I agree with you Mariyanthie, that Amanda Burden focused too much on the aesthetics of New York City and not enough on the people who live there. Her view of a successful city seems to solely rely on economic growth. Based on how she remodeled the Highline, as well as rezoning 125th street to consist of luxury housing, it is safe to assume that Burden was not interested in what the local residents wanted; she had her own motives in mind to remodel in order to bring in revenue in housing and tourists. Her desire for an economically successful city manifested in the way that she “micromanaged” projects, as you mentioned. She was so caught up in the details of how everything should look perfect, that she lost sight of what the people who lived there would like to see and instead focused on the city being aesthetically pleasing.

You mention that Burden was more similar to Robert Moses than to Jane Jacobs. While she was interested in pleasing the wealthy like Moses was, she went about it in a “Jacobsian” manner. She wanted people to live in the city, unlike Moses who built highways for people to leave the city. She also wanted “street vitality” like Jacobs wanted, meaning that there should be people on the streets at all hours. However, her idea of “street vitality” was of white wealthy people on the street similar to herself, and not a diverse group of people. She remodeled the Highline in a way that would raise real estate costs in the nearby areas dramatically, as you portrayed in the table. Overall, I think Burden was similar to Moses mostly in that she was focused on improving the lives of the upper class and similar to Jacobs in that she wanted people to stay in the city and enjoy it.

Though Burden ignored poor people who lived in the city, you are right that she did create a beautiful and enjoyable Highline park. It did generate revenue for the city because of the kiosks and nearby stores and it is a tourist attraction. Her sitting spaces that she created have a Jacobs feel because they encourage interaction of tourists and residents alike. However, Burden should not just be focused on what people like herself would enjoy seeing, but also on what the residents of the city need. Seeing the way that she kicked out the people who disagree with her in the movie shows that she does not have the compassion for all kinds of people living in the city, nor does she have the residents in mind when she plans. You gave some important insights into how Burden runs the city, Mariyanthe.