with capacity building, a new way of working, and often a set of guidelines or new policies. People are empowered to bring about change and to share the story of the project process.
1 Meet at eye level 2 Learn what you care about 3 Strategize for everyday life 4 Apply people-first design 5 Share & scale-up impact
Reykjavik
Nuuk
Victoria
Edmonton Red Deer Calgary Vancouver
Seattle
San Francisco
Toronto Boise
San Jose
Somerville
Akron Lexington Denver Louisville Nashville
Los Angeles
New York
Philadelphia Washington D.C. Charlotte Columbia West Palm Beach Miami
Monterrey Xalapa Mexico City Guatemala City Panama City
Bogotรก Cali Pasto Natal Recife
Lima
'Making Cities for People' in over 250 cities around the world.
Asunciรณn La Serena Coquimbo Santiago Valdivia Puerto Varas Puerto Montt
Rio de Janeiro Sรฃo Paulo
Tigre Montevideo Buenos Aires Mar del Plata
Trondheim Kristianssund Ålesund Hamar Molde
Bergen
Oslo
Glasgow Edinburgh Cambridge
Skellefteå
Helsinki St. Petersburg Stockholm Gothenburg Riga Malmø Moscow Eskilstuna
Copenhagen
Apeldoorn Berlin Rotterdam Brighton Luxembourg City LilleBern Zürich
Dublin London
Bordeaux Milan
Almaty
Istanbul
Beijing Tokyo
Amman
Rabat
Shanghai
Kuwait City
Doha Muscat
Chongqing Kunming Ahmedabad
Guangzhou Hong Kong
Chennai Singapore
Solwezi
Tangerang
Kalumbila
Johannesburg Brisbane Perth Cape Town
Adelaide Melbourne Launceston Hobart
Newcastle Sydney Wollongong Auckland Wellington Christchurch
The City of Moscow's Department for Environmental Management and Protection
Some of our clients
Municipality of Muscat
The beginning
Gehl Architects
Together with his team, Jan Gehl conducts the first 'Public Space Public Life' study in Copenhagen impacting the study of public life for decades to come.
Gehl is established as a practice with the ambition to bring theory to practice.
1968
2000
A ‘Metropolis for People’
Gehl generation growth
The Municipality of Copenhagen integrates Gehl’s people-first approach into a citywide policy to become the world’s most liveable city.
Gehl transitions from one voice to many voices, welcoming six new partners who share a passion for making cities for people.
2009
2013
A story of Gehl people
Gehl goes to America Gehl launches in San Francisco and New York City, setting the stage for closer relationships to our projects in North and South America, and expanding the Gehl network.
2014
Gehl Institute Gehl Institute opens in New York City, sharing the same vision to ‘develop cities for and with people’ through capacity building and knowledge creation.
2015
Gehl generation growth 2.0 Gehl’s leadership expands with three new US partners who bring new knowledge and diverse expertise from the fields of landscape architecture, real estate and planning to the Partner Group.
2017
Notes
People First Approach Gehl brings several decades of experience working with cities and engaging people. Since 2000, when Gehl was established as an urban design practice, we have been committed to balancing idealism with pragmatism to ensure our work has the greatest impact in 'making cities for people'!
gehlpeople.com