Gehl Institute is pleased to welcome Benjamin de la Peña and Heather Thompson to our Board of Directors, and to announce that Kimberly Driggins, who joined the Board in May 2017, will now be serving as Chairperson. Our Board of Directors draws on a variety of disciplines. Their range of diverse expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives is […]

We are thrilled to announce this year’s “Tools for Change” masterclasses. Due to overwhelming demand, we’ll be offering two installments of the course: first in the Bay Area (May 21-23) and then in Copenhagen (August 22-24). While each class will cover a different set of local issues, both will be themed around “Public Life Intersections,” […]

Update: This post has been filled.  We are hiring a temporary Research Associate to join the team for at least half a year, with the potential to become a permanent member. Research Associates are integral members of Gehl Institute, contributing to knowledge creation and execution of projects. Does this description sound like you? We look forward […]

We’re excited to announce the results of BenchMark in a new report that represents the culmination of our work over the past year with the MIT Civic Data Design Lab. In 2017, the Civic Data Design Lab developed the BenchMark project to see how “smart” furniture, equipped with sensors and machine learning technology, might augment […]

Update: This post has been filled. We are pleased to announce that we are searching for a full-time Deputy Director and a contract based Development Advisor to join the Gehl Institute team.  The Deputy Director will serve as a partner to the Executive Director and senior manager of the organization, with a focus on strategy and fundraising, […]

Gehl Institute is pleased to announce the publication of “Towards More Physical Activity in Cities,” a report developed in partnership with WHO/Europe.

Check out the newly released tools for investigating public space and public life in the form of free, downloadable worksheets.

The Public Life Data Protocol (the Protocol) describes a set of metrics that are important to the understanding of public life—people moving and staying in public space—and aims to establish a common format for the collection and storage of such data. Used in conjunction with the Public Life Data Tools or other observational methods for […]

Beginning today, Gehl Institute is convening its second annual public life conference, Public x Design, in Philadelphia. Public x Design will bring together over 100 practitioners, researchers, and experts from around the world to collectively explore potentials and share actions to reclaim the public in public life and the public realm. Participants will be joining […]

We are pleased to announce the beta launch of the Public Life Data Protocol developed by Gehl Institute, in close partnership with Gehl, the practice, the Municipality of Copenhagen, the City of San Francisco, and with support and input from Seattle DOT. The Public Life Data Protocol is a data specification that aims to improve […]

Racial segregation in U.S. cities is no accident. As historians have extensively documented, our unequal social landscape is in large part the result of specific urban policies, from redlining and zoning to highway construction and suburban incorporation. These are the banal instruments that have shaped economic and health disparities in communities across the country. [1] […]

Gehl Institute is thrilled to announce the release of A Mayor’s Guide to Public Life, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. There are few greater legacies a mayor can leave behind than investing in public life: the everyday social life of streets, parks and plazas, and spaces between buildings. When […]