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THE_GREAT_CITY

                                           June  26, 2006

Jane Jacobs great work was:

"The Death and Life of
 Great American Cities"

My summary of the the central thesis:
                                               JANE_JACOBS
    Cities are healthiest where
    shared regions are used by
    diverse ranges of people at      Her own summary of her conclusions,
    different times for              as supplied in a footnote in a
    different purposes.              later work, "The Economy of Cities"
                                     (chapter 3, page 100, Vintage paperback):

  She makes the point that                     "... enterprises serving
  there was something crazy                    city consumers flourish
  about the obsession with                     most prolifically where the
  razing functional if                         following four conditions
  funky neighborhoods to                       are met:
  replace them with massive
  government housing                           "1) different primary uses,
  projects that just don't                     such as residences and
  work.                                        working places, must be
                                               mingled together, insuring
  In retrospect, there's                       the presence of people
  an oddity about her                          using the streets on
  presentation:                                different schedules but
                                               drawing on consumer goods
     Where's the                               and services in common;
     conspiracy
     theories?                                 "2) small and short blocks;

  Isn't it possible that                       "3) buildings of differing
  the great push for                           ages, types, sizes and
  government "housing                          conditions of upkeep,
  projects" was not just                       intimiately mingled;
  crazy or stupid, but
  actively evil?                               "and

  Someone made a lot of money                  4) high concentrations
  building lousy concrete                      of people."
  bunkhouses... not to mention
  the guys in the demolition
  business.

  Isn't it possible that Le
  Corbusier was not just the
  inspiration of a wave of           POWER_BROKE
  mass insanity, but a cloak
  for the same old
  profiteering?

      There are people out
      there who will exploit
      the dominant ideology
      whatever is...

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