Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City

by Anthony Flint

As urban renewal cleared out the clutter and brought in light and air, Jacobs began to see that the fine-grained street life of the city was being lost.

The planners had simply acted on what they thought was best, without regard for what the people in the area wanted, or what worked best for them.

Jacobs made four basic recommendations for successful neighborhoods: a street or district must serve several primary functions; blocks should be short to make the pedestrian feel comfortable; buildings must vary in age, condition, and use; and population must be dense.