The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Introduction
The Death and Life of Great American Cities authored by Jane Jacobs are basically centered on city planning and the associated strategies issues utilized by the cities planners throughout the whole 20th century. According to Jacobs the rebuilding strategy has not been successful based on the fact that it has failed in reducing or eliminating the slums issues which result in the decay of cities neighborhood. Jacobs, therefore, poses blame to the city planners, educators as well as theorists based on the claim that they are all involved. In the book first, a part she provides an analysis of the things that generally contributes to neighborhood success (Jacobs, 14). Jacobs presents a view of the sidewalks, parks, and streets of the cities. She analyzes the factors that generate a vital neighborhood by stating that the cities hold safe streets, sidewalks as well as safe parks which help in providing contact and the chance for the children that live around to gain training. In the analysis of the positive and negative aspect of a city, she states that the age and the buildings shapes contribute to the presentation, cost as well as functionality. A safe neighborhood according to Jacobs requires the incorporation of both old and new buildings as they help in facilitating diversity. This is mainly because new building encourages those that are rich to accommodate the buildings which are characterized with high rents (Jacobs, 22).
Several cities decays and slums generations and this occurs in several years before the actual decay (Jacobs, 16). The creation of slums in the cities is based on the fact that fresh buildings are more encouraged thus eliminating individuals with low income. In this individuals opt to live in the cities surrounding areas that are characterized by low cost. The rate of crime then increases in the cities since the planning generates a separation between the rich and those that are poor. The city planners are therefore required to take bold steps of addressing the issue but according to Jacobs, they are not doing this but instead they are more focused on buildings and beautifying the cities with new buildings.
According to Jacobs, the city planners are involved in slums rebuilding which is a general form of shifting those slums to a different location. This is therefore not they general solutions to cities neighborhoods decay or them the general solution of eradicating slums. Those that are being shifted hold the desire of living in the city in bettering their lives and this needs should be addressed. Jacobs states that she feels that the most effective responsibility of the city developers is to conduct an evaluation of the neighborhoods and establish the factors that result in both failure and success. In their roles, they should promote those aspects that lead to success and discourage the ones that result in failure. However, the existing planning methodology fails based on the fact that its structure is not appropriate for establishing success. According to Jacobs the aspect of planning should not incorporate the act of separation and rebuilding but it should incorporate the success of the society.
In the first part, Jacobs presents an explanation of very influential thoughts in traditional development where she begins with Howard city garden. Jacob presents the argument that the building of the cities is certainly irrelevant to the functioning of the cities. The cities should offer both safety and protection to those that live there without favor (Schubert, 1). This should, therefore, incorporate characters from different social levels such as storekeepers who can help in enhancing the sidewalk life’s social nature through learning and generating awareness of information. The structures of the city like parks can help in lowering racial discrimination through developing better relations. Jacob defines a neighborhood as a self-governance structure which cannot function on its own. She states that city neighborhoods are made up of three levels which are city districts, streets, and the city itself. In the context of the city streets, they should effectively hold the capability of asking for assistance when an enormous issue arises. On the other hand, effective districts should be present to the street and the city acts as the source of public money from both the federal and the state structure (Schubert, 1).
The second part having illustrated the significance of diversity in a city explains the situations of diversity that generates productive cities. Jacobs makes refute of the existing myth that diversity in a traditional development would result in failure. In the first place, she generates the argument that city’s diversity does not reduce naturally the visual order. She supports the argument by stating that diversity cannot be blamed for cities congestion which is primarily caused by cars and not persons as a diversified society encourages the act of walking (Jacobs, 50).
In the third part, Jacobs presents an analysis of the regeneration and decline forces in the cycles of the cities. This includes the self-destructive aspect that is represented by efficient diversity dampening inspiration, instability of population due to diversity development challenge and public and private Currency effects (Schubert, 3). Based on population instability slums exist based on the unstable diversity population and the solution to this issue according to Jacobs is to ensure that those that live in the slums are motivated to develop the neighborhoods. This should, therefore, be accomplished through developing the living standards of individuals living in the slums through increasing monies. Jacobs makes the argument that money is characterized by several limitations because it cannot by cities success unless appropriate strategies are incorporated. Self-destruction occurs when the dwellers and the existing businesses are replaced by profitable aspects (Schubert, 3).
Jacob utilized her individual observation in regard to the city in the formulation of her philosophy about city planning yet she held no professional planning training. Despite the fact that some of the generated viewed from the observation work against the required urban planning standards her work makes much sense in the modern and traditional cities (Schubert, 6). According to Jacobs, the principles that are directly connected to city planning are both disadvantageous and inaccurate to the cities. The uprooting of most families and damaging to most cities business are influenced by expressway construction based on Jacobs’s expression. She gives an example that a banker is bound to consider a certain area in a society as a slum based on his own perception. However, the area which is considered as slums can be a naturally flourishing community whose potential is yet to be exploited. In this perspective, banks deny loans to the particular areas which are seen as slums and therefore the liveliness of that community is an implication of community’s interaction (Schubert, 6).
