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A leading global urban strategy and design consultancy

Shaping places for life to thrive

Over two decades, and 250+ cities later, we’ve helped transform some of the world’s most iconic places, bringing the human lived experience to the forefront of urban development. We shape places that are healthier, more resilient, and inclusive for all.

Public space program in Bjørvika, Oslo. Credit: VisitOSLO/Didrick Stenersen

Public space is our DNA

We are unashamed public space nerds, believing that an integrated public realm has the power to transform society! With a holistic approach and dedicated public space survey methods, we uncover the true qualities and pitfalls of public space and their impact on civic life. It is this deep, place-based knowledge that informs our strategic and design solutions, creating the conditions for public life to thrive.

Meeting the world at eye level

A company committed to improving people’s everyday lives, we focus on the human experience in various spaces and places. Inspired by the principles of ‘Life Between Buildings,’ we prioritize people’s scale, senses, movements, behaviors, and perceptions throughout strategic planning and design. While human behavior remains central to our work, we strive to include ecological thinking and metrics in projects, ensuring our designs respect and enhance the interconnectedness of local environments.

Rooted in data

At Gehl, data talks! From the original clipboard counts of people in public space, to today’s multi-sourced, multi-layered data ecosystems, we combine quantitative and qualitative data to uncover how places actually perform for people. Through robust data analysis and insights we create ‘aha’ moments, helping reframe complex situations into surprising simple realities.

Wedding of Jan and Ingrid — The marriage between a psychologist and architect ushered in an era of human-centered urban design that considered the needs of people first.
1965 — Observing people in Italy 
Ingrid and Jan Gehl receive a grant to research people in cities.
1968 — Copenhagen as the laboratory
Jan Gehl, alongwith his colleagues and students undertake the first Public Space Public Life analysis.
1971 — Life Between Buildings is introduced Jan Gehl publishes his first book, a compilation of theories and thoughts, amassed from his study trips and research.
2000 — Gehl Architects is established  Helle Søholt and Jan Gehl start-up Gehl Architects, with the vision to transform theory into practice in cities around the world.

Community meets planetary well-being

We believe human and planetary well-being goes hand in hand, and by averting the worst of the climate crisis we help bring out the best in cities. By addressing the fundamental conditions that make for a better urban life; proximity, agency, comfort, convenience and connection, we can create opportunities for people to travel and consume in more (sustainable) ways. We call this making the sustainable choice, the easy choice.

Credit: City of Carmel

Always curious and collaborative

At Gehl, the saying goes, ‘collaboration over competition’! One of our greatest strengths lies in our ability collaborate across industry networks and curate a diversity of expertise within project teams, ensuring our advisory, and solutions go above and beyond the assignment.

Connect with us!

We care about our client’s success, and work for long term project relationships that value continued, iterative, and lasting change.

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