Cities & Urban Design

The Future of the Central Business District: Resetting Our Downtown Cores
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The Future of the Central Business District: Resetting Our Downtown Cores

We believe that we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a reset of the central business district and its relationship to the city at large.

What Gensler's City Pulse Survey Reveals About the Changing Urban Experience
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What Gensler's City Pulse Survey Reveals About the Changing Urban Experience

Gensler’s City Pulse Survey 2020 findings provide developers, urban designers, and clients with real-time research into how the pandemic is impacting...

Reimagining San Antonio as a 20-Minute City
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Reimagining San Antonio as a 20-Minute City

The idea of a “20-minute city,” in which residents’ needs can all be found within a 20-minute walk or short bike ride from their homes, can be...

The Slow Streets Movement Needs More Black Voices
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The Slow Streets Movement Needs More Black Voices

Even before the pandemic and recent civil unrest, it was clear that communities of color were struggling with urban health, safety, and wellness...

Amenities at the Edge: Where the Workplace Meets the Street
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Amenities at the Edge: Where the Workplace Meets the Street

We have an opportunity to reimagine the ground floor of our cities — reinventing sidewalk-facing storefronts to serve the community, not just the...

A Q&A with a Costa Rican Mayor about the Future of City Design
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A Q&A with a Costa Rican Mayor about the Future of City Design

If there’s one area Costa Rica could improve upon, it’s the coexistence of its largest city San José with the surrounding natural ecology. At least...

Empowering Citizens to Transform Their Cities
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Empowering Citizens to Transform Their Cities

Here are seven tips for creating successful community outreach and connecting with your constituents during the pandemic and beyond.

Designing More Inclusive, Accessible Transit Systems for All
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Designing More Inclusive, Accessible Transit Systems for All

To create healthier, more inclusive cities, we must promote more equitable mobility services and make transit more accessible to all users.

Learning from the Pandemic to Create More Equitable Community Engagement
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Learning from the Pandemic to Create More Equitable Community Engagement

The current crisis has turned many long held community engagement best practices and expectations on their head. At this critical inflection point...

From Environmental Racism to Climate Justice
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From Environmental Racism to Climate Justice

Here's how architects and designers can deliberately shape the built environment to further climate justice, combat environmental racism, and promote...

Reimagining a Safer, More Equitable Daily Commute
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Reimagining a Safer, More Equitable Daily Commute

Here are four strategies to create a public transit commute that prioritizes people’s safety and equity.

7 Questions About Equity and the Design Profession for the Incoming President of NOMA
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7 Questions About Equity and the Design Profession for the Incoming President of NOMA

Jason Pugh, the incoming president of the National Organization of Minority Architects and a practitioner at Gensler's Chicago office, answers 7...

Reimagining the Future of Cities as Healthy Cities
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Reimagining the Future of Cities as Healthy Cities

Epidemics have shaped our cities for a long time. The key question in this moment is, how can we use what we’re learning to improve the quality of...

How the Pandemic Could Reshape the World’s Cities
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How the Pandemic Could Reshape the World’s Cities

We have an opportunity to provide a more fulfilling urban experience and to design for health, equity, and accessibility.

Developing Open Space as the Public’s Living Room
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Developing Open Space as the Public’s Living Room

Outdoor public gathering spaces fulfill a basic human need to be around people. With the pandemic keeping us confined, public space can also be a...

Designing Cities That Are Open and Equitable
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Designing Cities That Are Open and Equitable

In the face of the complex system of racial injustice, it can feel daunting to try to make a difference, but as designers, we have the unique power...

Resilient Cities Rely on Resilient Food Systems
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Resilient Cities Rely on Resilient Food Systems

The pandemic is disrupting already fragile food supply chains. To ensure resilience and food security for the world’s population, we can put...

Defining the Future of Our Cities: Five Areas of Opportunity for a Post-Pandemic World
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Defining the Future of Our Cities: Five Areas of Opportunity for a Post-Pandemic World

We are witnessing global disruption at an unprecedented scale. But if we can live though disruptions as a new normal, then we may emerge even...

