Calvin to Host Urban Planning Expert

October 25, 2006 == MEDIA ADVISORY

A coalition of West Michigan organizations will bring one of the world's
foremost architects to Grand Rapids for a public talk on November 9.

Jan Gehl is the principal of Gehl Architects, a Danish firm specializing in
urban planning. His November 9 talk will be at Calvin College at 7:30 pm in
the Chapel and will be on "Between Buildings: The Human Dimension in Urban
Planning and Design."

Gehl is best-known for his book Life Between Buildings, a study of social
interaction in public space that has become a classic in its field. In
addition his book Public Spaces, Public Life describes how Copenhagen has been
transformed from a car-dominated city to a pedestrian-oriented city over the
last 40 years.

His visit to West Michigan is being sponsored by a broad range of
organizations including Calvin's art, philosophy, geography and sociology
departments and the Calvin provost's office and office of community engagement,
with underwriting support from Bazzani Associates, the Frey Foundation, Inner
City Christian Federation, Jade Pig Ventures, Nederveld Associates and
Progressive AE.

Says professor of philosophy Lee Hardy: "What we find attractive about Gehl's
work is that he bases his design recommendations on the careful study of human
beings--the dimensions, capacities and needs of the human body, the character
of sensory experience, and the styles of social interaction. We have a lot to
learn from him about the humane ordering of the built environment."

This past summer Gehl Architects won an international design competition in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a proposal for a LEED certified neighborhood
containing a mix of office, residential and retail functions.

Gehl has been the director of the Urban Planning Program at the School of
Architecture in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen since 1976.

See http://www.gehlarchitects.dk
Contact Lee Hardy at 616-526-6417

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Received on Wed Oct 25 10:15:30 2006