The death and life of great American cities.
Publisher: Random House
Published: 1961
Place of publication: [New York]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 458
Subjects: Cities and towns -- United States -- Juvenile literature; City planning
Genres: Juvenile literature
Description: Jane Jacobs critiques the comprehensive modernist approach to urban planning after 1945. By the 1950s, various American cities were pursuing ambitious urban renewal policies, influenced by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier's concept of the "Radiant City." Jacobs sees this being utterly at odds with urban realities, and leading to the destruction of the city as a living community. This futurist vision insisted on the absolute segregation of the city's different activities into separate zones, linked (though also physically isolated) by super-highways set in wide parkland landscaping. The colossal physical destruction that was necessary to implement this vision tore apart the traditional multi-activity street and densely populated neighborhood that Jacobs avers is the bedrock of urban living.
Notes: 57494