The claim made by Jacobs that the city planners are mainly concerned with automobiles mainly is true. This is because the particular planners see cars as they causes of cities decays as well as the required item by the community’s residents (Schubert, 8). The presented arguments by Jacobs in her writing of the book are in a certain degree relevant to the modern city planning today. She argued that cities are expected to act as diversity developers in her city planning description. She develops the significant statement that cities should be able to develop and economic base and other parts of cities development. She argues that cities hold the greater part of supporting diversity in comparison to other areas. She gives the example of Vietnamese restaurants presence in the cities. She states that through diversity prosperity is achieved and in smaller towns which are not yet cities, where the massive market appeal is not present prosperity, may not be achieved easily. Individuals huge collections works in ensuring that cities hold the capability of offering diversified businesses and individuals from distinct regions in the world (Mennel, Jo Steffens, and Klemek, 5). This, therefore, verifies the argument made by Jacobs that cities are the primary generators of diversity and prosperity.
Urban designing and planning are focused on two primary concepts which entail the ability to meet interests and tendencies which can be classified as requirements and standards. In the context of need, they are basic and this can be classified as natural values and meet them is the responsibility of the associated bodies (Mennel, Jo Steffens, and Klemek, 6). This, therefore, implies that a city that is planned based on the existing needs solemnly would thus be structured on direct requirement thus forgetting the outcomes of the particular actions. The argument that city planning should consider individuals diversity to attain progress by Jacobs is, therefore, true because a diversified planning helps in increasing community’s interaction (Mennel, Jo Steffens, and Klemek, 7).
A contemporary city should hold different characteristic which ranges from demographic, defensiveness, appearance, safety, cultural and an industrial nature. According to Jacobs with a diversified city’s structure more opportunities for the diversified population can be generated (Jacobs, 82). This solves the issue of production, comprehension, and well as environment preservation. The argument that urban planners and developers responsibilities of handling city issues are wrong is true. This is mainly because the planners and the developers concentrate more on the needs of the city rather than the interests of individuals. However, her opposition of complex and large urban buildings is not relevant because the initiatives help in accommodating the growing population. In the modern contemporary cities in America, parks are utilized in growing interaction which is influenced by the ability of the parks to hold a diversified population (Jacobs, 42). This, therefore, results in a vibrant city which shows the relevance of Jacobs’s argument of creating safety parks to develop interactions and relations.
The current cities in the United States are characterized by huge and complex buildings which are associated with a higher living cost. This results in slums which cannot be solved by rebuilding because the slums residents population is shifted to a different location (Jacobs, 64). This means that a solution to the issue is not drawn as this is a temporary solution. Jacobs’s argument is true that complex building results in less production because of the separation that is caused based on high cost. Cities generate multiple choices that can result in increased development. However, a flexibility of access is an essential aspect. It is, therefore, important to incorporate transportation in the city without destroying the intricate that is related and land use concentration. The city developers and designers are expected to make adequate considerations of additionally uses to compete with the needs of automobile traffic (Jacobs, 72). The argument raised by Jacobs is true based on the fact that the modern cities in the United States are characterized by high traffic. This issue, however, cannot be solved by reducing the population as this would be interfering with the needs of individuals. This can, therefore, be solved through the utilization of wider sidewalks which would encourage a wider population this solving the issue of traffic.
The modern city planners focus on developing the automobile roads in order to accommodate the growing use of vehicles in the city. This is however not a solution as cars will automatically increase with time and the need to develop the roads further will grow. Instead, the road use can be reduced through ensuring that the roads are developments are reduced (Jacobs, 212). The argument that facilities such as parks, streets and sidewalks helps in reducing social inequity and developing better relations is relevant in the modern cities in the united states. This is mainly because through specific events in the cities individuals from different backgrounds and ethnicities are able to interact freely thus developing better relation which results in prosperity.
The argument made by Jacobs that cities are an issue of complexity which is organized by planners, educators and theorists are true. The planning of the city should be favorable to the growing population to reduce the issues of overpopulation which in turn leads to slums development. Due to the highly structured buildings in the cities, the living standard is developed which implies that individuals with lower income are forced to look for better solutions to the issue (Mennel, Jo Steffens, and Klemek, 10). Diversifying businesses will encourage prosperity throughout the presented population. The issue of slums community can best be solved by money distribution to the slums residents. This favors the development of different programs thus attaining prosperity as individuals are motivated to develop their communities.
Conclusion
In summary, Jane Jacobs’s criticisms on cities planning can be regarded as an urban iconic development which is relevant to the modern cities in American today. The arguments are well incorporated in the modern cities and their characteristics are viewed to as a description of a safe and a better city. Cities are clearly physical things which need to incorporate individual’s needs as well as provide adequate solutions to the existing issues. It is clear that the issues that are faced in the cities can only be solved by better planning. This is because the planning should not only be based on the needs but also on the impacts that will follow. Modern city planning is centered on complexity which is based on the growing need for accommodating the growing population as well as offering solutions to issues such as traffic which are only short term solutions. The criticisms made by Jacobs are true because complexity only encourages social inequity and development of more issues. City development should be based on the interests and wellbeing of every individual.
Work Cited
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. Print.
Mennel, Timothy, Jo Steffens, and Christopher Klemek. Block by Block: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York. New York, NY: Municipal Art Society of New York, 2007. Print.
Schubert, Dirk. Contemporary Perspectives on Jane Jacobs: Reassessing the Impacts of an Urban Visionary . Routledge, 2016. Print.
