Life is unpredictable, complex, and ephemeral, so how on earth can anyone plan how life will play out in cities? Studying city life and understanding the factors that encourage or discourage use is the key to designing inviting public space. Studies can be used as input in the decision-making process, as part of overall planning, or in designing individual projects such as streets, squares, or parks. In How to Study Public Life, Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre draw from their combined experience of over fifty years to provide a history of public-life study as well as methods and tools necessary to recapture city life as an important planning dimension. Anyone interested in improving city life will find inspiration, tools, and examples in this invaluable guide.