5 Rules For Designing Great Cities, From Denmark's Star Urbanist | Co.Design

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The web of pedestrian streets, narrow alleys, and picturesque canals in Venice have lured tourists to the Italian port city for hundreds of years. There's a near constant hum of activity as people gather in public squares, sit in outdoor cafes, marvel at the ornate architecture, and meander through the labyrinthine city. To Jan Gehl—a Danish architect, writer, and the most respected urbanist alive for his research on how urban design can improve quality of life and curb environmental problems—Venice epitomizes a city that engages all of our senses, and, in effect, becomes an environment tailored for a thriving public life scaled to the individual. It's the ultimate people-friendly city.

Today, as urban populations swell—by 2050, 66% of the world's population will live in cities—that notion of "people-friendly" design matters more than ever, Gehl argues. To accommodate growth that is efficient, economically robust, and environmentally sound, planners, politicians, and designers must put people at the center of the city—a point that seems obvious, except when you consider that for the past six decades, most cities have risen up around cars.

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5 Rules For Designing Great Cities, From Denmark's Star Urbanist | Co.Design