The name Gehl is so synonymous with urban design, that it’s hard to conceive of the days when it was virtually unknown. 

“Gehl started as a practice in May 2000, and as one of the first employees I can tell you that there wasn’t really a portfolio of work to begin with, or any clear prospects for what this could lead to,” says Henriette. 

Henriette had just graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Architecture School with Jan Gehl, now 86, as one of her teachers. 

A point of difference at the Academy was the creative edge of being around painters and sculptors. Henriette: “It was a long fun journey into a number of rabbit holes of architecture and city building. The time allocated for exploring and valuing the journey, as much as the end product, has stayed with me as a lifelong learning”. 

From her early years growing up on Bornholm, a small island in the Baltic sea, Henriette gained an understanding of the interconnectedness of land and the species we share the planet with. Being an active member of Greenpeace and Amnesty International in her youth also added to a passion for change-making that has definitely been fulfilled over her 23 years at Gehl.

“The atmosphere from the beginning (at Gehl) was filled with a lot of positive energy and a spirit of ‘conquering the world’ that was befitting for our ambition to have a really positive impact on people's lives. 

“We started as an urban design company particularly focused on urban strategy and urban transformation projects, but today Gehl is much more than that – we cover masterplanning, mobility, process facilitation, street design as well as work in the health sphere on foodscapes, air quality and child friendly environments”.  

The office culture has changed too. “I would like to say that it’s gone from being very idealistic and focused on a set recipe to being a way more complex organisation with a diverse set of skills and cultural backgrounds”. 

Gehl encapsulates 24 different nationalities across its teams, and keeps attracting talent from every part of the world. Henriette says that a shift to a wider array of questions around health, equity and climate action has two sources. “First it has happened through our internal collaboration across cultures and skillsets, and second it has equally been led by our clients, who have kept asking the right questions and who haven’t settled for easy answers”. 

Henriette had never dreamt of becoming known as a leader of urban transformation and is now also known, thanks to a description bestowed by American colleagues, for her ‘pragmatic, idealist style’. 

“That's a way to describe the notion of being idealist, progressive, change making, even radical - for some - but with a pragmatic touch of landing everything in reality - via the extensive ethnographic data collection we are most known for. 

“I believe we can’t change the way cities work through isolated radical measures, but we can change them through thoughtful, meaningful and engaging projects that transform our cities step by step, and, in parallel, manage to develop a culture of public life within them.

“For me Gehl’s real achievement has been the work done to change mindsets on public life and public space. Enabling change through a change of mindset has a far further reach. This has happened through Jan’s books and the work done by the practice. Currently the Danish Broadcasting Company is doing a 4-part documentary on the work of Jan Gehl and the Gehl practice. One episode of this is focusing entirely on the thought leadership and change of mindset component to Jan’s work. And the reach is global, like the translation of Jan’s books into 50 different languages.

Henriette’s career has seen her constantly touching down in destinations around Europe, the USA, India, Australia and New Zealand, which has created a wide-reaching network. 

“I stay in touch with the majority of the people and cities that I have worked with for the past 23 years. It was never just a project for Jan – and the same goes for me. It’s about changing a place in a positive way and for this you need to build a close working relationship with the people on the ground, who are the ones that will do the really hard work of implementing the change. 

“At Gehl we work with the tip of the iceberg. It is the people locally, the city administration in particular, who will do the real difficult work of sticking with the plan, arguing for it, making the compromises and ensuring that overall it stays on track.

On the cusp of taking part in UrbanismNZ 2023 Henriette hopes to see proof of changes taking place in Auckland, such as the realisation of the laneway circuit, an uptick in bicycle infrastructure, and overall, a sense of more people, less cars. 

Asked by UDF for an observation on the success of urban change-making, Henriette is still surprised at the slow pace of change. 

“On one hand in my early years at Gehl we learnt the hard way that urban transformation takes time and that it’s as much about psychology and powerplay as it is about the actual physical changes. 

“But with climate change ramping up, social divides increasing and public health deteriorating, it does surprise me that we still have to argue so hard for changing our cities. The significant positive impacts that better urban design practices can have on all three of those major agendas should be undeniable”.

It’s fortunate then, that Henriette’s drive towards having a positive impact in the world is as strong as ever!

Further references:

• Gehl - Cities for people - Link (There is a new Gehl site coming soon!)
• Holistic view: Henriette Vamberg - ArchitectureNow
• A conversation between Henriette Vamberg and Waka Kotahi CE Nicole Rosie in 2022 - Link 
• Henriette Vamberg at Future Cities Summit 2019 - Youtube link
  
• Making cities for people - presentation to CIHTUK (2018) - Youtube link
• An interview with Gehl CEO and Founding Partner Helle Søholt (2020) - Link
• Gehl Architects Major Projects (2012) - Link