Jane Jacobs, R I P

[SDR]

This space for any comments on the author of "The Death and Life of Great American Cities". . .who died today in Toronto.

[Kevin]

A magnificent person, major influence and inspiration for me among millions of others:

Jane Jacobs, OC, O.Ont (May 4, 1916 - April 25, 2006) was an American-born Canadian writer and activist. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States. The book has been credited with reaching beyond planning issues to influence the spirit of the times. "Jacobs came down firmly on the side of spontaneous inventiveness of individuals, as against abstract plans imposed by governments and corporations," wrote Canadian critic Robert Fulford. "She was an unlikely intellectual warrior, a theorist who opposed most theories, a teacher with no teaching job and no university degree, a writer who wrote well but infrequently."
-- from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Jacobs


more background:
http://www.planetizen.com/node/19491

[Kevin]

"Jacobs, who was born in Scranton, Pa., advocated density and mixed use in communities, staunchly opposed large highways and warned of urban sprawl."

""Jane Jacobs will be remembered as one of the great urban thinkers of our time," Toronto Mayor David Miller said in a statement. "Her contributions and insights have forever changed the way North American cities are developed.""

-- from: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/books/wire-jacobs.html