Jane Jacobs

• Jane Jacobs was an American-

Canadian journalist, author, and activistbest
known for her influence on urban studies. Her
influential book The Death and Life of Great
American Cities (1961) argued that urban
renewal did not respect the needs of most city-
dwellers.
• The book also introduced sociology concepts
such as "eyes on the street" and "social capital".
• Jacobs was well known for
organizing grassroots efforts to protect
existing neighborhoods from "slum clearance"
– and particularly for her opposition to Robert
Moses in his plans to overhaul her
neighborhood, Greenwich Village.
The Death and Life of Great American
Cities
• 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.
Widely read by both planning professionals and the general public, the
book is a strong critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s,
which, she claimed, destroyed communities and created isolated,
unnatural urban spaces. Jacobs advocated the abolition of zoning laws
and restoration of free markets in land, which would result in dense,
mixed-use neighborhoods and frequently cited New York City's Greenwich
Village as an example of a vibrant urban community.
• Robert Caro has cited it as the strongest influence on The Power Broker,
his Pulitzer-winning biography of Robert Moses, though Caro does not
mention Jacobs by name even once in the book despite Jacobs' battles
with Moses over his proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway.
• Beyond the practical lessons in city design and planning that Death and
Life offers, the theoretical underpinnings of the work challenge the
modern development mindset. Jane Jacobs defends her positions with
common sense and anecdotes.