In cold Zürich, from left: Daniel Sauter, Yu Jun, Ola Gustafsson, Jiang Yang, Zhang Meining, Mei Wang, Zhou Yuxiao.

As part of the workshop Gehl Architects has held during the last week regarding Gehl Architects ongoing  project in Chongqing, China, Ola Gustafsson from Gehl Architects joined the team of urban planners from Chongqing Planning Institute and Energy Foundation on a studytrip in Europe. The team, travelling by train, has been looking at best practice examples of European urban planning related to the ongoing project in Chongqing.

In Gehl Architects, Copenhagen, office during workshop - from left: Kristian Skovbakke Villadsen, Mary Fialko, Camilla van Deurs, Mei Wang, Jeff Risom, Zhang Meining, Zhou Yuxiao, Jan Gehl, Jiang Yang, Ola Gustafsson and Yu Jun.

First stop was Hamburg, where dipl. ing. Uwe Carstensen guided the group through the harbourfront development of HafenCity. Strong management and quality control from the city has ensured a mixed use, lively extension of the city centre. Other details relevant to the city of Chongqing was the different ways the public realm connects to the water and intelligent  flood preventing measures.

In Freiburg the group looked at the extensive public transport network, and they way it connects both to pedestrian areas in the city centre as well as new developments in the outskirts of the city. The new development of Vauban is an example of a sustainable new neighborhood, where a strong influence by the inhabitants over planning have created a dense, mixed use area with a varied, small scale building structure and good edge zones between public and private areas. The inner city is one of the most attractive in Europe, with streets reserved for pedestrians, public transport and bicyclists. Small streams line the streets, giving a unique identity to the street space as well as defining the different uses of the streets and providing a playful element for children and grown-ups alike.

In Freiburg

In Zürich, the group was given a tour by Mr. Daniel Sauter, a sociologist working both for the city, the region, nationally and internationally with issues regarding walking in cities. Mr. Sauter showed how the city has worked with integrating public transport and pedestrian networks, especially in terms of information and building a culture around the soft transport modes. Places of interest included the removal of cars from Limmatquai, (with a 100% increase in stationary activities as a result), the funiculars connecting to the higher parts of the city, and the careful restoration of the public spaces of the inner city.

In Lausanne, focus was on how a bicycle culture can be developed in a city with a very steep topography (500 meters of height difference). Details included bike lanes sensitive to the inclination, contraflow bike lanes in one-way streets to avoid inclined detours, elevators in the city centre to connect different levels and the metro connecting the different levels of the city.

Mei Wang, Zhou Yuxiao and Zhang Meining with Jan Gehl and books.

The last destinations of the journey, Lyon and Paris, will be done without Gehl Architects, but with an extensive program including the riverfront regeneration in Lyon, bike share programs, a series of new mixed use developments and different public space projects in both cities.