We are glad to have as the fifth 2025 Keynote Lecturer Helle Søholt, the driving force behind Gehl’s 25-year journey delivering people-first urban development the world over. From San Francisco’s Market Street to Shanghai’s Huangpu Waterfront to Sydney’s George Street, Helle has ensured an eye-level, human-scale touch to many public realms. Described as a pragmatic idealist, Helle is responsible for the direction of around 120 employees, situated in Copenhagen, New York, San Francisco and a growing number of local market locations. From theory to practice, the Gehl consultancy has built a leading knowledge base and prize-winning portfolio within urban strategy, design, landscape design, mobility and public life data.
In this talk, you will find Helle focussed on expanding Gehl’s digital service offer with a range of proprietary public life observation apps, progressing health, equity and sustainability impacts in rapidly developing cities and urban areas, and leading Gehl’s knowledge development across social infrastructure, foodscapes, and the future of retail themes, amongst others.