Abstract
Focusing on Jan Gehl, a Danish architect, and Gehl Architects, the firm he co-founded, this chapter explores the role of research methods in the production of credibility in the work of “placemaking” urban policy consultants. Gehl’s clients include cities across the world. His firm advises on how to implement a model of public space design based on the notion of people-centeredness. We argue that Gehl’s story of himself as a careful, grounded methodologist who studies everyday life in public spaces in order to better design those spaces is a key narrative and product that the firm sells and an important force in its circulation among cities. Thus, our chapter contributes both to understandings of “placemaking” as a contemporary movement in urban planning and design and also to the ongoing development of policy mobilities studies by focusing on a private firm that influences public policies and spaces.
We would like to thank Chris Hurl and Anne Vogelpohl for their valuable comments on earlier drafts of this chapter.
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McCann, E., Mahieus, L. (2021). Everywhere from Copenhagen: Method, Storytelling, and Comparison in the Globalization of Public Space Design. In: Hurl, C., Vogelpohl, A. (eds) Professional Service Firms and Politics in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72128-2_6
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