An Architecture of Optimism for a Post-Pandemic Society
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An Architecture of Optimism for a Post-Pandemic Society

Whether it’s new buildings that are about to be designed or existing architecture that now needs to be re-imagined, in many ways this is a time for...

New Opportunities for Mobility Amid COVID-19
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New Opportunities for Mobility Amid COVID-19

Our wholesale shift in live-work-play behaviors as a result of COVID-19 have provided us an opportunity to rebalance public rights-of-way.

Cities and the Public Health: Our New Challenge in Urban Planning
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Cities and the Public Health: Our New Challenge in Urban Planning

Dense cities remain our best bet for providing opportunities and connections — if they’re designed to support residents’ wellness.

Using This Moment to Improve City Life
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Using This Moment to Improve City Life

The current crisis raises serious questions that we’ll need to address before we get back to anything resembling normal: How well-suited are cities...

Redefining Wellness in the Face of Pandemic
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Redefining Wellness in the Face of Pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis is causing us to redefine all our work around the concept of wellness and re-examine the importance of resilience.

Design Forecast Denver: Shaping the Future of Our City
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Design Forecast Denver: Shaping the Future of Our City

Gensler Denver hosted a discussion about challenges facing cities such as affordable housing, mobility, and climate change.

Design Forecast Charlotte: Designing for the Displaced
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Design Forecast Charlotte: Designing for the Displaced

Gensler Charlotte hosted a discussion about critical issues of affordable housing and homelessness facing our community.

Dialogue 35: TRANSFORMING THE URBAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH DESIGN
DIALOGUE ISSUE

Dialogue 35:
TRANSFORMING
THE URBAN EXPERIENCE
THROUGH DESIGN

TRANSFORMING THE URBAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH DESIGN As cities continue to grow, designers are stepping in to create experiences that connect people to...

Design Forecast Washington, D.C.: Resilience in Our Region
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Design Forecast Washington, D.C.: Resilience in Our Region

Gensler’s Washington, D.C. office hosted a hyperlocal conversation focused on what the resilience challenge means for the community, and possible...

Bus Transformation: How Cities are Grooming the"Workhorse" of Public Transportation for the Future
PODCAST

Bus Transformation: How Cities are Grooming the"Workhorse" of Public Transportation for the Future

In today’s episode of the podcast, Gensler’s Transportation & Infrastructure Practice Area Leader David Zaidain speaks with experts from the District...

How We're Innovating to Create Housing for All
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

How We're Innovating to Create Housing for All

To respond to the global need for more housing — and more affordable housing — we’re exploring ideas that include co-living spaces, senior living...

Designing Intergenerational Communities
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Designing Intergenerational Communities

In partnership with the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging, Gensler teams from Los Angeles and Washington, DC created speculative...

Building an Interconnected Future in Downtown Dallas
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Building an Interconnected Future in Downtown Dallas

To shape people’s experience of a city, we have to start by shaping one block, one intersection, or one individual building. At 400 Record Street in...

Doubling Down on Our Commitment to Resilience
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Doubling Down on Our Commitment to Resilience

With hundreds of millions of square feet of buildings and interior design projects in the pipeline annually, we believe our impact and role in...

A 'What If?' Manifesto: Improving the Bus Experience
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A 'What If?' Manifesto: Improving the Bus Experience

In the United States, it’s almost a point of faith that the bus riding experience will be subpar. While that may not be everyone’s daily bus reality...

2019
DESIGN FORECAST

2019

Design Forecast presents a comprehensive look at design around the globe, with over 100 pages of insights, research and industry trends. Register...

A Case for Imperfect Cities: Greater Impact with Purposeful Chaos 非理性城市开发：寻求效率和影响力的平衡
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A Case for Imperfect Cities: Greater Impact with Purposeful Chaos
非理性城市开发：寻求效率和影响力的平衡

As we consider the future of cities, we must also be cognizant of the forces of change that will impact how we design and plan for connectivity...

Dialogue 34: How Workplace is Shaping the Future of Cities
DIALOGUE ISSUE

Dialogue 34: How Workplace
is Shaping the
Future of Cities

HOW WORKPLACE IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CITIES No experience shapes people’s lives more than work. From incubating new ideas to addressing climate...

