The Death and Life of Great American Cities
1961 • 458 pages
Ratings13
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings13
Average rating3.9
The Death and Life of Great American Cities was described by The New York Times as “perhaps the most influential single work in the history of town planning. . . . [It] can also be seen in a much larger context. It is first of all a work of literature; the descriptions of street life as a kind of ballet and the bitingly satiric account of traditional planning theory can still be read for pleasure even by those who long ago absorbed and appropriated the book’s arguments.” Jane Jacobs, an editor and writer on architecture in New York City in the early sixties, argued that urban diversity and vitality were being destroyed by powerful architects and city planners. Rigorous, sane, and delightfully epigrammatic, Jane Jacobs’s tour de force is a blueprint for the humanistic management of cities. It remains sensible, knowledgeable, readable, and indispensable.
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I think anyone who lives in a large or growing city (Nashville/Knoxville!) should read this book. In her criticisms of mid 20th century city planning, Jacobs provides some rigor as to how a city street, park, or people can thrive. This information allows city residents to understand their environment while also creating a foundation of knowledge that ensures they'll be able to discern when their representatives might be making city planning decisions not within their interest. Poor city planning can exasperate crime, inequality, and poverty so it's important to stay informed!
