Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Modern Library, 1993. Print.

Jane Jacobs’s book, first published in 1961, helped spark the debate over the renewal of urbanism and the future of cities. In this book, she provides us with a look onto the nature of cities, focusing specifically on New York City. In the first section, she addresses the uses of sidewalks and neighborhoods. A major idea in sidewalks is how it can be seen as a space for socialization and safety if there is a high enough degree of activity and contact amongst people on said sidewalk. In the second section, she emphasizes the needs for certain structures, such as small blocks, old buildings, and mixed primary uses streets, in order to create diversity. One of the main points is the combination of multiple primary uses on the same street, meaning: not separating commerce and residence. This can help promote diversity and therefore increase the liveliness of the city. In the third part, she discusses the forces that contribute to the decline of cities and then addresses the different tactics that are well-recognized in the world of city planning.

Overall, this book serves as a good guide to viewing how city planning affects the way people interact with others and form communities. It is interesting to note the relationship between the organization of a city and how it can either promote or deter safety and diversity. People alone do not make up a community. Place/location plays a very important part.