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Brownsville Public Life Study and Training

Engaging the next generation of public space designers

Sector

Philanthropy

Region

North America

Timespan

2018

Credit: Youth Design Center

Belmont Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn has struggled with vacancy and crime since the closure of its historic market. To reinvent the area as a community hub, the Brownsville Community Justice Center (BCJC) partnered with Gehl to train their summer teen cohort in community-based design research methods.

Members of the BCJC teen cohort collecting public life data and assessing urban quality. Credit: Gehl
Credit: Gehl

The changemakers of today’s youth

With a rise in crime on Belmont Avenue, a commercial corridor in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the BCJC actively sought solutions to restore safety and trust. Dedicated to crime prevention and community building, BCJC asked Gehl to help train their summer youth cohort, who were studying urban planning, in using public space and public life methods to inform a community-centered planning process and gather data on existing use patterns.

Gehl urban planners facilitated workshops with BCJC, igniting discussions about the street’s functionality for locals and about how the quality of the environment influenced perception and use. The teens used public life studies to gather observational, anonymous data on how people were using the street. This data was then used as a baseline to compare against observations following a local nighttime lighting pilot. The data also helped to pinpoint priority areas for design and programming interventions.

The workshops equipped the youth with vital tools and resources for public space advocacy, empowering the next generation of public space designers.

Adriana Akers leads training on public life study methods. Credit: Gehl
Julia Day, Project Director, Partner
Adriana Akers, Senior Project Manager →
Credit: Inka Reiter

Turning strategy into action for the city centre of Konstanz

  • Place Activation
  • Community Engagement
  • Social Spatial Research
  • Urban Strategy
The public realm poses a challenge to healthy food access in peripheral neighborhoods of Bogotá. Steep terrain, lack of transportation, and limited healthy food offerings make it difficult for Bogotanos to access the fresh produce needed to cook at home. The nature of the public realm forces people to rely on processed and fast food that is more accessible and heavily advertised. Credit: Gehl

Working across silos to address Bogotá’s food deserts through public space improvements

  • Community Engagement
  • Social Spatial Research
  • Urban Strategy
Ajuda residents have a median income in the bottom 30% of Lisbon’s earnings and well below the city’s average (2009). The neighborhood’s population nearly doubles daily due to the influx of university staff and students. Credit: Gehl

Improving food access in a disinvested community in Lisbon

  • Community Engagement
  • Social Spatial Research
  • Urban Strategy
Koen Dori, one of the central streets in Shibuya, North from the famous scramble crossing, was closed for vehicles but open to people walking to enjoy public spaces in an unusual way for Tokyo. Credit: Gehl

Telling Shibuya, Tokyo’s story through human-centered data

  • Place Activation
  • Community Engagement
  • Social Spatial Research
Credit: Gehl

Connecting communities through public space in Lexington, US

  • Place Activation
  • Community Engagement
  • Social Spatial Research
Public transportation is prioritized in an effort to reduce car dependence in commuting around the city. Credit: Vivid Vision

Reimagining Singapore’s 21.5 km North-South Corridor as a new ‘life reserve’

  • Place Activation
  • Community Engagement
  • Social Spatial Research

‘People-first’ includes you

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