People (127)

Discover the team behind Gehl

A collective of urban changemakers, data and social scientists, strategists, and designers.

Office
Copenhagen
Contact Information

Vesterbrogade 24, 5th floor
1620 Copenhagen V
Denmark

Copenhagen
Office
San Francisco
Contact Information

1211 Folsom Street, 4th floor
San Francisco
CA 94103 – USA

San Francisco
Office
New York
Contact Information

395 Hudson St, 8th floor
New York
NY 10014 – USA

New York

Blaine Merker

Partner, Head of Climate, Team Director US Enterprise & Corporations

Blaine leads Gehl’s Enterprise team, which uses a hybrid of behavioral science, design, and strategy to help private companies and institutions leverage the public realm to create a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable society. As Head of Climate Action at Gehl, he leads and coordinates various initiatives related to sustainability within the organization. He’s a lifelong champion of public space as technology for economic opportunity, health, and social belonging in a diverse society. Prior to starting up Gehl’s US offices in 2014, he co-founded the art and design collective Rebar, Park(ing) Day, and has practiced landscape architecture and urban design since 2005, focused primarily on streets and public spaces. Nearer to home, he works on mobility and housing initiatives around Berkeley, California where he lives with his partner and two sons.

Location

San Francisco, CA

Projects involved in

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Palo Alto, California
The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Seeking to accelerate solutions to the global climate crisis, the new Doerr School of Sustainability required a vision to set the stage for cross-disciplinary collaboration, collectivism, and camaraderie.
Project Kiosk
Nationwide (USA)
Project Kiosk
In the height of the pandemic, Gehl designed a human-centered testing kiosk and a science-backed, equitable deployment strategy to scale Covid-19 testing to neighborhoods that needed it most across the United States.
Hillsdale Master Plan + Engagement
San Mateo, CA, USA
Hillsdale Master Plan + Engagement
From a Shopping Center to a Neighborhood Center. The Hillsdale Shopping Center ownership team understands retail is in a critical moment of change - and is planning a vibrant new future for Hillsdale.
National Street Service
Nationwide, USA
National Street Service
Streets make up about 30% of the land in cities. What if we treated our streets like the precious land that they are? This pilot project looks beyond the private automotive era and aims to understand streets as public land for people.
Better Market Street
San Francisco, USA
Better Market Street
The redesign of Market Street represents a cultural shift that radically repositions biking, brings vibrant public life to the street, and offers renewed opportunities for retail in San Francisco.
Spin Access
Nationwide
Spin Access
A new approach to equity, transforming access, and operations to reach more people in need of mobility options.
Google Urban Activation
Global (USA, UK, EU)
Google Urban Activation
Crafting a community placemaking program to create vibrant public spaces and experiences around Google’s workplace.
3rd Street Promenade Concept Design
Santa Monica, California
3rd Street Promenade Concept Design
Gehl helped transform one of the country’s premier shopping streets, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, while at the forefront of retail's change.