JANE JACOBS

Introduction
• She was born in Scrantom, But she move to New York City and
she was lived there.

• She used her own observation about cities to formulate her

philosophy about them. But some times her views go against
the standards of urban planning, her work is well respected
though she has no professional training as a city planner.

• She made many trips to Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago and

etc. Then she wrote “The Death and Life of Great American
Cities” based on her own observations in the cities.
HER VISION
• Looking into how cities actually work, rather than how they
should work according to urban designers and planners,
Jacobs effectively describes the real factors affecting cities,
and recommends strategies to enhance actual city
performance.

VARIOUS THEMES SHE TALKS

• City Planning errors.
• Successful Neighbourhood vs Unsuccessful neighbourhoods.
• Diversity
• Change is necessary
Her principles
• Territoriality - the ability of users of space to take control of
and manage that space
• • Surveillance - potential offenders prefer anonymity and
avoid surveillance
• •Crowding out crime - activity increases surveillance and
reduces criminal opportunities.
Cities according to Jane Jacobs
• Cities as Ecosystems
• City streets and sidewalks -- make a neighbourhood
functional, Eyes on the street.
• Short city blocks -- encourage pedestrian travel
• Diversity in architecture -- provides a range of rent
• Diverse economic opportunities -- necessary for a vibrant city,
Mixed-Use Development
• Bottom-Up Community Planning.
• The Case for Higher Density
City Streets and Sidewalks
• Residents must feel comfortable on the streets outside their homes at all
times of day
• Sidewalk traffic and social interaction from porches promotes
neighbourhood security
• When people use streets and sidewalks, they are more invested in their
community and contribute to a large network of “eyes” that patrol the
street.
• Children playing on sidewalks with heavily used streets are more monitored
than those playing in designated recreational/park areas

SIDEWALKS IN PHILADELPHIA
Short City Blocks
• Shorter blocks provide more route choices
• Longer blocks result in a street being isolated. People will
choose not to use a longer block because there are very few
places they can choose to go
• Short blocks allow for more social interaction and economic
diversity
Diversity in Architecture
• Results in a neighbourhood with mixed-use buildings
• Older buildings provide units with lower rent while newer
buildings provide units with higher rent.
• Increases diversity of the neighbourhood and what kind of
activities the buildings are used for
Diversity in Economy

• There must be various businesses which serve residents and

visitors at all hours of the day
• Grocery stores, industry, manufacturing, bars, clubs,
restaurants, churches, schools and other uses must be present
for a vibrant neighbourhood
• Twenty-four hour use of the streets means someone has a
stake in neighbourhood safety at all times and will result in
better monitoring
Jacob wants to introduce new principles in city planning.
• Part 1 -examines city problems, using sidewalks and
parks as metaphors.
• Part 2- studies the economics behind city problems
and city diversity.
• Part 3 -emphasizes decay along with regeneration
including slumming, un-slumming.
• Part 4 -is where Jacobs makes suggestions for
change in existing cities and different panning for
new ones.
Jacobs looks to inner- cities for her main observations.
CITIES AND PLACES THAT JACOB DISCUSSES

• North End Boston-used to show the misconceptions from public city planning.
• New York city-the scene of many examples, including Greenwich Village in
Manhattan, where she lives.
• Philadelphia- designed by William Penn- the city was planned through using 4
squares, each with a park. Jacobs examines the parks to see which is successful and
which is not.
• Chicago- Jacobs uses s variety of neighborhoods, from Hyde Park to the Back of the
Yards. Chicago was credit blacklisted for years, but still reserved much of the
slumming process.
 The main uses of side walks
• SAFETY
• CONTACT
• ASSIMLATING CHILDREN

CITY PARKS & CITY NEIGHBOURHOOD

Intended as a vital park of neighborhoods, but some are detrimental and others are
successful.

Purposes of physical planning for effective neighborhood

1. Lively & interesting streets

2. Make streets as continuous network
3. Use parks ,squares, public buildings as part of streets

RITTENHOUSE SQUARE
Summary
• There must be various businesses which serve residents and
visitors at all hours of the day
• Grocery stores, industry, manufacturing, bars, clubs,
restaurants, churches, schools and other uses must be present
for a vibrant neighbourhood
• Twenty-four hour use of the streets means someone has a
stake in neighbourhood safety at all times and will result in
better monitoring