What Can We do With the City?

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES, by Jane Jacobs.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities is the kind of book which suggests a two-column discussion; one labeled right, one wrong. The author attacks city planners, architects, administrators, private enterprise, public works, reformers, utopians, bankers. She finds all city planning theory of modern times in error, whether it favors garden cities, cities beautiful, skyscrapers or detached single-story houses. She italicizes “The city cannot be a work of art.” The end result, in spite of excellent observations, reasonable recommendations, and a good heart is that Jane Jacobs’ book suggests we leave everything pretty much as it is except we paint the walls.

The author is no mere theorist—it was she that led the fight to “save” the West Village and when the New York Times reported her as saying that “in addition to a well-knit neighborhood organization the Committee had been successful because it had refused to discuss any planning whatsoever with the Planning Commission” she stated her position. I would maintain, it was not because the single goal of the Committee was to remove the “blighted” designation from the neighborhood that no planning was discussed, but rather that the existing plan, such as it is, is all the plan Mrs. Jacobs wants.

Her ideal city consists of small blocks so there will be plenty of corners to turn, f...