We have entered into a partnership with Gehl Architects
Published: 20. january 2026
For 20 years, we have been dedicated to projects focused on the renewal of public spaces. We have now established cooperation with the renowned global urban design studio Gehl Architects. This partnership represents another step in the foundation’s efforts to support a comprehensive change in the approach to city planning—with an emphasis on quality of life and the sustainability of urban environments.
Since 2006, our foundation has been active in cities as an initiator and partner in public space transformations. We consider the collaboration with Gehl Architects as a crucial impetus for deepening dialogue with city representatives, experts, and other partners about how to create public spaces that exemplify people’s needs.
We will gradually make the inspiring and internationally proven approaches of Danish architects accessible to the wider public through our Transformations of Cities program. A key approach through which we are expanding our role is so‑called human scale urbanism, which places people—their behavior, needs, and everyday experience with the urban environment—at the center of city planning. This approach is based on structured data collection and its interpretation in a broader social and cultural context.
„Alongside KKFF, we share the fundamental goal of helping to create cities where people come first. We believe our experience can significantly help the foundation increase the positive impact of public space transformations on the everyday lives of city residents. We will focus not only on engaging people, but also on smaller temporary interventions that help people better understand how public space is actually used. We will also participate in data evaluation and help the foundation select suitable projects for future transformations.“
Gehl Architects’ European Urban Design team leader
„Collaboration with Gehl Architects is an important step toward changing the approach to city planning within the Czech Republic, which KKFF has been advocating for, for more than 20 years. The partnership with an internationally respected team will help us transfer proven principles of thinking about public space and quality of life in cities to the Czech context and continue to support cities in creating environments where people live well. The foundation has already begun applying new approaches in its projects in the South Moravian Region. “
KKFF Director
Data and People
The foundation of Gehl Architects’ approach is working with data about people’s behavior in public spaces—from tracking the movement of pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles to analyzing human activities such as standing and sitting, meeting, or interacting. This data is complemented by so‑called sensory mapping, which captures people’s experiences through their senses, such as perception of noise, climate, greenery, or a sense of safety.
It is precisely the combination of this data that enables a better understanding of why people linger more in some places and less or not at all in others. From now on, foundation projects will always be based on a thorough analysis of people’s behavior and needs, with the aim of helping to create public spaces that are functional long‑term, understandable, and welcoming for everyday life.
About the Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF)
The Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF) has been working long‑term and systematically to change people’s thinking about transformations of public spaces in cities, the perception of creating quality school gardens and their role in outdoor preschool education, and also in the field of culture and arts education. KKFF focuses on the development of long‑term projects and operates where people and society currently need it. The family foundation was established in 2017 by Karel Komárek (founder of KKCG Group) and his wife Štěpánka Komárková.
About the Transformations of Cities program of KKFF
The Transformations of Cities program of KKFF aims to connect key stakeholders and change their perspective on the creation of public spaces. The foundation’s approach to transforming parks or public areas is based on reflecting people’s everyday needs and on building and deepening their relationship with specific places. The foundation has helped restore 10 parks since 2006. Currently, it is also involved in projects to restore the city of Hodonín after the tornado. In 2026, Karel Komárek Family Foundation entered into a partnership with the Gehl Architects.
About the Gehl Architect
Gehl Architects is a leading global urban strategy and design consultancy with offices in Copenhagen, New York and San Francisco. The company was founded by Jan Gehl and Helle Søholt in 2000, and for more than two decades have helped transform some of the world’s most iconic places, bringing the human lived‑in experience to the forefront of urban development. Gehl Architects help shape places that are healthier, more resilient, and inclusive for all.
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