The Death (and Life) of Jane Jacobs
Today, I read the sad news that one of my heroes, Jane Jacobs, has died at the age of 89.
Jacobs was the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, an iconoclastic masterpiece that built its theories of urban life from the ground -- or better yet, the streets -- up.
Before Jacobs, almost all serious discussions about city life and city improvement began with the assumption that cities were bad things. That the ideal was, and should be, an attachment to the Jeffersonian vision of virtuous country life.
With a mighty sweep of her pen, Jacobs redirected enlightened thinking in exactly the opposite direction by articulating what was right about great cities: the constant mingling of persons, the multiple opportunities for meaningful chance encounters, the excitement of exploring unknown cultures and the cross-breeding of those cultures. And perhaps paramount of all, the rich complexity of city life that forces citizens to overcome cultural assumptions and THINK. Think about what they see. What they experience. And what they value or wish to share.
First and foremost, Jane Jacobs was a lover. Her secret garden was our cities. And she made us see and welcome our cities in a new and more appreciative way.
God bless Jane Jacobs.
Jacobs was the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, an iconoclastic masterpiece that built its theories of urban life from the ground -- or better yet, the streets -- up.
Before Jacobs, almost all serious discussions about city life and city improvement began with the assumption that cities were bad things. That the ideal was, and should be, an attachment to the Jeffersonian vision of virtuous country life.
With a mighty sweep of her pen, Jacobs redirected enlightened thinking in exactly the opposite direction by articulating what was right about great cities: the constant mingling of persons, the multiple opportunities for meaningful chance encounters, the excitement of exploring unknown cultures and the cross-breeding of those cultures. And perhaps paramount of all, the rich complexity of city life that forces citizens to overcome cultural assumptions and THINK. Think about what they see. What they experience. And what they value or wish to share.
First and foremost, Jane Jacobs was a lover. Her secret garden was our cities. And she made us see and welcome our cities in a new and more appreciative way.
God bless Jane Jacobs.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home