rsmry's review
informative
slow-paced
3.5
There were good insights and I did appreciate the varying perspectives on Jane Jacobs, and it has improved my understanding of Jacobs's lasting impact, both positive and negative. Most of the essays, however, lacked teeth. Despite the shorter nature of a collection of essays, I think most of the authors could have had stronger points. My favorite essays were "Jane Jacobs, Andy Warhol, and the Kind of Problem a Community Is," by Timothy Mennel, "A Chinese Perspective," by Nathan Cherry (Not sure how Chinese this perspective really is if he's based in Los Angeles? I did not see anything in his essay or biography ever mentioning being a permanent resident of China at any time in his life?) and "Jane Jacobs and the Death and Life of American Planning," by Thomas J. Campanella.
Mennel's essay highlighted the many different traits people enjoy in a city, and that some, like Warhol, prefer the anonymity and independence of a large city to Jacobs's cozy city block that in many ways is more reflective of a small town than a city today.
The international essays throughout the book were insightful to how much development and government can vary, especially when comparing the United States to non-Western countries like the United Arab Emirates and China. Each city presents a unique history that will inform its future. In Cherry's essay on China, and even moreso in Abdo's and Batzel's essay about Abu Dhabi, there seemed to be bias in how the subject was portrayed. (Abu Dhabi in particular was presented as almost a paradise on earth, despite many aspects of its description undoubtedly being sources of contention or conflict. Not to mention that it's still a monarchy.)
Campanella's essay was the most impactful, with excellent anecdotes and a strong overview of Jacobs's influence on urban planning in the United States. I felt though that some of his criticisms should have acknowledged the complicated political environment planning decisions are made in that limit planners' options. These are meant to be short essays for readers familiar with Jacobs and planning, though, so perhaps he did not consider it a necessary acknowledgement, especially for a limited word count. Some claims would not have been improved with elaboration however, because they were already incredibly stale. Arguments such as the one that progressives have produced "a welfare-state culture that has created a generation of Americans expecting handouts like spoiled children." do not personally inspire confidence in Campanella's ability to promote the equity he says he desires.
Mennel's essay highlighted the many different traits people enjoy in a city, and that some, like Warhol, prefer the anonymity and independence of a large city to Jacobs's cozy city block that in many ways is more reflective of a small town than a city today.
The international essays throughout the book were insightful to how much development and government can vary, especially when comparing the United States to non-Western countries like the United Arab Emirates and China. Each city presents a unique history that will inform its future. In Cherry's essay on China, and even moreso in Abdo's and Batzel's essay about Abu Dhabi, there seemed to be bias in how the subject was portrayed. (Abu Dhabi in particular was presented as almost a paradise on earth, despite many aspects of its description undoubtedly being sources of contention or conflict. Not to mention that it's still a monarchy.)
Campanella's essay was the most impactful, with excellent anecdotes and a strong overview of Jacobs's influence on urban planning in the United States. I felt though that some of his criticisms should have acknowledged the complicated political environment planning decisions are made in that limit planners' options. These are meant to be short essays for readers familiar with Jacobs and planning, though, so perhaps he did not consider it a necessary acknowledgement, especially for a limited word count. Some claims would not have been improved with elaboration however, because they were already incredibly stale. Arguments such as the one that progressives have produced "a welfare-state culture that has created a generation of Americans expecting handouts like spoiled children." do not personally inspire confidence in Campanella's ability to promote the equity he says he desires.
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