Your City is Making you Sick with Helle Søholt, Former CEO Gehl Architects | HC E37| Ruchita Bansal

About the Guest: Helle Søholt is the former CEO and co-founder of Gehl architects, the internationally renowned urban design and strategy firm founded alongside Professor Jan Gehl. She has spent nearly 30 years advising cities, governments, and organizations around the world on creating healthier, more inclusive, and more livable urban environments.Guest Links: Connect with her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helle-s%C3%B8holt-3193578/Know more about Gehl Architects here : https://www.gehlpeople.com/Gehl platform to rank public spaces: https://www.celebratepubliclife.com/This Conversation covers:In this episode of The Human City Podcast, I sit down with Helle Søholt, urban strategist, co-founder of Gehl, and one of the world's leading voices on people-centred urbanism. We explore a fundamental question:Are our cities making us healthier, happier, and more connected—or are they doing the opposite?In this conversation, Helle explains why the solution to rising lifestyle diseases may not lie in medicine, but in urban planning. We discuss loneliness in modern cities, the importance of public spaces, what truly makes a street walkable, why cities often prioritize buildings over people, and what India can learn from global examples of human-centred urbanism.We also dive into some of Gehl's most influential projects, including Times Square in New York, the Shanghai Waterfront, public space transformation in Cape Town, and lessons from informal settlements in Buenos Aires.Topics covered:• Why cities are making people less active• The connection between urban design and public health• Loneliness, social isolation, and public space• What makes a city truly walkable• Why public spaces are essential infrastructure• Lessons from Copenhagen, New York, Shanghai, and Cape Town• Human-centred urbanism in rapidly growing cities• Designing cities for women, children, and families• The future of public life and public spaceCHAPTERS: 00:00 Can Cities Make Us Sick?02:15 Why Human Centred Planning?03:32 How Collecting Data Changed the Conversation? 05:01 Teachings from Jan Gehl: A New Lens05:43 Why we Don't Design Cities for People?06:54 Why Most Streets Feel Dead in Global South?08:24 Can we Build People First Cities in India?09:21 People First vs Wealth10:17 Why Dense Cities Need More Social Infrastructure?11:17 Why Walkability Is More Than Footpaths?13:17 Definition of Public Space13:43 Common Mistakes in Public Space Design14:22 Healthy City15:07 Seeing Cities Through a Child's Eyes16:22 Key Elements to design Healthy Public Spaces17:03 Can good design be taught? 18:00 Times Square Pedestrianization: The Impact of Small Interventions19:55 Lessons from Times Square21:03 Transforming Urban Spaces: The Shanghai Riverfront Project23:19 The Politics Behind Urban Transformation23:54 Cape Town: When Public Space Became Personal26:14 Copenhagen: Changing Regulations for Better Urban Spaces27:22 Why We Still Treat Public Space as Optional?28:21 Do Women Build Better Cities?29:06 What is Feminist Urbanism?29:43 Why Another Woman CEO for GEHL?30:38 What Cities Still Get Wrong About People?31:43 Final ThoughtsConnect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. .Who should be our next guest? Write to us at [email protected] -------------------------Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only.-------------------------Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...