Fresh from bestowing his wisdom on Sydney, Jahn Gehl has moved on to Londo. Jonathon Glancey, at the Guardian is not so impressed by proposed the internationalist, blandism of Jahn Gehl’s proposals for cities the world over: “page after page of Gehl’s book displays piazzas, plazas, squares and other public spaces of unremitting blandness. Any one could be mistaken for any other: unrelenting slabs of smooth, nougat-like granite; a determined lack of kerbs; shiny “designer” benches and “water features”.”
Via City of Sound.
Glancey on Gehl
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One response to “Glancey on Gehl”
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I have several half-written posts on the problems with Gehl’s plans. Will try to get them done.
They’re not ambitious enough; they don’t pay attention to the edges/context; they don’t deal with the problem of implementation (a perennial Sydney/NSW issue, as far as I can see); they don’t cover the informational city; they don’t provide a new vision for the Australasian city, instead translating the low countries city over here (it’s kinda different here); they lack a sense of the thrill of the city (that’s what Glancey gets) etc etc.
There are good things in the plans, and it’s certainly better than not doing anything, but that’s not enough, right?
We should work together on a joint submission!
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