I was once the subject of friendly watching of residents in my neighborhood. Similar to the narrator, I was waiting for a cab to come at a local bus stop during an annual parade that temporarily suspended public transportation system in the area, and many of the by-passers tried to catch my attention to remind me of the fact that the buses aren’t running on the day. I’ve never interpreted this as simple acts of strangers, but the readings gave me another framework to understand their actions. They indeed served as voluntary guardians of the neighborhood by simply paying attention to unfamiliar faces on the block. I find the way Jacobs orchestrate relationships between sidewalks and residents unconventional because it defines what I perceived to be unrelated simples acts of strangers as layers of defense in the community, I would feel safer now that I’ve had personal experience with it.

However, another observation that I am curious about is the fact that dense cities such as Manhattan with skyscrapers often have no residents that keep a lookout and thus usually have “hired gatekeepers” of the community. I question the effectiveness of such thing due to how crucial the sense of ownership is in the process of looking out for the neighborhood. Like the author said – “actions require self-assurance about the actor’s proprietorship of the streets, I wonder how effective hired eyes would be during quiet nights in the heart of our city.