7w580 lecture 1 jan gehl cities for people
TRANSCRIPT
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codecode 7W5807W580
urban theory and design of public spaceurban theory and design of public space
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Jan Gehl: Life between buildings
First edition 1971
Gehl: 1936
Frontrunner:
– Attention for use of space (as opposed to ‘function’)
– Attention for everyday life
– Underpinning ideas with research and facts
– Modest approach
– Attention to detail
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Jan Gehl: Life between buildings
Builds on the work of, a.o.:
–Jane Jacobs
–William H. Whyte
–Oskar Newman
–Christopher Alexander
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Jan Gehl: Cities for people
Published 2010
Revised version of ‘Life between buildings’
Different approach of text and structure
Some additions
N.B.
Studying this slide presentation is NOT enough as a preparation for the exam! Read the book and analyze it
The author takes no responsibility for mistakes in these slides, only the original book text counts
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Scope of the book(s)
• Use of public space
• Social activities as benchmark
• What can design contribute?
• Way of thinking: the human dimension
• Design attitude, design principles
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Overall content
• City life & quality of space
• Conditions for design (senses, scale)
• General design principles (health, etc)
• Design of public space
• Considerations as regards managing
and ….
• …developing cities
• ‘Toolbox’ (design principles)
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The human dimension
Devastating influence of the car
Plea for public space as human space
Kopenhagen, effect of planning for bicycle traffic8
Relation between design and use of space
• Necessary activites
• Optional activities
• Social activities
Three sorts of activities
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Indirectresults from the first
two categories
BigMinimalInfluence of physical environment
Interactive
Playing, greeting,converstaion, passive
contact
(mostly) Recreative
Take a stroll, etc.
Functional
Going to school, Shopping, etc.
Sort
SpontaneousFree choiceobligations, necessity
Inducement
SocialOptionalNecessary
Activities
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Influence of the quality of public space
In: Cities for People
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N.B.
Next part (green background):
part of the exam but not in this form in ‘Cities for people’
To be found in ‘Life between buildings’
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Relation between social activities and public space
None• No direct physical contact
‘Anonimous’Motorways,infrastructure
Mainly passive.Seeing and heering each other
• Many people• Many different
backgrounds
‘Public’City streets, City
Centres, etc.
Eleborate social contacts.Greetings, conversations,discussions, games.
• Limited number of people
• Common interests or background. People know each other (of only by face)
‘Intimate’Residential streets,Streets near schools,Public space near working places, etc.
Social activitiesCharacteristicKind of space
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‘Chain effect’
The basis of social activity is people meeting each other
Sociale activies are dependent from other activities
Just seeing and hearing each other is a form of social activity
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Consequence:
The physical environment has no The physical environment has no directdirectinfluence on social contacts.influence on social contacts.
However: designers However: designers areare able to influence the able to influence the conditions for social contacts.conditions for social contacts.
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Value of low intensity contacts
• Possible starting point for contacts on a higher level
• Uncomplicated
• Source of inspriration / stimulation
‘Life’ is in the long run always more interesting to look at than architecture and design
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Source of activitiesSource of activities““Something happens because something happens Something happens because something happens
because something happensbecause something happens””
Basis of low intensity contacts: activitiesBasis of low intensity contacts: activities
‘‘Cities for peopleCities for people’’::
““People come where people arePeople come where people are””
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Source of activitiesSource of activities
Basis of low intensity contacts: activitiesBasis of low intensity contacts: activities
Human activity attracts people
Life between buildings = the product of the length and number of individual occurrences
Stimulating activities: making sure more people use public space for a longer period of time
““Something happens because something happens Something happens because something happens
because something happensbecause something happens””
18Melbourne, Australia
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KopenhagenDenmark 20
Relation kind of space – childs behaviour
KopenhagenDenmark
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Influence of physical design on outdoor activities
Pedestrian traffic Helsingor22
Voetgangersverkeer Helsingor
Fro
m: D
onal
d A
pple
yard
, ‘L
ivab
le s
tree
ts’
San Fransisco
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Influence of physical design on outdoor activities
Two living quarters in Kopenhagen24
Conclusion
Factors that can be influenced by design:
How many people and occurrences
The length of the activities
What types of activities are possible
In research: the existing situation often gives a
false impression.
