City planning on a human scale

Towards a welcoming district that residents love to make their own

Since the first European Institutions established there, the Kirchberg plateau has been constantly changing. From an administrative district, it has evolved into a mixed area, at greater densities, bringing together the various functions of urban life – working, living and leisure.

With the aim of developing urban planning on a human scale, the Kirchberg Fund has invited the architects’ office of Gehl Architects to elaborate the principles to be adopted to enliven the public spaces, bring life to the ground-floor levels and, above all, to make the places and streets more welcoming and adapted to getting around on foot or by bike. The founder, the architect and urban design consultant Jan Gehl, is renowned worldwide for having applied his theories of a city that puts people at the heart of it, in major cities such as Melbourne, Moscow and New York.

The study “Public Spaces for People” advocates a new approach to urban planning for Kirchberg. The experts at Gehl Architects have drawn up a plan for a network of public spaces (streets, squares and parks), with the aim of developing a more holistic approach to city planning, providing the planners with practical tools. After collecting and analysing data about pedestrian and cyclist movements, their activities and how they use the public spaces, Gehl Architects made recommendations on the principles to be adopted to enliven the public spaces, bring life to the ground-floor levels in buildings and promote active mobility.

Four sub-themes are covered in the Public Space Network Plan

• Developing a network of coherent, safe footpaths and cycle paths accessible to all;
• Creating a “toolbox” enabling areas with potential for increasing densities to be defined, with suitable measures identified for enlivening them with a mix of functions;
• A global strategy for managing parking spaces;
• A list of proposals for installing street furniture to attract passers-by and inviting them to spend time in attractive public spaces.