Proclamation YJG - Year of Jan Gehl in Lublin

THE YEAR OF JAN GEHL IN LUBLIN
2014

The Year of Jan Gehl is a social initiative of a circle of people that promotes the culture of space in Lublin. Professor Gehl represents and implements a vision of city that we believe in – a ‘city for people’ and human-oriented design. Together with his team he creates all over the world sustainable city spaces, which manage to bring together diferent types of users: pedestrians, drivers, cyclists, people in a hurry as well as ones who want to seat down for a chat. We had announed the Year of Jan Gehl in order to base the city’s development on these values, to instill in Lublin a way of thinking that is sustainable, cross-sectorial, emphatic, synergic, involves participation and is pro-developement oriented as well as in step with the best contemporary knowledge of the way cities work.

This knowledge comes from ages of experience. A good city is still a place where people meet and go for a walk, it is hospitable, various user friendly, it facilitates life and encourages staying in and using public space. This vision is in perfect harmony with the needs of modern needs of civic life, attending cultural events or doing outdoor sports. It gains a particular meaning in the present moment, when progress is not measured anymore in kilometers of new roads.

All of this fits Lublin – a city that is green, full of students, sights and a historic city center. Thanks to ‘Gehl thinking’ we are able to avoid wasting these qualities and, instead, fully utilize them.

The focal point of ‘the Year’ will be the visit of Jan Gehl in Lublin on 23th and 24th October 2014, following an invitation from Lublin City Office and the social coalition for culture of space in Lublin. On the 23th there will be a workshop for the civil servants combined with city sites visits, and on the 24th (friday) there will be an open meeting with Professor Gehl, to which we would already kindly like to invite you.

The achievement of the Year of Jan Gehl and it’s extension is a project named ‘City for people. Lublin pedestrian infrastructure standards’, funded under the Program Citizens for Democracy from the European Economic Area Funds, which will be completed in 2016. The project aims to elaborate and describe together with the cities residents and it’s authorities the best possible design and planing solutions for people who move around the city in the speed of about 6km/h. The results would be a series of recommendations, which would allow to implement ‘pedestrian standards’ – a document that would serve as an aid in planning better solutions for users of public space. We want to help establish a common language between the residents and city officials and authorities for communicationg on the issues of pedestrians.

The Year of Jan Gehl is joined by organisers of several other autonomous educational and cultural events concerning the subject of shaping ‘a city for people’: LubDesign!, Little Design Accademy, The Ephemeral City Space, educational projects run by the Lublin Cycling Agreement, Pedestrian Lublin initiative and others. The Year of Jan Gehl is also an opportunity to speak about important ongoing transformations of the city such as Podzamcze District, Racławickie Avenue, Train Station district.

‘The Year’ an open initiative. If you share our vision, we invite you all – wherever is your homeland – to join in this initiative with your ideas and actions. Please feel free to contact us and together we will discuss the ideas. You can follow the events on the blog site: http://yearofjangehl.ulublin.eu and Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/JanGehlLublin

Founding Group:

Council for Culture of Space, under the Mayor of Lublin, and Forum for Culture of Space

Marcin Skrzypek – [email protected], +48 603-714-532 – “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre
Jan Kamiński – [email protected], +48 698-869-440 – Landscape Design – Catholic University of Lublin
Marta Kurowska – tu obok foundation
Michał Przepiórka – Cycling Officer of Lublin City Office
Hubert Mącik – head of the City’s Monument Preservation Office

Organizers:
“Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre”, tu obok Foundation, Council for Culture of Space – under the Mayor of Lublin, Pedestrian Lublin # Institute of Landscape Design – Catholic University of Lublin

Partners (open list):
Lublin City Office, Pedestrian Lublin, Forum for the development of Lublin, Forum for Revitalization, Tu Obok Foundation, “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre, Institute of Landscape Design – Catholic University of Lublin, Association of Landscape Architects, Culture Workshop, Lublin Cycling Agreement, ‘Skarpa’ Community Centre, Lublin District Chamber of Architects, Association of Polish Architects, Association of Polish Urbanists.

Contact:
[email protected]