May 4th would have been the 100th birthday of Jane Jacobs, one of the most notable thinkers for how we create thriving cities and neighborhoods. Numerous outlets around the web took the chance to discuss her legacy; two of the more interesting articles below:
- What Would Jane Jacobs Do? (city lab)
- Jane Jacobs, an Urban Ecologist (strong towns)
“As city leaders attempt to adapt their cities for the future, they must face down passionate resistance from residents who perversely invoke Jane Jacobs and cite environmentalism, safety, local economics, and community autonomy not merely to oppose out-of-scale mega-projects, but to defeat proposals that Jacobs herself may have supported. Known as NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard), local residents at official city meetings reliably oppose dense new housing, new public space, bike lanes, or redesigned streets to combat dangerous driving. By using Jane-Jacobs-like language of neighborhood preservation as a decoy to oppose Jane-Jacobs-like projects, many communities are effectively fighting to keep streets exactly the way that Robert Moses left them.”