Book Review: The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Title: The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Author: Jane Jacobs
Publisher: Vintage Books, 1961
Architecture
458 pages
Current status: 10% in!
Affectionately referred to as J.J. by my urban design colleague, this particular book appears to be the founding text referenced by all the great city thinkers around the world. (Side note: This book was so popular, that I went on a hunt for this book to all the bookstores down George St, Sydney and it was sold out in every one).
The ideas in this book were controversial when first published. It rages against starchitects, plazas and planned cities that strip the diversity out of neighbourhoods, and illuminates on the value of fostering community interactions within cities. In my opinion, Jane Jacobs was a remarkable person. She manifested the reflection that you don’t need to be formally trained in urbanism to make a difference. You just need to have a passion for the places around you to push for change and make a difference.
I love the fact this book opens with this simple preface...
“The scenes that illustrate this book are all about us. For illustrations, please look closely at real cities. While you are looking, you might as well also listen, linger and think about what you see.”
As someone that plans to travel the world to observe the workings and innovations within cities, I anticipate this book will be an eye opener to learning how to observe and interpret the places around me.
More to come on this I'm sure, but if you have read Jane's masterpiece, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Images via Chicago Architecture Foundation and Blogspot.