Public Life Studies and Urban Policy
Copenhagen’s main street, Strøget, was converted from a traffic street to a pedestrian street in November 1962. It didn’t happen without the rattling of sabers and vociferous debate: “We are Danes, not Italians, and car-free public space is never going to
- PDF / 30,074,001 Bytes
- 193 Pages / 577.35 x 719.01 pts Page_size
- 4 Downloads / 217 Views
HOW TO STUDY PUBLIC LIFE
III
IV
HOW TO STUDY PUBLIC LIFE Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre Translation by Karen Ann Steenhard
| Washington | Covelo | London V
Copyright © 2013 Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher: Island Press, 2000 M Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036 Island Press is a trademark of Island Press The Center for Resource Economics. Gehl, Jan, 1936[Bylivsstudier. English] How to study public life / by Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre ; translation by Karen Ann Steenhard. p. cm. Translation of the author's Bylivsstudier. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-1-61091-423-9 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-61091-423-6 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. City planning. 2. Public spaces—Social aspects. I. Svarre, Birgitte. II. Title. HT166.G43713 2013 307.1'216—dc23 2013023649
Printed on recycled, acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Project team Camilla Richter-Friis van Deurs, graphic layout and cover Annie Matan, project assistant Kristian Skaarup, project assistant Emmy Laura Perez Fjalland, student assistant Johan Stoustrup, student assistant Janne Bjørsted, student assistant English translation Karen Ann Steenhard This project was conducted as a research project under the auspices of Gehl Architects Urban Quality Consultants, Copenhagen. The project was made possible with the financial support of Realdania, Copenhagen. Keywords: Action research, area studies, behavioral mapping, diary method, GPS, modernism, pedestrian activity, pedestrian realm, photo documentation, shadowing, social responsibility, stationary activity, simulation laboratory, sustainability, time-lapse photography, tracking, urban policy
VII
VII
VII
Shinjuku Station, Tokyo, Japan. Approximately 1990.
Contents FOREWORD by George Ferguson
XI
PREFACE
XII
1
PUBLIC SPACE, PUBLIC LIFE: AN INTERACTION
1
2
WHO, WHAT, WHERE?
9
3
COUNTING, MAPPING, TRACKING AND OTHER TOOLS
21
4
PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
37
5
HOW THEY DID IT: RESEARCH NOTES
81
6
PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES IN PRACTICE
123
7
PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES AND URBAN POLICY
149
NOTES
162
BIBLIOGRAPHY
172
ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTO CREDITS
179
IX
X
Foreword by George Ferguson Jan Gehl has devoted a lifetime to the field of public life studies, which has developed since the sixties when, as a young student of architecture, I first became aware of his work. Gehl’s vision is one of making cities fit for people. He and his colleagues, including Birgitte Svarre, have written about it and advised cities, developers, NGOs and governments. This book goes behind the scenes and reveals the variety of tools in the public life studies toolbox. A proper understanding of its application is vital to all those involved in city planning and others responsible for the quality of life in our cities. As more of us move to
