People Cities Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT EMAIL

Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933x43 ksucher@islandpress.org

PRESS RELEASE

People Cities The Life and Legacy of Jan Gehl

By Annie Matan and Peter Newman Washington, DC (November 15, 2016) — “A good city is like a good party—you stay for longer than you plan,” says Danish architect Jan Gehl. Over the last 50 years, Jan has changed the way we think about architecture and city planning, helping cities reclaim their public space for people. People Cities: The Life and Legacy of Jan Gehl (Publication Date: November 15, 2016) celebrates and chronicles Jan’s career, telling the inside story of how his study of urban spaces evolved and began to implement his people-centered approach.

In People Cities, authors Annie Matan and Peter Newman discuss the work, theory, life, and influence of Jan from their perspective as professional and personal acquaintances, and include thoughts from those who have worked with him around the globe. The book looks at Jan’s role in changing the urban planning paradigm from an abstract, ideological modernism to a people-focused movement.

This beautiful, full-color book, structured around key working periods in Jan’s life, includes timelines, historical photographs and documents, and colorful anecdotes showing Jan’s influence.

As Janette Sadik-Khan, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation says, “If Jan Gehl did not already exist, it would be necessary to invent him to rescue our cities…Jan’s is that rare mix of sensitivity, intelligence, and humor to detect the essential problems of urban design and devise the practical, city-specific solutions needed to overcome them.”

During a time of rapid global urbanization, understanding Jan’s ideas for designing humane and inviting urban spaces is more important than ever. People Cities will inspire anyone who ISLAND PRESS | PRESS RELEASE | 1

wants to create vibrant, human-scale cities and understand the ideas and work of an architect who has most influenced how we can—and should—design cities for people.

Annie Matan is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute in Australia, interested in creating sustainable, vibrant and people-focused urban places. She has worked with Jan Gehl looking at methods to study how people interact with the built environment and in Public Life studies, state and local government, and joined CUSP in 2011 after finishing her PhD at Curtin University.

Peter Newman AO is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University and former Director of CUSP. Peter has worked in local government as an elected councilor, an advisor to three Western Australia State Premiers and was on the Board of Infrastructure Australia from 2010 to 2014. He was a Lead Author for Transport on the IPCC. He has written 17 books including The End of Automobile Dependence.

People Cities Island Press Hardcover Publication Date: November 15, 2016 192 pages | Price: $40.00 (C)/$39.99 (E) ISBN: 9781610917148 (C)/ 9781610917162 (E) http://www.islandpress.org/book/people-cities Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. ###

ISLAND PRESS | PRESS RELEASE | 2