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Tucked away in the middle of any urban planning article is a reference to Jane Jacob's "The Death and Life of Great American Cities". It's a great book that puts into words why certain neighborhoods cities feel alive and fit for humans. From mixed-use buildings to small blocks to sidewalks to parks to landmarks.

I'm not going to say her insights are universal for everyone, but it might help you understand why you like that grid you like.

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>I'm not going to say her insights are universal for everyone, but it might help you understand why you like that grid you like.

Jacobs is really interesting. My one caveat is that I think a lot of people who applaud her helping to block Moses' highway plans for Washington Square Park would probably be less enthusiastic about her support for what was effectively community self-determination. I suspect many would call it NIMBYism because I'm pretty sure making the West Village more affordable wasn't her top priority.

(That said, it was a very different environment in NYC in the 1950s than it became in the 70s/80s than it is today.)

Jacobs combines praise for a very particular type of urban fabric (and a detailed, insightful explication of why it's good) with ideas about preservation and local self-determination, which in her time functioned as a bulwark against modern car-centric design.

Now you see NIMBYs who are attached to the "modern" suburban planning regime she helped to fight off, using the same rhetoric to prevent the formation of the same kind of neighborhood she was defending, now that it's back in style.

In Death and Life she talks about "diversity", which was more about housing types and prices rather than like demographic diversity, but often accomplished the same thing. Definitely a way of making things more affordable.

Jane should come here to Tokyo to see what a city that's largely fit for humans is like in modern times. Zoning rules here are basically the opposite of America's, and walkability is the norm in most parts of the city (with excellent public transit connecting the most popular districts).

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