On Tuesday,  I posted a review of the book What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs.  As I mentioned in the review, one of the books editors was Stephen Goldsmith.  At the time of the book’s publication, Stephen wrote a post for Gothamist on the life  and legacy of Jane Jacobs.  Here is what he had to say:

 

 

Here in New York, Jane Jacobs is best remembered for killing the Lower Manhattan Expressway project, and writing “The Death and Life of Great American Cities“. Why is her work still important today? Jacobs’ work is important today because her common sense approach to city building can empower others to be the experts of their places. She was ahead of her time in many ways, and particularly her understanding of the interconnected nature of our social, environmental and economic systems. Jacobs changed the way we think about cities and understood that cities are complex eco-systems that, when functioning well are resilient, cauldrons of innovation.

People who learn about her observations of the ballet of the street for instance never see our sideswalks the same again. The city becomes a stage, a place where our human interactions–both direct and indirect–animate our lives and our places. Another great example of Jacobs’ importance is the way policy makers and law enforcement personnel understand the importance of what she described as “eyes on the street.” After the failed bomb attempt in Times Square earlier this month a number of articles cited Jacobs’ wisdom, and how a couple of street vendors saved the day. Her importance is more important now than ever before because she empowers citizens to trust their instincts.

In “Death and Life”, she argued that lively mixed-used neighborhoods are the key to successful cities. If she was still alive today, what do you think she would think of the state of our city? One thing that those of us who had the privilege of time with Jacobs knew was to never second guess what she might think about anything. She was full of surprises, unexpected insight and never dogmatic. One thing I can share is that during her last visit to NYC in 2004 she remarked how vibrant she found the city to be. She came to deliver the first annual Lewis Mumford lecture at City College and filled the hall–standing room only.

Jane Jacobs’ urbanist philosophy seems to have largely been embraced by the current generation of city planners. Where do you think her ideas have had the greatest physical impact here in New York?One way to observe how her ideas are having the greatest impact, and there are many examples to be sure, are in projects such as Majora Carter’s efforts with Sustainable South Bronx , and Alexie Torres-Flemming’s work with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice. One might even make the case that the High Line project is an outgrowth of her sensibilities.

Consider the reclamation of these abandoned, neglected places and the new life they have, the way these places have learned to become something new. Jacobs ideas have catalyzed ways of thinking about preservation, about integrated uses that even manifest themselves in such things as local manufacturers capturing downstream waste for new materials, such as Ice Stone in Brooklyn. The integrated way she viewed cities, economies, ecologies and people encourages creative responses to complex problems.

Here is the link to the original post