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Designing Better Cities 2

Nordic Innovation Series: Designing Better Cities — Nordic Ideas for the Pacific Northwest

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2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107

206.789.5707

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Image: Bassin 7 in Aarhus, Denmark. (Rasmus Hjortshøj)

Join five global and local voices for an evening on the future of urban life, and how Nordic approaches are taking root in the Pacific Northwest.

Hear from designers, planners, and educators working at the forefront of life-centered urban design, in Seattle, across the US, and throughout the Nordic countries.

Expect a frank, ideas-rich conversation about how bold design thinking makes it from the drawing board to real streets, why walkable neighborhoods and generous public space are proving to be some of the most powerful tools for community health and well-being, and what it looks like when a city genuinely commits to serving both people and ecosystems.

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Reimagining Denver’s 16th Street Mall -

Creating Life-Centered Cities

For much of the 20th century, cities were planned around traffic flow at the cost of the human being at street level. Copenhagen-born firm Gehl has spent over two decades changing that, reshaping 250+ cities from New York and Detroit to Oslo and Melbourne by putting people and nature back at the center of urban life.

Their approach goes beyond human-centered to life-centered, designing places that reduce emissions, protect biodiversity, and create urban environments where both people and other species can thrive.

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16th Street Mall in Denver, Colorado, USA. (Mark Englert)

Meet the Speakers

Spotlights

  • Sofie Kvist

    Sofie Kvist

    Director of Gehl's San Francisco office

    Sofie will share how life-centered design translates from bold vision to real streets and urban spaces, including Gehl’s projects in the U.S. and in Washington State. Her recent work includes developing a public realm strategy for Vancouver, BC’s Gastown that centers on community healing and uncovering design and activation opportunities for Belle Isle Commons in Detroit.

  • Rico Quirindongo

    Rico Quirindongo

    Director of Seattle's Office of Planning and Community Development

    Will share how Seattle is managing growth while staying true to its communities and its commitment to sustainability. Rico believes in the power of design in shaping resilient, inclusive communities.

  • Vincent Javet

    Vincent Javet

    Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Washington

    Vincent directs the Undergraduate Landscape Architecture Program and leads the Scan Design Foundation’s Landscape Architecture & Ecological Urbanism Study Tour & Studio Program to Copenhagen.

  • Katy Scherrer

    Katy Scherrer

    Landscape Architect

    Leading COurban Masterclasses to Copenhagen and Malmö with participants from governmental and nonprofit organizations around the world.

  • Zahra Rasti

    Zahra Rasti

    Assistant Teaching Professor at University of Washington College of Built Environments

    She leads the Architecture in Finland: Architecture and Urban Design study abroad program and will be showcasing students' sketchbooks from the program.

  • Joshua McNichols

    Joshua McNichols

    KUOW's Growth and Development Reporter

    Joshua also co-hosts the Booming podcast and is trained as an architect.

Following the presentations, Joshua McNichols will moderate a panel discussion with time for audience Q&A.
This event is part of our new Nordic Innovation Series. Building on the success of our annual Nordic Innovation Summit, this series brings the most impactful ideas from the Nordics to Seattle throughout the year.

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