For over 30 years, Danish architect Jan Gehl has been an advocate of turning vehicle-centric cities into pedestrian- and people-friendly cities. In June, Gehl will spend time walking around Seattle and share his observations on ways we can make it a truly great pedestrian city.

Gehl is the next featured speaker in the City's Urban Sustainability Forum:

"Public Spaces, Public Life"
Monday, June 6, 2005, 5:30-7 p.m.
Seattle Central Library Auditorium
View event flyer

Part of the Mayor's Center City Seattle Strategy, this event is cosponsored by the City of Seattle, International Sustainable Solutions, Gregory Broderick Smith Real Estate, Nitze-Stagen, and the Seattle Architecture Foundation.

About Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl is Professor of Urban Design in the School of Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and founding partner of Gehl Architects – Urban Quality Consultants. With Gehl's leadership all 18 public squares in Copenhagen that had been parking lots have been turned back to public squares, and pedestrian streets are thriving for walking, shopping, and people-watching.

His research in Copenhagen was quickly applied to many other cities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia and he is now knows as the “master of public space.” Gehl's ideas and approaches to designing public spaces incorporate the cutting edge of technology without losing sight of what best supports and enhances people’s experience of everyday life in the public realm.

Gehl earned his B.A. and M.A. in Architecture from the School of Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1960 and began practicing as an architect. In 1966 he received a five-year research grant to study the form and use of public space, which spawned his first book, Life between Buildings. This and later publications—Public Spaces, Public Life and New Urban Spaces—have been translated into multiple languages.

Gehl has continued to work at the School of Architecture as lecturer, senior lecturer and professor of urban design since 1971, and was named director of their newly established Center for Public Space Research in 1998. As partner of Gehl Architects, he has served as a consultant to city councils and planning departments in many countries. He also delivers lectures and courses at universities and conferences around the world and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, Urban Design International, and Town Planning & Architecture.

About the 2005 Urban Sustainability Forum
Presented by Mayor Greg Nickels, this event is the third in the 2005 Urban Sustainability Forum, a series of energizing public dialogues on transforming Seattle into a 21st century city that is climate-neutral, pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented, community-focused and sustainably designed.

The series features nationally and internationally recognized leaders in sustainable community development and provides an opportunity for Seattle business leaders and citizens to discuss urban sustainability issues and create a shared vision for the future.