The Death and Life of Great American Cities is most definitely a book that deserves to be on the shelf of every architect. Obviously, many of Jacobs's examples have evolved (or devolved) since the book was written in 1961. In fact, Jacobs talks about Boston's North End as a the worst slum in the city, but today the North End is far from a slum - it may even be considered somewhat gentrified.

For example, many of her ideas are linked to the spread of gentrification in the cities she describes. To be sure, there are criticisms of Jacobs's manifesto that should be studied by urban designers and architects. The final chapter of the book speaks to the need to account for many variables because enacting one or two ideas will never work. However, as with many of these ideas, it cannot be 'designed' directly - getting eyes on the street requires a mesh of many variables including street width, building edges, diversity of services, public policy, etc. For instance, Jacobs claims that the key to safety in a city is having active streets so that people are interested in watching the street for entertainment - this is her 'eyes on the street' principle that seems so obvious. Many of the ideas that Jacobs puts forth may be considered common sense, but those ideas were as important in 1961 as they are today. Her thoughts are expressed in a simple and clear manner that could only come from a non-architect, however, Jacobs is by no means a concise writer. Most of her observations surround New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Her observations come solely from her experiences living in and visiting cities. Interestingly, Jane Jacobs was not trained as an urban designer, planner, or architect. She advocates for the city to remain diverse, and somewhat gritty, instead of being cleansed and formalized like what was advocated for by many city planning authorities in the mid-1900s.

In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs provides a critique of 20th Century urban design ideas. More info.īuildings are an important part of the success of cities - naturally, architects are interested in the urban condition. This article includes affiliate links and Archtoolbox earns from qualifying purchases.

The death of american cities