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Gehl wisdom

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Jonathan Maus (@BikePortland)
    25/10/2012 21:15
    "Ppl won't change behavior when you compel them to. Ppl change when the context compels them to." -planner, Gehl Architects in Copenhagen

    "
    "
    Jeff Speck (@JeffSpeckAICP)
    26/10/2012 02:54
    J Gehl: The volume of car traffic almost everywhere is more or less arbitrary, depending on the available transportation infrastructure.

    "

    Not sure where the quotes are coming from (or why today)

    They are from the man/company 'redesigning' cities around the world - to make them more 'liveable' - including by encouraging walking and cycling.

    CEC commissioned designs for Princes Street.

    Unfortunately there are officials (and perhaps politicians) still stuck with a car centric mindset.

    Leith Walk will be the BIG test for Edinburgh.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. Morningsider
    Member

    Jan Gehl's right hand man (David Sim) is a Scot. He is orignially from Linlithgow - although he has lived in Denmark for a while. He's a great speaker, top urban designer and was involved in the work for CEC. Truly, the Council are ignoring advice from the world's top urban designers.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    Truly, the Council are ignoring advice from the world's top urban designers.

    We need to ask why exactly that is.

    Fear of change? Lack of 'ownership' (not 'their' idea; not benefitting them directly)? Lack of cash? Fear of the electoral consequences of implementation?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    "We need to ask why exactly that is."

    Probably all of those you mention, plus, perhaps, some fear of local press - though that worries politicians more than officials.

    A simple truth is that CEC (and other councils, government depts.) still employ people who think car - and don't seem to see why they should (enthusiastically/willingly) think about anything else.

    In the 70s politicians 'encouraged' senior roads people to take early retirement. Politicians now seem less able/willing to influence 'staffing issues'.

    I recently suggested to someone that surely all the 'old mindset' people must be about to retire.

    But apparently 'non-progressive transport ideas' are not related to age...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. crowriver
    Member

    A simple truth is that CEC (and other councils, government depts.) still employ people who think car - and don't seem to see why they should (enthusiastically/willingly) think about anything else.

    The 'silent' majority think this way, so why should they be any different or even try? Smacks of complacency at the least, in some cases incompetence or worse. But then I would say that, wouldn't I?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Landscape Librarian (@landlibrarian)
    26/10/2012 20:52
    What is Jan Gehl doing in Moscow? The New Yorker finds out: newyorker.com/online/blogs/c… via @fzfr

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/sites/default/files/pubs/Cycling-as-Part-of-Urban-Living-Jan-Gehl-Presentation-Oct-2010_0.pdf

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. Instography
    Member

    "But apparently 'non-progressive transport ideas' are not related to age..."

    I don't mean to be rude but have you spoken to any young people lately about their views of cars and bicycles? They love cars.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. Min
    Member

    I think that's what Chdot meant?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. crowriver
    Member

    Young people's attitudes are formed by the society around them. So, no surprise they like cars...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    Thanks Min.

    I think I meant 'it's disappointing to realise CEC has planners who reflect typical UK public views on transport and are not embracing the views of an old (now) person whose ideas seem to be making an impact in other parts of the world'.

    Perhaps part of the problem with Gehl/Edinburgh is the focus on Princes/George.

    This is why Leith Walk is such a tremendous opportunity and noises so far from 'the council' are on the lines of 'cannae do that, the traders wouldn't like it' (and the car owning public - of all ages - of course).

    "
    Dave H (@BCCletts)
    02/11/2012 02:33
    @allpartycycling In US people drive cars all week and ride bikes for leisure. In CPH Danes ride bikes & relax with car trips at weekends

    "

    Not really about 'cars' it's about the priority they are given in urban areas.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. PS
    Member

    "If I could give one piece of good advice, it would be based on what we know from Copenhagen. For many years, going back to the 1950s, whenever there was a city planning problem, the traffic engineers were running to the mayor and saying: “Look, we need six more lanes here and three more lanes here and 2,000 parking spaces.” They had the statistics and the arguments ready. On the other hand, there was not a single city in the world that had a department for people and public life. The cities knew everything about traffic and nothing about people, and how and why people use the city.

    What we have done in Copenhagen is to make the people who use the city visible and to document what is going on: Where people go, how many there are, how long they sit on benches, how many café chairs we have. We do all this every year, just as if we were traffic engineers. Now the politicians have all the information about the life of the city. Then we can ask them to make their choice.

    The moment you start to get the people visible and city life documented, then you can start to plan and make policies: “Here is where we are, but we want to be here.” That’s what the politicians always have done with car traffic. Now we have tools to be just as systematic in caring for the people."

    Copenhagen Mastermind Jan Gehl Isn't Sold on 'Smart' Cities

    Posted 5 years ago #

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