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The Death and Life of Great American Cities
 
 
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The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Paperback)

by Jane Jacobs (Author) "Streets in cities serve many purposes besides carrying vehicles, and city sidewalks-the pedestrian parts of the streets-serve many purposes besides carrying pedestrians ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
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Review

"The most refreshing, provacative, stimulating and exciting study of this [great problem] which I have seen. It fairly crackles with bright honesty and common sense."
—Harrison Salisbury, The New York Times

"One of the most remarkable books ever written about the city... a primary work. The research apparatus is not pretentious—it is the eye and the heart—but it has given us a magnificent study of what gives life and spirit to the city."
—William H. Whyte, author of The Organization Man


Product Description

A direct and fundamentally optimistic indictment of the short-sightedness and intellectual arrogance that has characterized much of urban planning in this century, The Death and Life of Great American Cities has, since its first publication in 1961, become the standard against which all endeavors in that field are measured. In prose of outstanding immediacy, Jane Jacobs writes about what makes streets safe or unsafe; about what constitutes a neighborhood, and what function it serves within the larger organism of the city; about why some neighborhoods remain impoverished while others regenerate themselves. She writes about the salutary role of funeral parlors and tenement windows, the dangers of too much development money and too little diversity. Compassionate, bracingly indignant, and always keenly detailed, Jane Jacobs's monumental work provides an essential framework for assessing the vitality of all cities.
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First Sentence
Streets in cities serve many purposes besides carrying vehicles, and city sidewalks-the pedestrian parts of the streets-serve many purposes besides carrying pedestrians. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
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4.8 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Urban Work, Jul 13 2004
By Nicholas Stehle (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews
When one begins to talk about city planning and urban land use, the name Jane Jacobs almost always comes up in the conversation. Jacobs is without question the leading scholar attacking the modern urban theories of development. If you ask any average suburban soccer mom or dad what the problem is with the city, they almost always say "it is too crowded!"

Jacobs is able to show that the real problem with cities isn't overpopulation - rather, it is exactly the opposite! The major problem with cities today is that they aren't dense enough. Empty sidewalks are inviting only to criminals. Children, shop keepers, and families hate an empty sidewalk.

Furthermore, city planners compound the situation by moving businesses (and therefore commerce) away from residences - thus resulting in a further decline of sidewalk traffic.

If you're going to be involved in city government, planning, or land use, you should definitely read this book. I'm a small government conservative, and lots of other conservatives are scared by Jacobs -- but let me tell you -- this is the future of America. We should accept and embrace this urban challenge.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring & surprisingly accessible, Mar 20 2004
By A Customer
This book reads like a novel rather than an ideological tome. If you think of it that way, the city is the protagonist and you feel like you're reading a bildundgsroman about this much put upon but always fascinating central character. Wow. Somebody recommended a Modern Library edition. I have to concur because this edition (paperback) is badly designed and hard to read. It's worth getting a nicer edition.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A suggested movie to set the tone for the book, Sep 23 2003
By A Customer
I highly reccommend that anyone who reads this book download the movie "the dynamic city" (its free and legal) from the Prelinger Archives at archive.org - this video will show the reader the ideology in the urban planning world at the time this book was written and what Jane Jacobs showed us to be ineffective. A high speed connection would be best for the download.

This is the best book I have read.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
It would be perfect if there was a French translation available. If so I'd buy it without thinking twice! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Fleur Isabelle Delacour

5.0 out of 5 stars great
This is a great book. I read it on the subway and never lost interest. Even today it helps open your eyes to bad planning that occurs in cities that kills what otherwise could... Read more
Published on Mar 17 2004 by Steven G. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-have!!
The Death and Life of Great American Cities is a genius book. Words cannot explain how powerful and convincing this book is, you have to buy it yourself to understand. Read more
Published on Jan 30 2004 by Matt

5.0 out of 5 stars New tools for looking at the world.
At the end of this book Jacobs refers to a seminal work in the evolving science of organized complexity. Read more
Published on Jan 10 2004 by algo41

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and right on
This book is an amazing analysis of cities and how they work. Jacobs begins by observing the city around her, New York. Read more
Published on Aug 20 2003 by Erika Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars Why to Read This Book
1. It's accessable. It's an easy read. Forget the cliff notes version or some secondary source -- totally unnecessary.

2. It contains counter intutitive insights. Read more

Published on Jun 27 2003 by Generic Guy

5.0 out of 5 stars A Constellation of Ideas About City Planning
This 1961 book by Jane Jacobs, a one-time writer for architectural magazines in New York City, turned the world of city planning on its head. Read more
Published on May 19 2003 by Jeffrey Leach

5.0 out of 5 stars Atop the Urban Canon
With the exception of Lewis Mumford's comprehensive The City in History, Death and Life is the most provocative, important book written on cities. Read more
Published on May 17 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Jacobs = GR8
"It may be that we have become so feckless as a people that we no longer care how things work, but only what kind of quick, easy outer impression they give. Read more
Published on May 6 2003 by Gavin Farrell

5.0 out of 5 stars A debate on every page
An opinionated exploration of great cities. I might have disagreed with the author almost as often as I agreed with her, but her opinions are lucid and compelling. Read more
Published on Jan 18 2003 by M. Garrett

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