Human Scale
A ‘Public Realm Action Plan’ Charts San Francisco’s Post-Covid Comeback
A nonprofit business group released a plan to trigger the post-pandemic revitalization of Downtown San Francisco by reclaiming public space for human scale activity. But is an improved public realm sufficient to meet the challenge?
Jan Gehl on the Politics of Transforming Cities
Advancing the politics of public transportation and public spaces is not easy. Danish architect Jan Gehl and his firm Gehl Architects, however, have a track record of success with cities around the world.
Checking in with Jan Gehl
The Guardian ran a long feature examining the life and work of Jan Gehl, well known to planners as the urban "rethinker" behind the movement to design cities and places to the human scale.
On the Importance of the Human Scale in Walkable Cities
Instead of density for density's sake (or for smart growth's sake), F. Kaid Benfield argues that the human scale is the key to walkable smart growth.
The Underlying Patterns of Urban Street Design
Based on empirical study, J. Alexander Maxwell and fellow University of Strathclyde researchers, in collaboration with Chuck Wolfe, argue for recalling historic patterns of pedestrian city settings in contemporary urban design and policies.
Mid-Rise: Density at a Human Scale
All growing cities must find ways to develop at appropriate, transit-supporting densities without overwhelming the surrounding context. The human-scaled, mid-rise building can be a solution—but achieving a good neighbourhood “fit” is not easy.
A Guide to Great Streets
Using examples of exceptional streets from diverse settings across the world, Kaid Benfield tries to tease out what makes a great city street.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
