Gigantic motorway networks, towering buildings and human beings who live in their own separate concrete boxes. How does the layout of the modern metropolis actually fit the needs and behaviour of human beings? Danish architect Jan Gehl and his collegues are on a humanistic mission. They want to reclaim the cities after the invasion of the cars and organise them at a human scale, so that they are based on quality of life, sustainability and suitable primarily for humans. And so that they suit pedestrians and cyclists rather than cars. "Reclaim public space" is the slogan. Gehl's focus on the relationship between man-made environment and quality of life is backed by architects and urban planners all over the world. From Copenhagen to Beijing, from Shanghai to New York, from Los Angeles to Melbourne, and from Christchurch to Dhakar - and it is precisely with the vision of the potential of the urban environment that "The Human Scale" shows Gehl's many years of work with urban planning in a Danish and international context. And with its clean lines and aesthetically refined images, this is a documentary science fiction film from a future that is already here.

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