American-Canadian journalist and activist who challenged the urban renewal orthodoxy of the 1950s-60s, defending the organic complexity of existing urban neighborhoods over planned redevelopment.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities: the four conditions for urban vitality — mixed primary uses, short blocks, buildings of varying age, density. Successfully organized the opposition to Robert Moses's planned destruction of lower Manhattan. Cities and the Wealth of Nations: cities, not nations, are the primary units of economic development.
Discussing
Ask anything about Jane Jacobs — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.
Sign in to start a conversation.