The Public Realm — Cities for People

Jan Gehl, chapters 1 and 5 — the human dimension, and the ordering principle the title states: life first, then space, then buildings. Set against the modernist ideology of separated uses and free-standing buildings that car traffic made possible.

Part of the New City reading list — indexed on The New City.

Notes

• “The dramatic increase in car traffic and the urban planning ideology of modernism that separates the uses of the city and emphasizes free-standing individual buildings would put an end to urban space and city life and result in lifeless cities devoid of people” (Gehl 3, 2010).