What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs
Essential reading for serious scholars of Jacobs. --Tim Harford, FT.com/The Undercover Economist --Financial TimesAdvance Praise forWhat We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs:“I had never understood quite so clearly the effective power of Jane Jacobs’ writing… That if you take the time to look, to really observe, then you see what is happening and with the clarity of that vision you can act to save neighborhoods.”—Nancy Milford, scholar, lecturer, and author ofZeldaandSavage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay“Just in its title,What We Seetelegraphs the most important point Jane Jacobs ever made—don’t go into a city environment with preset notions of how things are supposed to work; instead, enter the space with as open a mind as you can muster and seek to observe how things actually work.What We Seeis a report … to tell Jane what we learned and how it has changed our cities and our lives.”—Keith Bartholomew, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture and Planning, University of Utah, and coauthor,Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate ChangeReviews forWhat We See"Some people set the pace for the future of advancing thought.What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobsis a collection of essays dedicated to the thoughts and ideas of Jane Jacobs who through her work set much of the foundation for modern city planning, the idea of turning a city into a more perfect place to work and live. With ideas on encouraging prosperity, working with people, the right level of complexity, and more,What We Seeis a must for anyone wants to understand the forwarding thoughts surrounding city planning."—Midwest Book Review"What We Seereaches beyond the platitudes about Jacobs' work. It features stories of her ideals played out in specific places and spaces by the people she has inspired and those who share an affinity with the spirit (and not just the letter) of her work... Jacobs has, deservedly, become the "patron saint" of progressive planning--anointed, revered, almost untouchable. Celebratory and reflective,What We Seerevels in Jacobs' godlike status while trying to bring a sense of realness to an intellectual celebrity...read alongside Jacobs' works, this book points towards a contextualization and deeper understanding of her legacy, in planning and fields beyond."—Anusha Venkataraman,Progressive Planning"The stories contained within the pages ofWhat We Seeallow us to not only examine how our cities and neighborhoods are developing and changing, but the actions of the authors provide the reader with the inspiration to begin to make a difference in their own neighborhood, city, region and life. I would challenge anyone to read this book and not feel the burning desire to initiate positive change within their own neighborhood, community or city."—Michael Ouchakof,enVisionGreen"I encourage anyone who is interested in our cities and economies, how they work and how they can be vibrant and flourishing to read this book. I regret that I couldn't choose from the essays which illustrations or quotes or insights to highlight in a single review, there is just too much quality."—Hazel Ashton,Village Connections"The idea forWhat We See originatedwith the Jacobs-oriented Center for the Living City as a celebration honoring Jacobs, but the book took on a different form under Elizabeth's guidance. "I thought Jane would not have wanted a book about her," Elizabeth says, noting that two histories centering on her and a biography have recently been published. “Instead, we invited people from diverse fields to write their own ideas about how things work and describe the systems they see operating now and into the future.""—Suzanne Mantell,Publisher's Weekly"Fascinating though these projects are,What We Seecannot be breezed through. At times, the collection is weighed down with policy. Some readers might find the prose too dependent on jargon. And most of the essays assume the reader's familiarity with Jacobs’s books and biography. Still, if What We See requires, at times, a professional’s duty-bound doggedness, it rewards the general reader’s generosity. The best selections inspire a kind of covetousness, as they present projects or politics you might want for your own city, for your own family to use and enjoy."—Allyn West,Cite Magazine"It is a new, entrepreneurial, 21st-century outlook. Indeed, the true message ofWhat We Seeis that we have a fresh generation of urban thought leaders who have learned from Jane Jacobs, but are intelligent, passionate, and innovative enough to develop their own ideas, messages, and strategies for action."—Greg Heller,Urban Direction"With that in mind, the book is an important one because while the ideas of Jane Jacobs have appeal for many people, in the end they are largely discarded in the interest of practicality and control. But as Sanford Ikeda reminds us inWhat We See, the city has no purpose or end in itself. Great cities enable the better part of its inhabitants to be free to pursue their own diverse interests with the maximum likelihood of success."—Eric Miller,The New Colonist"The ultimate strength of gathering and showcasing such a diverse collection of writings is that everyone is bound to find a number of essays that resonate with them, and at least one that inspires them."—Lisa Brideau,re:place Magazine"The essays inWhat We Seeremind us that cities are inefficient, but in a good, necessary way, that they exist to allow inhabitants to pursue a wide range of dreams and goals, that they are complex and can be seemingly poised on the edge of chaos between the yin and yang of "I" the individual and "We" the body of citizens."—April Streeter,Treehugger