Community Engagement in Motion
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Community Engagement in Motion

For projects big and small, cracking the code of community outreach and public engagement has been a longstanding challenge. But the projects that...

Urbanism and the Pursuit of Happiness
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Urbanism and the Pursuit of Happiness

Cities are magnets for those who seek better jobs, opportunities, and more diverse communities. But does city life make us happy? We look at some of...

Dialogue 33: DESIGNING CITIES FOR PEOPLE
DIALOGUE ISSUE

Dialogue 33: DESIGNING
CITIES
FOR PEOPLE

DESIGNING CITIES FOR PEOPLE No matter how you look at cities, people are always at the center. For that reason, we believe that human experience is...

Investigating Downtown Neighborhood Resurgence
RESEARCH

Investigating Downtown Neighborhood Resurgence

Analyzing what drives downtown resurgence and its surrounding areas.

Hong Kong's Next Generation of Senior Living
RESEARCH

Hong Kong's Next Generation of Senior Living

An exploration into the adverse effects of Hong Kong's population density on senior adults

Designing Intergenerational Communities
RESEARCH

Designing Intergenerational Communities

Building upon our BoomTown framework to understand the essential elements for multigenerational communities.

Urban Strategies for Coastal Resilience
RESEARCH

Urban Strategies for Coastal Resilience

Addressing sea level rise and major storms threats in vulnerable cities.

The Future of USPS Real Estate
RESEARCH

The Future of USPS Real Estate

We investigated how the U.S. Postal Service can best use its existing real estate to further its mission in the community.

Micromobility, Third Lanes, and Tomorrow’s Streetscapes
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Micromobility, Third Lanes, and Tomorrow’s Streetscapes

From scooters to e-bikes, new modes of mobility are starting to reshape our streets.

Building a Bridge for L.A.'s Homeless Population
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Building a Bridge for L.A.'s Homeless Population

An emergency housing program provides critical interim housing for Los Angeles’ homeless.

Focus On: Affordable Housing
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Focus On: Affordable Housing

As cities grow, there’s an urgent need to provide residents with housing they can afford.  

Smart Cities Should Be Human Cities
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Smart Cities Should Be Human Cities

A layer of technology isn’t what makes a city “smart.” The tech must be used for purpose — seeking to bring the living, breathing, urban citizen a...

The Third Lane: Rethinking Street Design for the 21st Century
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The Third Lane: Rethinking Street Design for the 21st Century

What does the explosive growth of shared electric scooters tell us about the changing dynamics of city life? And how can we better shape the city of...

From Smart Buildings to Intelligent Placemaking
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From Smart Buildings to Intelligent Placemaking

Data and AI are being invisibly woven into everything around us. As we move towards an intelligence economy where data is a raw material, we have an...

Polycentric Cities: The Future of Sustainable Urban Growth
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Polycentric Cities: The Future of Sustainable Urban Growth

As we approach a new normal for urban density, the cities that are best positioned for the future are evolving along a decentralized, multi-nodal...

Battle for the Right of Way | An interview with Maggie Gendron, Lime, & Dan Emerine, DC Dept. of Transportation
PODCAST

Battle for the Right of Way | An interview with Maggie Gendron, Lime, & Dan Emerine, DC Dept. of Transportation

Growing up, our parents would tell us never to get into cars with strangers or take what isn’t ours. Today, that’s all the norm thanks to rideshare...

If A City Isn’t Smart, Does That Mean It’s Stupid?
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If A City Isn’t Smart, Does That Mean It’s Stupid?

The concept of smart cities might be shrewd marketing on the part of tech companies, so what does it mean for a city to truly be “smart”?

Designing the Cities of the Future
DESIGN UPDATE

Designing the Cities of the Future

Modern cities can be built on time-honored principles and shaped by regional culture and local values, as demonstrated at Msheireb Downtown Doha.

Creating Transit-Oriented Communities in Los Angeles
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Creating Transit-Oriented Communities in Los Angeles

When Phil Washington took the helm of the LA Metro in 2015, he spoke about connecting transit-oriented communities — not transit-oriented developments...

