Bhakti Ganatra | Sem-09 | 29-B

Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was an
urbanist and activist whose writings
championed a fresh, community-
based approach to city building. She
had no formal training as a planner,
and yet her 1961 treatise, The Death
and Life of Great American Cities,
introduced ground-breaking ideas
about how cities function, evolve and
fail. As a concerned citizen she was
able to see the negative and
devastating impacts modern planning was having on communities and neighbourhoods in
New York City. The impact of Jane Jacobs's observation, activism, and writing has led to a
'planning blueprint' for generations of architects, planners, politicians and activists to
practice.
She believed that a city was like an ecosystem that depended
on a mix-of uses and planning based on community. This
fundamental belief made her a tough critic of slum cleaning
and high-rise housing, both practices that were becoming
popular in New York in the 1950s. Jacobs saw cities as
integrated systems that had their own logic and dynamism
which would change over time according to how they were
used. She was an instrumental catalyst in ground-up protest
and activism, which undoubtedly saved many of the most
loved parts of Manhattan today. However, it is her seven
books, especially The Life and Death of Great American Cities
that propelled her an international scholar in planning. With
an eye for detail, she wrote eloquently about sidewalks,
parks, retail design and self-organization. Jacobs helped derail
the car-centered approach to
urban planning in both New York
and Toronto, invigorating neighbourhood activism by helping
stop the expansion of expressways and roads. She lived in
Greenwich Village for decades, then moved to Toronto in 1968
where she continued her work and writing on urbanism,
economies and social issues until her death in April 2006.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities is her single-most
influential book and possibly the most influential book on urban
planning and cities. Published in 1961, this book was widely read
by both planning professionals and the general public; the book
is a strong critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s,

JANE JACOB | Urban Design

Bhakti Ganatra | Sem-09 | 29-B

which, she claimed, destroyed communities and created isolated, unnatural urban spaces. In
the book she celebrates the diversity and complexity of old-mixed use neighbourhoods,
while lamenting the monotony and sterility of modern planning. She promoted higher
density in cities, short blocks, local economies and mixed uses. Jacobs advocated the
abolition of zoning laws and restoration of free markets in land, which would result in
dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods and frequently cited New York City's Greenwich Village
as an example of a vibrant urban community.
A firm believer in the importance of local residents having input on how their
neighbourhoods develop, Jacobs encouraged people to familiarize themselves with the
places where they live, work, and play.
She advocated that there were four principles to create diversity:
1. Each neighbourhood should have a
mixture of uses and functions. Commercial,
industrial, residential and cultural spaces
should be mixed, not separated.
2. Multi-storey blocks, if present, should be
short. This would promote walking to get to
other parts of the areas. It would also
promote interaction between residents.
3. Areas should contain a mixture of old
and new. Though older buildings might need some renovation and renewal. They should not
be simply razed in favour of new constructions. This would lead to focussing on historical
preservation of the neighbourhood.
4. Jane Jacobs argued that a sufficiently dense population was created safety and creativity.
This was contrary to conventional thinking at the time. It should also create more
opportunities for human interaction. Denser neighbourhoods would create 'eyes on the
street' more than separate people.
All four must be present, she argued, for adequate diversity. Each city would likely express
them differently but they should all be there in some form.
Jane Jacob's work helped change the
trajectory of New York and cities around
the world. Through her books and
activism, she cemented the idea that
cities should be centered around their
communities and street-level
interactions. Her visions of small, varied
streets and small businesses would allow for the chance interpersonal interactions required
for cultures and communities to flourish.

JANE JACOB | Urban Design