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Google Doodle (Jane Jacobs)
May. 4th, 2016 10:11 amThose of you who know me in my private life know that I spent two years in a minor elected position which included major reviews of projects which would change the urban landscape. During this time, I read many, many books on urban planning and nearly all of them referenced Jane Jacobs.
Ms Jacobs had no formal training in urban planning, but thanks to her clarity of writing and vocal opposition to Robert Moses -- who tore up NYC, Penn Station among other landmarks or neighborhoods was lost because of his grand plan -- made her a focal point for historic preservation and small scale community planning.
I disagree with some of her ideas. One of the books I read, and I don't remember which off the top of my head, stated that she wanted the entire world to look like her part of Greenwich Village. From my own reading, that's not entirely inaccurate. Jacobs wouldn't recognize my building of 300+ apartments as a community, even though I know many of my neighbors to speak to and see most of them at least once a fortnight. We have two or three community parties a year (she advocated block parties for social bonding), but because we live in a block long complex, and in spite of the park area behind the building, we aren't in her definition a community.
Her ideas are being re-evaluated. More types of community, like mine, are seen as potential civic good. But during a time when too many places were tearing down the old and creating a new without reference to how people actually preferred to live, Jane Jacobs was a rallying point and a clear voice with a vision to follow.
I know her efforts mean that most major cities have historic preservation boards. Grand Central Terminal still stands because her ideas were a rallying point for Jacqueline Onassis among others. It's a good legacy, and lovely to see her being remembered today.
Ms Jacobs had no formal training in urban planning, but thanks to her clarity of writing and vocal opposition to Robert Moses -- who tore up NYC, Penn Station among other landmarks or neighborhoods was lost because of his grand plan -- made her a focal point for historic preservation and small scale community planning.
I disagree with some of her ideas. One of the books I read, and I don't remember which off the top of my head, stated that she wanted the entire world to look like her part of Greenwich Village. From my own reading, that's not entirely inaccurate. Jacobs wouldn't recognize my building of 300+ apartments as a community, even though I know many of my neighbors to speak to and see most of them at least once a fortnight. We have two or three community parties a year (she advocated block parties for social bonding), but because we live in a block long complex, and in spite of the park area behind the building, we aren't in her definition a community.
Her ideas are being re-evaluated. More types of community, like mine, are seen as potential civic good. But during a time when too many places were tearing down the old and creating a new without reference to how people actually preferred to live, Jane Jacobs was a rallying point and a clear voice with a vision to follow.
I know her efforts mean that most major cities have historic preservation boards. Grand Central Terminal still stands because her ideas were a rallying point for Jacqueline Onassis among others. It's a good legacy, and lovely to see her being remembered today.
