Study On Jan Gehl's Human-oriented Theory And Method In Urban Public Space Design

Jan Gehl is a world renowned Danish architect, urban designer, and former professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Architecture School. For the past 50 years, he has developed a unique human-oriented design philosophy in urban public space and public life. Jan has engaged in different kinds of projects in more than 47 countries and has already gained outstanding achievements. This thesis has presented Jan's philosophy of which his human-oriented design theory and methods were applied in the design of urban public space. Specifically, it focuses on his thoughts about how to understand the relationship between public space and public life and explores how to put people first in the whole process of public design from both psychological and physic perspectives.The thesis is divided into 9 chapters, apart from the first two chapters which present the introduction and basic theories for thesis framework. The third chapter introduces the origin of Jan's design philosophy through the understanding of his life and social context in his early years as well as the process of his philosophy formation. This philosophy is divided into three phases:starting, exploring, and application. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters are the core of the thesis. They expound on his contribution in perception and behavior, site design theory, and method—all through the deep analysis and research on his theory, method, and projects respectively. The seventh chapter includes a selection of three typical projects as study cases. The attempt is to find how Jan's human-oriented design theory and method has been used in the practical projects through a thorough study on these projects. In addition, trying to inquire how the projects impact the formation of theory and how the theory has guided the practice is another research aim in this chapter. The eighth chapter as the discussion of the thesis has elucidated the author's understanding and knowledge of Jan's human-oriented philosophy in urban public space design and construction. It is explained in four points, which are the nature of urban public space, why people need public space, what kind of public space people need, and how to improve and create urban public space. There is also a constructive discussion on what should be learned from Jan's philosophy and how it could be used for the construction and development of urban public space in China. The ninth chapter as conclusion has emphasized the importance and meaning of the research on Jan's human-oriented philosophy in the urban public space area. The author hopes this thesis will make sense for the public space develop situation in China, letting more people learn from Jan Gehl to guide public space design work in order to create safety, lively, healthy, and sustainable cities in China.