Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) was an American-Canadian urbanist and activist whose book *The Death and Life of Great American Cities* (1961) transformed thinking about city planning.
She championed mixed-use neighborhoods, walkable streets, and organic urban development over the large-scale demolition projects favored by planners like Robert Moses.
Her ideas—emphasizing "eyes on the street" and the vitality of older buildings—remain foundational in urban design.
Proportioned for human bodies
- street lifeActivity on public roads
- mixed-useCombining different functions
- walkabilityFoot-travel suitability rating
- densityMass-to-volume ratio
neighborhoods · public spaces · livability · cityscape · built environment · stoops · short blocks · metropolitan
Lower Manhattan residential quarter
- Washington Square ParkLower Manhattan public plaza
- community organizingCollective local civic engagement
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
demonstration · civic engagement · advocacy · resistance · grassroots · public hearings
Residential districts of towns
- social capitalResources from interpersonal networks
- trustConfidence in another
- diversityState of varied elements
- residentsPeople living somewhere
Demolition of substandard housing
- superblocksPedestrian-priority urban zones
- zoningSectioning areas by use
- master plansComprehensive long-term strategies
- redevelopmentRebuilding an existing area
Literature about real events
- essaysShort nonfiction prose pieces
- journalismNews gathering and dissemination
- publishingDistributing written works publicly
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
prose · narrative · readership · influence · legacy
Range of industries present
- small businessModest independent commercial venture
- entrepreneurshipCreating and managing ventures
- innovationCreating something original
- tradeExchange of commodities
human scale
Proportioned for human bodies
- street lifeActivity on public roads
- mixed-useCombining different functions
- walkabilityFoot-travel suitability rating
density · neighborhoods · public spaces · livability · cityscape · built environment · stoops · short blocks · metropolitan
West Village
Lower Manhattan residential quarter
- Washington Square ParkLower Manhattan public plaza
- community organizingCollective local civic engagement
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
protest · demonstration · civic engagement · advocacy · resistance · grassroots · public hearings
neighborhoods
Residential districts of towns
- social capitalResources from interpersonal networks
- trustConfidence in another
- diversityState of varied elements
residents · self-organization · participation · street safety
slum clearance
Demolition of substandard housing
- superblocksPedestrian-priority urban zones
- zoningSectioning areas by use
- master plansComprehensive long-term strategies
nonfiction
Literature about real events
- essaysShort nonfiction prose pieces
- journalismNews gathering and dissemination
- publishingDistributing written works publicly
manuscript · prose · narrative · readership · influence · legacy
economic diversity
Range of industries present
- small businessModest independent commercial venture
- entrepreneurshipCreating and managing ventures
- innovationCreating something original
- urban plannerscity planners, Ebenezer Howard, Robert Moses, William Penn
- Architecture WritersVitruvius
- urban planningcity planning, zoning map, master plans, zones, zoning reform
Jane JacobsRobert Moses
urban renewal · slum clearance · Ebenezer Howard · power brokers · Brasília