Blaine Merker
Urban designer and public space advocate who led the creation of San Francisco's first parklet and works on public-space projects with Gehl's Enterprise & Corporations team.
Best podcasts with Blaine Merker
Ranked by the Snipd community
Apr 9, 2026 • 24min
How Cities Can Make Space for Awe
Setha Low, anthropologist and CUNY professor who studies public space and inclusion, and Blaine Merker, urban designer who helped create San Francisco’s first parklet, explore how small changes to streets can spark connection and awe. They talk about parklets, guerrilla urban interventions, green streets improving health, and how open public spaces support belonging and democracy.
Aug 20, 2024 • 1h 11min
In-Between Spaces: Where Designers Go Wrong When Creating Workspaces for Humans | Blaine Merker and Alice Katter
Blaine Merker, an urban designer and leader at Gehl, champions human-centered design in public spaces. He discusses the transformative potential of prioritizing people over structures, highlighting the importance of 'in-between spaces' for fostering community. By integrating empirical data and ecological considerations, he advocates for designs that promote connection and serendipity. Alongside Alice Katter, they explore the impact of spatial innovation on collaboration and creativity, emphasizing the joy of observing human behavior in thoughtfully designed environments.
