Last month, the Sydney City Talk speaker was Danish architect Professor Jan Gehl. For over 40 years, his career has focused on improving the quality of urban life, especially for pedestrians. During his presentation Professor Gehl, discussed the benefits of a city which encourages walking and bicycling. It helps to make a city more friendly, connected and sustainable. He indicated that there is the need to have world class places in the George Street Town Hall area in Sydney and to link between the various city districts - such as Pyrmont Village. These quality improvements will also lead to a more economically successful city.

Jan, in conjunction with City of Sydney staff, Pat Fensham, Director of SGS Economics & Planning, Rod Simpson, Simpson + Wilson Architects and Bruce Taper, Kinesis, played an integral role developing Sustainable Sydney 2030.

For some background on Professor Jan Gehl, he received a Masters of Architecture from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1960, and practiced architecture from 1960 to 1966 when he received a research grant from the institution for “studies of the form and use of public spaces.”

As a “young architect working in the suburbs,” Gehl married a psychologist and “had many discussions about why the human side of architecture was not more carefully looked after by the architects, landscape architects, and planners… My wife and I set out to study the borderland between sociology, psychology, architecture, and planning.”

Gehl’s book “Public Spaces, Public Life” describes how incremental improvements have transformed Copenhagen from a car-dominated city to a pedestrian-oriented city. Copenhagen’s Strøget carfree zone, the longest pedestrian shopping area in the world, is primarily the result of Gehl’s work. He often uses the phrase “copenhagenize” to describe his vision of how urban centres can embrace bicycle culture and urban cycling. (Source: Wikipedia)

Jan’s research on public spaces and public life has been applied successfully in cities across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia. Indeed we ask all residents of the funky harbourside hamlet of Pyrmont to engage with the vision of Sydney 2030. Lets pull the finger out and dream of the possibilities and make this happen. Governments will have not choice but to follow.

To watch the video of Jan’s presentation visit http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/2030/Whatyoutoldus/Expertpres.Asp