Cities for People

For centuries, people have sought out cities for protection, community, and opportunities. Two hundred years ago, about 5% of the world’s population lived in cities. Today, the city has become humanity’s preferred place to live. Looking forward, by 2050 around 65% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities, corresponding to approximately 6.5 billion people. We are now Homo urbanus – urban humans.

But What Actually Makes a City a Good Place to Live?

Danish architect Jan Gehl and psychologist Ingrid Gehl were among the first to ask this question in the late 1960s, and they succeeded in getting the world to see the modern city in a whole new way. They challenged the urban planning norms of the time, which centered on cars, traffic, and buildings, and shifted focus to the people in the city and the life between the buildings. Their fundamental principle became known all over the world: First life. Then spaces. Then buildings.

Since 2000, the international interdisciplinary team at Gehl has built on that life-oriented approach and advised cities worldwide on how to put people before traffic and buildings for the benefit of millions of city dwellers. Experience the transformations and understand the ideas and analyses that have changed the world’s cities, from Copenhagen to New York, Buenos Aires, Shanghai, and Billund.

What is a Good City to You?

In this exhibition, you’re invited to explore how cities arose, how they influence our everyday lives, and what happens when urban development centers on the lives and needs of people. It lets you try for yourself some of Gehl’s methods and study the city through their approach to human behavior, movements, and pauses in the urban landscape.

Towering 5-meter high video installations, giant photographs, and interactive exhibitions give you an up-close look at the world’s cities. Along the way, you can try counting life on the street, sense the city from a child’s perspective, and study what makes people want to meet and linger.