The Urban Wisdom of Jane Jacobs by Hirt, Sonia; Zahm, Diane;

Short description:

Here for the first time is a thoroughly interdisciplinary and international examination of Jane Jacobs’s legacy. Together, the editors and contributors highlight the notion that Jacobs’s influence goes beyond planning to philosophy, economics, sociology and design. They set out to answer such questions as: What explains Jacobs’s lasting appeal and is it justified? Where was she right and where was she wrong? What were the most important themes she addressed? And, although Jacobs was best known for her work on cities, is it correct to say that she was a much broader thinker, a philosopher, and that the key to her lasting legacy is precisely her exceptional breadth of thought?

Long description:

Here for the first time is a thoroughly interdisciplinary and international examination of Jane Jacobs’s legacy. Divided into four parts: I. Jacobs, Urban Philosopher; II. Jacobs, Urban Economist; II. Jacobs, Urban Sociologist; and IV. Jacobs, Urban Designer, the book evaluates the impact of Jacobs’s writings and activism on the city, the professions dedicated to city-building and, more generally, on human thought. Together, the editors and contributors highlight the notion that Jacobs’s influence goes beyond planning to philosophy, economics, sociology and design. They set out to answer such questions as: What explains Jacobs’s lasting appeal and is it justified? Where was she right and where was she wrong? What were the most important themes she addressed? And, although Jacobs was best known for her work on cities, is it correct to say that she was a much broader thinker, a philosopher, and that the key to her lasting legacy is precisely her exceptional breadth of thought?

"This new collection of essays takes on a great task with variety, ease, and precision... The essays are short and dense, so the reader can get to the core of the matter, something Jacobs would have liked." - Journal of Urban Affairs

"A rich collection of essays from a wide range of thoughtful contributors...The breadth and depth of this collection is impressive, including an analysis of Jacobs's eyes-on-the-street framework in the context of crime in the 21st-century built environment. Her principles are also analyzed in the context of such diverse topics and contexts as urban form in medieval China, open and public space in Thailand, and redevelopment in Beirut." - Journal of the American Planning Association, May 2013

"The book, The Urban Wisdom of Jane Jacobs, follows a structure of her main contributions as philosopher, urban economist, urban sociologist and urban designer, trying to go beyond the general assumption of Jane Jacobs as only-urbanist and offering an extensive perspective of how she was able to build a strong vision of urban life from different perspectives." - Manu Fernandez, Ciudades a escala humana, August 2012

Table of Contents:

1. Jane Jacobs, Urban Visionary Sonia Hirt  Part 1: Jane Jacobs, Urban Philosopher  2. The Right and the Good in Jane Jacobs’ Urbanism Paul Kidder  3. The ‘Sidewalk Ballet’ in the Work of Henri Lefebvre and Manuel Delgado Ruiz Benjamin Fraser  4. Jane Jacobs, Modernity and Knowledge Sonia Hirt  5. Jane Jacobs and Citizen Participation James Stockard  Part 2: Jane Jacobs, Urban Economist  6. Economic Development from a Jacobsian Perspective Sanford Ikeda  7. What Would Jane Jacobs See in the Global City? Place and Social Practices Saskia Sassen  Part 3: Jane Jacobs, Urban Sociologist  8. Infrastructure, Social Injustice, and the City: Parsing the Wisdom of Jane Jacobs Marie-Alice L’Heureux  9. Jane Jacobs, Jim Crow and the Madness of Borders Mindy Fullilove  Part 4: Jane Jacobs, Urban Designer 10. Jane Jacobs and the Diversity Ideal Emily Talen  11. Diversity and Mixed Use: Lessons from Medieval China Jing Xie 12. Jane Jacobs’ Relevance in Beirut Ibrahim Maarouf and Hassan Abdel-Salam  13. Jane Jacobs and Diversity of Use of Public Open Spaces in Thailand Kan Nathiwutthikun 14. Revisiting Jane Jacobs’ ‘Eyes on the Street’ for the 21st Century: Evidence from Environmental Criminology Paul Cozens and David Hillier  15. Jane Jacobs and the Theory of Placemaking in Debates of Sustainable Urbanism Anirban Adhya  16. Making the Familiar Strange: Understanding Design Practice as Cultural Practice B.D. Wortham-Galvin  17. Jane Jacobs and Designing Cities as Organized Complexity Jonathan Barnett