Gehl centered his lecture, “Livable Cities of the 21st Century,” on the people-oriented approach to city planning. He is a recipient of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2015, and the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize for exemplary contributions to Town Planning in 1993, among others. Jan Gehl, whom the Ambassador called the ‘Grand Old Man of Urban Planning for People,’ is an award-winning architect and expert on urban planning with over 50 years of experience. This webinar with Gehl is part of a series of programs under the celebration of the 75 years of Diplomatic Relations between Denmark and the Philippines. I dare you to be the ones to make Manila a city for the people,” the Danish Ambassador challenged her online audience. “I hope that you will walk in the footsteps of Jan Gehl. Part of the livability of Copenhagen is that it’s a city for bikers and pedestrians.” For that, we can thank Jan Gehl,” said Ambassador Sillasen, adding that “’Cities for People’ is not only about traffic, but I noticed that when we talk about livability, traffic is often an issue because it affects us as much as it does. “ got better year by year, and we are all very proud that it is considered one of the most livable cities in the world. The Zoom webinar, held on February 24, 2021, was made possible through the collaboration of the Royal Danish Embassy in Manila, the University of Santo Tomas Office of Public Affairs, and the UST College of Architecture as part of a series of programs celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations between Denmark and the Philippines.Īmbassador of Denmark to the Philippines Her Excellency Grete Sillasen, in her message, mentioned that she grew up in Copenhagen, a city that was designed through Gehl’s methodology of ‘Cities for People.’ In the wake of Metro Manila’s systemic transport and city planning concerns, internationally renowned Danish urban design expert and architect Jan Gehl discussed planning livable cities with UST Architecture students.

Gehl cities