Jan Gehl on Adelaide's Urban Planning Advantage
Explore how Danish urbanist Jan Gehl highlights Adelaide's 1837 town plan by Colonel Light, showcasing its focus on walkability, public spaces, and greening. Discover why this model is pivotal for contemporary urban planning.
RF
10/2/20251 min read
Jan Gehl: .......I refer to Adelaide as being a very lucky place because when the city was planned 200 years ago, they were given six public spaces scattered nicely in the city fabric as well as a green belt around it. How fortunate! And that was the result of far sighted city planners.
Melbourne had no squares, it was just a grid system. It became a very, very important focus when they started to revitalize Melbourne. They needed some squares and it was possible to scrape out space in front of the city hall......
.......I’ve seen these fantastic turnarounds. I would especially mention Perth, which was really rockbottom back in the early 1990s, and has become a really nice city by now. Also, Melbourne was really rockbottom around 1990, and that has made a fantastic turn around and is now recognised as the best city in the southern hemisphere. Everybody rave’s about the miracle of Melbourne. And I would also say the miracle of Perth, and the miracle of Sydney, where Clover Moore has worked now for 16 years consistently developing a sustainability and liveability platform, to improve the city, to make it one of the best cities in Australia.