matthew's review
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs
matthew's review
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
matthew's review
rating:
bookshelves:
cities,
culture
This classic of urban studies/planning is a response to the widespread influence of what Jane Jacobs calls the "orthodox" schools of urban planning--meaning the City Beautiful/Radiant City/Garden City movements. Jacobs argues that these are utopian, elitist, and paternalistic movements. Not only do they fail to solve problems of poverty and low standards of living in cities, but Jacobs argues that they actually exaccerbate these issues. Rather than impersonal and isolated buildings, like the housing projects designed by the "orthodox" architects and architectural and social engineering, Jacobs envisions the role of the urban planner to organically tweak and nudge the pre-existing life and rhythm of the city.
One question I had: Jacobs argues that crime is not surprising, no matter how many bright lights developers put in cities, because of the isolation engendered by previous modes of urban planning. She maintains that cities or sections of cities which have...more
One question I had: Jacobs argues that crime is not surprising, no matter how many bright lights developers put in cities, because of the isolation engendered by previous modes of urban planning. She maintains that cities or sections of cities which have...more