Also: all types of activities should be involved in
research (because they are interconnected)
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Back to ‘Cities for people’
Some poignant subjects. Presented in the same sequence as the chapters of the book
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Influence of senses
Sensory distances according to Hall
300 – 500m distinguishing people from other objects
< 100m movement and body language in general
50 – 70m gender & age, known persons
< 35m Understanding language in a theatre
22 – 25m facial expressions, basic messages
< 7m conversation, hearing effective
< 1m smelling effectively
On the use of space
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Social field of vision
Ultimate threshold 100m
Key threshold 25 m 35m with artificial means (theatre)
Designing for social venues
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Communication and distance
0 - 45 cm intimate distance 45 - 120 cm personal distance
1,2 – 3,7 m social distance > 3,7 m public distance
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Senses, social contact and design
From: ‘Toolbox’, Chapter 7 30
Senses, social contact and design
human scale vs car scale
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Senses, social contact and design
“Make sure there’s never quite enough room”
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““When in doubt, When in doubt, leaveleave some space outsome space out””Credo:Credo:
Senses, social contact and design
‘‘life between buildingslife between buildings’’
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Lively, safe, sustainable and healthy city
Influence of densityNo absolute relation
High density + high rise buildings liveliness
liveliness = combination of factors - compact city structure (may be low rise) - reasonable density of population - acceptable walking and cycling distances - quality of space- no dominance of car + slower trafic- ‘soft edges’ to public space (design principles)- activities in plinths
general design considerations
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soft
edge
s
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Lively, safe, sustainable and healthy city
safe
- traffic
Only reference to Oskar Newman. In original book more elaborate
- crime (= security)
Relation between street type, use and safety
- Life in buildings (social control)- Clear structures (good oriëntation)- Clear territories- Soft edges
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Lively, safe, sustainable and healthy city
• reducing motorized traffic
• good relation space – public transport
• social sustainability helped by lively cities
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Lively, safe, sustainable and healthy city
• promoting excersise: walking, cycling
Not in the book but also:
- optimizing distances in neigborhoods
- clear and safe routes, safe bicycle storage
- environments inviting for walking
- optimizing locations of schools, shops, etc.
- accessibility for pedestrians & bicycles
- transferiums, parking outside centres
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The city at eye level (chapter 4)
The importance of the small scale
Small scale activities
walking
staying
meeting
self-expression, play, exercize
cycling
Small scale ‘agreability’
visual attraction
comfort / avoiding distress
accesibility
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The city at eye level (chapter 4)
Clutterd and unattractive situation caused by failing planning and design
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The city at eye level (chapter 4)
General consideration:
Design should be based on realistic insight into the way people use space, not on abstract research or considerations from behind the drawing board
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walking: technical solution for healthy people versus feeling of safety and discomfort of stairs 42
The city at eye level (chapter 4)
Analysis
from: ‘Life between buildings’
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Ed
ge
effe
ct
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The city at eye level (chapter 4)
design considerations for sitting
An example of the way Gehl treats this kind of subject in his book
45Choice of location: ‘Edge-effect’
Hengelo (OV)46
variation of the ‘Edge-effect’: ‘attractors’Roma
47Dispersion, quality of the place, advantages
Sliedrecht48
Dispersion, quality of the place, advantagesRoma
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49Demands differ per target group
Roma50
Demands differ per target groupRoma
51Seating is not only recreation it is also functional
Wien: looking for shade52
Seating is not only recreation it is also functionalWien
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Types of seating
Primary
– ‘The best benches’Secundary
– Stairs, edges, low walls, etc.Seating landscapes
– Multifunctional
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Types of seatingTypes of seating
Primary seatingDublin
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Types of seatingTypes of seating
Secondary seatingEisenach
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Types of seatingTypes of seating
Seating landscapesSeating landscapesEnschede
57talk scapes
Paris
Types of seatingTypes of seating
58community scapes
München
Types of seatingTypes of seating
59München
60special seating
Types of seatingTypes of seating
Leugenbank
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self-expression, play, excercise
Paris62
Quality of public space
• Flexibility / multi-functionality
• Scale tool: small spaces in larger ones …..…..but not as an afterthought
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small spaces in larger ones …..
…making do with street furniture
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Quality of public space
• Flexibility / multi-functionality
• Scale
• Micro climate ‘Physics of the built environment’
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Micro climate
66Brasilia, design, Oscar Niemeyer
The Brasila Syndrome
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Design should not be an excercise on the mapDesign should not be an excercise on the map
Brasilia, design, Oscar Niemeyer
The Brasila Syndrome
Stephano Boeri: Stephano Boeri: ‘‘Zenital viewZenital view’’
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life > space > buildings chapter 5
‘Life’ is in the long run always more interesting to look at than architecture and design
Urban design is about people, not about buildings
From: ‘life between buildings’
The second concern is real space (not ‘space on paper’)
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Large scale
Middel scale
Small scale ‘eye level scale’
Scale levels
holistic, city as seen from a distance
development scale, individual quartersorganization of space and buildings
the human landscapethe city as experienced
Gehl distinguisches:
should becombined
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Planning method
1. determine the character of anticipated life
2. make programs for city spaces and - structure
3. position buildings
4. design larger units and districts
According to Gehl
Life
Space
Buildings
Overall structure
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Planning method
1. determine the character of anticipated life
2. make programs for city spaces and - structure
3. position buildings
4. design larger units and districts
According to Gehl
Life
Space
Buildings
Overall structurediffe
rent
iate
Not
one
‘sta
ndar
d’s
olut
ion
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1. determine the character of anticipated life
2. make programs for city spaces and - structure
3. position buildings
4. design larger units and districts
Life
Space
Buildings
Overall structurediffe
rent
iate
Not
one
‘sta
ndar
d’s
olut
ion
The Human dimension is a universal starting point
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chapter 7
Planning principles
1. location of functions
2. integration of functions
3. experience / safety
4. relation between buildings and public space
5. make people stay longer in public space
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toolbox
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toolbox
12 quality criteria
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toolbox
• designing the ground floor
• do’s and don’ts
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codecode 7W5807W580
urban theory and design of public spaceurban theory and design of public space