Designing cities that inherently support healthy lifestyles
We often view health as an individual responsibility, but the physical environment you live in and your socioeconomic status together have more influence over health than your individual choices. Blain Merker of Gehl discusses how his team integrates data into the design process to enhance community well-being. Merker emphasizes the importance of transforming everyday environments—such as the often-overlooked spaces where daily life unfolds—into healthier, more connected areas. He illustrates this with examples like improving air quality at bus stops and redesigning COVID-19 testing sites into accessible neighborhood kiosks. Merker's approach, which he terms "Health 3.0," advocates for designing cities that inherently support healthy lifestyles, thereby reducing the burden on individuals to make health-conscious choices. Through these innovative strategies, Gehl aims to ensure that the easiest options for people are also the healthiest, fostering thriving communities.
About the speaker
Blaine Merker is a Partner and Head of Climate Action at Gehl Studio. As an urban designer, he's committed to championing public spaces as a technology for economic opportunity, health, and equity in a diverse society, and has dedicated more than twenty years to redesigning the public realm for better social and ecological function. A founder of Gehl's Americas practice in 2014, he now oversees Gehl's private sector projects using urban behavior to inform design for clients like Google, Stanford University and Lyft. As Gehl's head of climate action, Blaine works to identify the behavioral tipping points that decarbonize neighborhoods. He cofounded Park(ing) Day, the art and design collective Rebar, and has worked with clients ranging from grassroots groups to Fortune 500 companies. He earned his master's in landscape architecture from UC Berkeley and a bachelor's degree in history from Reed College.