From Railroads to Electric Scooters: How Mobility Shapes the City of Today and Tomorrow
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From Railroads to Electric Scooters: How Mobility Shapes the City of Today and Tomorrow

From GPS-enabled electric scooters, to driverless cars, and even aerial ride-share services, disruptive mobility is on the rise. With the explosion...

Harnessing the Power of Urban
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Harnessing the Power of Urban

Cities are playing a larger role in the identity of downtown workplaces, and companies are embracing the urban rather than closing it off. When...

Autonomous Vehicles and Their Impact on Real Estate
RESEARCH

Autonomous Vehicles and Their Impact on Real Estate

A deep dive into the impact of the increased use of autonomous vehicles on future real estate investments, specifically parking.

Designing Innovative Solutions for Homelessness
RESEARCH

Designing Innovative Solutions for Homelessness

Creating a plan to develop and implement Permanent Supportive Housing for the homeless quickly and inexpensively.

Forecasting Design Shifts Under Future Vehicle Technologies
RESEARCH

Forecasting Design Shifts Under Future Vehicle Technologies

Creating a spatial prediction model to respond to shared, electric, and autonomous vehicles and their impact on the built environment.

Developing a Design Approach for Sub-Saharan Africa
RESEARCH

Developing a Design Approach for Sub-Saharan Africa

We researched how to integrate design with local development in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve the human experience.

The Socio-Economic Ecological Performance Index
RESEARCH

The Socio-Economic Ecological Performance Index

Creating a tool to help urban planning projects address social and environmental impact without sacrificing financial returns.

Introducing the Gensler Experience Index
RESEARCH

Introducing the Gensler Experience Index

The Gensler Experience IndexSM is the result of a multi-year research effort to identify and quantify the factors of design that impact the human...

The Solutions to Climate Change Are Already at Our Fingertips
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The Solutions to Climate Change Are Already at Our Fingertips

Because every project we work on is either part of the problem or part of the solution, we made a commitment to measure the environmental impact of...

The Game-Changer for Cities: Driverless Cars
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

The Game-Changer for Cities: Driverless Cars

We can regain our city streets for people as the driverless car revolution takes hold. It's not too soon to get ready!

On Track for Livable Growth
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

On Track for Livable Growth

A survey of cities using transit-served urban centers to spark renewal.

Urban Farmification: Big Box Underground
RESEARCH

Urban Farmification: Big Box Underground

Exploring the opportunities and realities of submerging big box retail centers to support rooftop farming.

Human Experience Is the Future of Design
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Human Experience Is the Future of Design

We believe human experience is the future of design. People are the one constant in this era of dramatic technological change, demographic shifts...

The Prefab City
RESEARCH

The Prefab City

Exploring the potential impact of modern manufacturing techniques on construction processes.

Hack the City
RESEARCH

Hack the City

Redesigning our cities through active community engagement.

Measuring Urban Experience
RESEARCH

Measuring Urban Experience

A tool for gathering qualitative data about the urban realm.

Climate Change
PUBLICATION

Climate Change

The design of the built environment plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change. Gensler signed the landmark Paris Pledge at COP21, to mark our...

Natural Urbanism
RESEARCH

Natural Urbanism

How can we gather and visualize data to better understand the impact of ecosystem services on our urban centers?

The State of Parking
RESEARCH

The State of Parking

How do we optimize parking in today’s and tomorrow’s cities?

Designing Vibrant Communities
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Designing Vibrant Communities

Vibrant communities are the building blocks of our fast-paced, increasingly urban world. To help cities thrive, these communities must be connected...

Planning Resilient Communities
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Planning Resilient Communities

The word “resilience” sparks thoughts of natural disasters. Three current Gensler projects show that it’s really about reviving and sustaining the...

Vertical Urbanism and the Livable Cities of Tomorrow
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Vertical Urbanism and the Livable Cities of Tomorrow

Open spaces – the parks and piazzas that give cities a sense of character and community – are in short supply. To ensure cities remain livable in an...