Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Jan Gehl

Talking Headways Podcast With Special Guest Jan Gehl

Danish architect and urban planner Jan Gehl, who led Copenhagen's turn away from car-domination toward streets and public spaces for people, is on a U.S. tour. I got to sit down with him this week in Washington.

Photo courtesy of Island Press
Photo courtesy of Island Press
false

Where traffic engineers count cars, Gehl and his colleagues count people. So instead of telling city officials to widen roads, they propose to widen sidewalks, build bike lanes, and create beautiful public spaces.

"If we make better conditions for walking and public life, or if we make better conditions for bicycling, we can see that these things are favored," Gehl told me. "And that's exactly what they've done in Copenhagen. They've actually turned down the cars for quite a while and upstepped the bicycle facilities."

In this episode of Talking Headways, you can hear Gehl in his own words about everything from his assertion that "the tower is the lazy architect's answer to density" to the Moscow mayor's hyper-efficient way of getting people to stop parking on Main Street.

You can subscribe to this podcast's RSS feed or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes — and please give us a listener review while you’re at it.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wednesday’s Headlines: Gonna Have to Pay for That Edition

We're going to need a lot more money to handle storms like the one we saw on Monday. Plus more news.

July 16, 2025

Appeals Court Halts Adams’s Impending Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane Demolition

The judge's ruling came just as the city was set to begin the bike lane demolition process Tuesday evening.

July 15, 2025

New Yorkers Threaten Legal Action If Eric Adams Makes Bedford Ave. Less Safe for Cyclists

Brooklyn cyclists pledged to sue the city if they are killed or injured on Bedford Avenue after Mayor Adams makes it less safe.

July 15, 2025

E-Bike Fans and Foes Agree: Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit Won’t Make Streets Safer

A public hearing about the mayor's proposed speed limit devolved into a debate about e-bike licensing, naturally.

July 15, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Wet Wet Wet Edition

New York City experienced its second rainiest hour in history. Plus more news.

July 15, 2025

Civic Panel Dings Adams For Cutting Bike and Bus Lanes Out of Fifth Av. Redesign

Mayor Adams's scaled down redesign of Fifth Avenue isn't a "real solution" to safety issues on the packed retail corridor, Manhattan Community Board 5 said.

July 14, 2025
See all posts